Hey everyone,
So a few days ago my 97 lx450 oil leak worsened and I tackled the job of cleaning years worth of oil/grease that has collected on the engine to pinpoint exactly where the leak was coming from to do a repair. I used a mixture of gunk degreaser, scotch bright pads, various brushes, putty scrapers, dawn dish soap/water mix in a spray bottle, and lots of pressure washing (trying to avoid spraying directly into connectors) to get the engine clean. After many hours of cleaning I got it looking pretty good so I could see where it was coming from. Changed the oil as I was already planning and begun looking for the leak, i believe I have found where my leak is coming from and why it worsened (topped off oil a few days prior seemingly overfilling it and not realizing) but that’s not my reason for posting this. Tonight randomly while driving my oil pressure spiked almost to the H mark on the highway so I immediately pulled off thinking something with the oil change went wrong causing high pressure quickly realizing I probably just got water or degreaser into the sender or somehow grounded it out causing it to read high and overall erratically. I got home and cleaned the connector's, coated them in dielectric grease and re-installed them but to no avail my gauge is permanently stuck at the H mark even when the engine is off and key is out it’s just totally dead. I’m really not comfortable driving without what I consider a critical gauge especially during a time I’m diagnosing other oil related issues despite the truck running and driving totally normal and never having oil pressure issues before it’s just not a risk I’m willing to take. Going forward I want to make sure this repair happens quickly as possible as it’s my primary vehicle, but as luck will have it it’s a holiday weekend and I’m SOL till at least Tuesday so I have some time to think what to do going forward. I’m considering just swapping the sender but the gauge being pinned the way it is even while the trucks off has me worried the actual gauge itself got damaged from this which according to other MUD posts is a possibility.
With that being said I am seeking the wisdom of others on how I should go forward. Thankfully, the leak seems to have slowed down to its slow normal amount after the proper amount of oil is in the engine and I can continue with my plan of doing the known oil leak spots and HG as preventive maintenance this spring.
But with this oil pressure gauge issue I am trying to figure out how to go forward, given the info I’ve provided about what’s been done to the truck the last few days what do you guys think could have caused the gauge issue? Initially it was just an erratic gauge hovering near the H but otw home it pinned to the max and then hasn’t moved since, is this a sign the actual gauge is damaged and a sender won’t do anything? Also the more I read the more I see the stock gauges are more of a suggestion then an accurate reading so I am open to aftermarket gauges. Most seem to run them when their engines have major performance work done to them, Would an aftermarket oil pressure & coolant temp gauge be overkill for a stock 1FZ relatively tamely built truck like mine? If not what would be a good quality affordable gauge to go with? Mechanical or electric? For context the truck is a daily driven rig that will see many thousands of miles of traveling/full time living within the next 4 months. Main goal is to get some kind of reading back ASAP so I can drive it again without worry, but also willing to take the time to future proof it going forward.
Any help is so appreciated, thanks in advance.
So a few days ago my 97 lx450 oil leak worsened and I tackled the job of cleaning years worth of oil/grease that has collected on the engine to pinpoint exactly where the leak was coming from to do a repair. I used a mixture of gunk degreaser, scotch bright pads, various brushes, putty scrapers, dawn dish soap/water mix in a spray bottle, and lots of pressure washing (trying to avoid spraying directly into connectors) to get the engine clean. After many hours of cleaning I got it looking pretty good so I could see where it was coming from. Changed the oil as I was already planning and begun looking for the leak, i believe I have found where my leak is coming from and why it worsened (topped off oil a few days prior seemingly overfilling it and not realizing) but that’s not my reason for posting this. Tonight randomly while driving my oil pressure spiked almost to the H mark on the highway so I immediately pulled off thinking something with the oil change went wrong causing high pressure quickly realizing I probably just got water or degreaser into the sender or somehow grounded it out causing it to read high and overall erratically. I got home and cleaned the connector's, coated them in dielectric grease and re-installed them but to no avail my gauge is permanently stuck at the H mark even when the engine is off and key is out it’s just totally dead. I’m really not comfortable driving without what I consider a critical gauge especially during a time I’m diagnosing other oil related issues despite the truck running and driving totally normal and never having oil pressure issues before it’s just not a risk I’m willing to take. Going forward I want to make sure this repair happens quickly as possible as it’s my primary vehicle, but as luck will have it it’s a holiday weekend and I’m SOL till at least Tuesday so I have some time to think what to do going forward. I’m considering just swapping the sender but the gauge being pinned the way it is even while the trucks off has me worried the actual gauge itself got damaged from this which according to other MUD posts is a possibility.
With that being said I am seeking the wisdom of others on how I should go forward. Thankfully, the leak seems to have slowed down to its slow normal amount after the proper amount of oil is in the engine and I can continue with my plan of doing the known oil leak spots and HG as preventive maintenance this spring.
But with this oil pressure gauge issue I am trying to figure out how to go forward, given the info I’ve provided about what’s been done to the truck the last few days what do you guys think could have caused the gauge issue? Initially it was just an erratic gauge hovering near the H but otw home it pinned to the max and then hasn’t moved since, is this a sign the actual gauge is damaged and a sender won’t do anything? Also the more I read the more I see the stock gauges are more of a suggestion then an accurate reading so I am open to aftermarket gauges. Most seem to run them when their engines have major performance work done to them, Would an aftermarket oil pressure & coolant temp gauge be overkill for a stock 1FZ relatively tamely built truck like mine? If not what would be a good quality affordable gauge to go with? Mechanical or electric? For context the truck is a daily driven rig that will see many thousands of miles of traveling/full time living within the next 4 months. Main goal is to get some kind of reading back ASAP so I can drive it again without worry, but also willing to take the time to future proof it going forward.
Any help is so appreciated, thanks in advance.
