Truck Help

[fishrmn70]

Ok, I was able to get the boat out for the first time this weekend. First time ever towing the boat for any distance (cause dad always did it), no problem. My question is that when I brake or am sitting at a red light the oil pressure on the truck goes to low and the light flashes. However when I step on the gas or put it in neutral the oil pressure stays where it should. Any ideas on what might be causing this? Truck is a 1990 Dodge Ramcharger 4x4, with tow package. This was my dads truck that got passed on to me when he passed away recently. Any help would be great. Also the tires say 50psi for max load, is that the pressure they should be at?



Thanks,

fishrmn70

 

[Carlos Hathcock III]

Hey ya Fish,

Does the truck do this when not towing the boat? How may miles on the truck? The oil pressure will flucutate as the truck engine RPM decreses or increses. I do not know the minumum OP for your truck.

Did you check all the easy stuff. You have plenty of oil, been changed recently.......

I will let others answer the tire question. They are more experienced then I am with tire stuff.



Carlos

 

[Bruce Freeman]

Low oil pressure or faulty switch. When was the last time the oil was changed?? You can have it checked with a manual gage. But if you are not sure about the last oil change I would do that first.. The oil light comes on when the pressure drops below 6lbs.. Stick with 50 on the tires they will last longer and give better MPG. (always check tire pressure while they are cold) Don't drive 20 miles to the service station and then check them...

BF

 

[fishrmn70]

First off thanks for such quick replies.



Carlos, I have seen the truck do this also while not towing the boat. The truck has 132,000 miles on it. I did check the oil, which was full, and all the other liquids before I left. The oil was changed about 3 months ago, but it sat for that long (dad was in the hospital) with it only be driven every 3 or so weeks for 10 miles each way.



Bruce, thanks for the info on the tires. 50 sounded high to me but then again it is a large truck so I guess it does make sense.



Anything else to check?



Fishrmn70

 

[Greg Meyer]

Have the oil pressure checked by a mechanic... Nothing will fry the engine faster than "no oil"... If the pickup in the oil pan is clogged could cause trouble.. lots of things could cause the low pressure symptom... So, get it checked and be "in the know" instead of "guessing"...

 

[Larry Harp]

Could be a faulty sending unit.....or the engine could getting tired. Have the oil pressure checked if it's truly low go to a heavier weight oil. Additives like Restore and STP may give you some more use before the big overhaul.

Good luck.

Harpo

 

[David Hunt]

With 132,000 miles, the engine is tired. (not dead, just tired) I had a 1974 Toyota with 212,000 when I sold it. For the last 130,000 or so, it always showed low to non-existant oil pressure at idle. As soon as you revved it up, the oil pressure came right back up. It was just an old oil pump and cam and crank bearings that had a bit more clearance in them than when they were new. I gave up worring about it about 20,000 miles after I first noticed it. It was running like a champ the day I sold it. Nothing is guaranteed, but it likely that you can go a long ways so long as the pressure doesn't drop when you are above idle and under a load. You could also put in a slightly heavier weight oil that won't squeeze out so quickly from the bearings.



david.....