1980 Gauge Questions/ Malfunctions?

[SwissEd]

1. My oil pressure gauge never goes above half way under power; I would say it is at about 1/4 (near L) when idle-- is this normal or could pump not be working properly?
2. Amp guage-- what would be 'normal' when driving? Showing a modest charge?
3. Temp is near C even after 40 minutes of driving? Is this a problem other than no heat?
Thanks,
Ed

 

[1911]

I have not had my 1980 very long, but am a good mechanic and have had lots of Toyotas.

1. My oil pressure gauge never goes below the half-way mark even when hot. These things are not calibrated, so I'm not sure the magnitude on the gauge means a whole lot. You could try hooking up a proper calibrated gauge to the sending unit hole.

2. My amp gauge never visibly moves from the middle, no matter what rpm. The battery always remains charged, so I don't worry about it. Maybe my gauge is bad too?

3. This one means that either your thermostat is bad, or the previous owner did not install the round rubber gasket on top of the thermostat last time it was replaced. For the round rubber gasket to fit, you must use the proper (thicker) thermostat housing gasket from Toyota for a 1980.

 

[SwissEd]

thanks for your words of wisdom. I will have local Toyota folks check oil pressure as that does concern me on an expensive truck. As for amp gauge I will learn if the battery goes then that is a problem. Have portable remote starter so should not be an issue. Finally, the temp.- I will take a look as it seemed odd to me that it could run so cold for so long as well. Rgds, Ed

 

[american psycho]

have a look at the wiring diagrams for the Amp guage. I seem to recall that the external Voltage Regulator with 6 plugs somehow makes the Amp guage inactive (I'll lookup my notes tonight and update).

Anyhow, my 1984 FJ40 Amp guage never moves. Oil always over 1/2 and Temperature seems more or less correct (runs hot on highway and goes a bit over 1/3, in city around 1/4).

 

[amaurer]

There are two fuses that often blow, disabling the ammeter. They're not in the fuse panel, they're taped to a wire loom on the fender.

 

[american psycho]

There are two fuses that often blow, disabling the ammeter. They're not in the fuse panel, they're taped to a wire loom on the fender.

I forgot to mention that the 2 fuses I have are new, 5 Amp. I did not clean the contacts, though, and therein may lie the problem, as they appeared a bit oxidized.

 

[Downey]

One of the down-sides of keeping your Toyota all Toyota is that you dont have calibrated gauges (graduations). You've got the age old question; what's half way between this line and that line???

 

[45Kevin]

My oil gauge does about the same thing. What you need to look for is a change over time, which would indicate wear or a problem in your engine. This assumes that you are satisfied that the oil pressure is sufficient to begin with, regardless of what the guage reads.

My temp guage is also hard pressed to get up to half, even after running for hours. After I owned the truck for a couple of years I got stuck in a long traffic jamb for several hours and on a very hot day and the guage did in fact move beyond the half way mark. The heater is making good hot air when the needle is at about a 1/4 up from L.

My amp guage is on the negative side a couple of needle widths when the lights are on and it is idleing. When I am driving the guage is in the middle unless i have just started it and it is recharging the battery.

 

[SwissEd]

Thanks for the wealth of info- yup... much to learn but I guess that is the joy as well that comes with satisfaction of fixing stuff. I would never have imagined there were 'remote' fuses' that were on in the box. I am sure there are loads of other surprises I will experience in the years to come. Ed

 

[american psycho]

I forgot to mention that the 2 fuses I have are new, 5 Amp. I did not clean the contacts, though, and therein may lie the problem, as they appeared a bit oxidized.

Steel-wooled the contacts, and now I get a smidgen of movement towards positive when I rev.

With the 50Amp gauge I'd claim this as functional. Battery stays charged and all electrical works.

 

[SwissEd]

Hi, my local Toyota dealer rigged up a oil pressure gauge and confirmed pressure was fine (I didn't get the measurement yet- my French is not great). So I guess if the gauge is at the "L" end there is no graduation but good to know plenty of pressure. When I return one day to the US I will replace gauges with ones that have some metric - only logical way to go. More later-- seems the initial thought on oil leak is the drain plug gasket might not be doing its job- they will replace and I won't tell them about the synthetic- vs. non-synthetic idea just yet. Pretty amazing that Toyota does not even have non-synthetic oil. tkx Ed