Oil pressure doing some weird......

(big_ed_x2) · (big_ed_x2) **Join Date: Jul 2004** 01-21-2006, 3:35 PM

Went out today like any other day to go wakeboarding and when I got to Vic's there was a beeping sound so without looking at any of the gauges I just turned the ignition off.Started it back up and it was fine for 2 pulls.Shawn went out and I noticed the oil pressure going down,so I immediately killed it.
Checked the temp and the oil and it was fine.It did that one more time and Walt suggested we should not continue.On the way back to Orwood the oil pressure dropped 6 or 7 times but everytime I would start it back up it was cool for a minute or 10.

I was thinking it could be either the gauge or the oil pump??/

Anybody else ever experience something like this??

(mikeski) · (mikeski) **Join Date: Aug 2003** 01-21-2006, 4:00 PM

That sounds about like my old Jeep just before it spun a rod bearing... however I doubt that it's the same since that motor had almost 200k miles on it.

Put another gauge on it and see if it's the gauge. btw, good advice from Walt.

waterdog2 01-21-2006, 4:09 PM

I had a pick up tube come loose, it worked fine until the oil got hot and then lost suction.

(jeff359) · (jeff359) **Join Date: Jun 2005** 01-21-2006, 5:40 PM

samething happened in my boat Ed. Ended up being the sending unit. If that's what's wrong here, it's really easy and cheap.

(shawnmdarnell) · (shawnmdarnell) **Join Date: Feb 2003** 01-21-2006, 5:54 PM

I had the same problem as well, changed the sending unit and no problems since.

here is a link for the unit from overtons

http://www.overtons.com/modperl/overtons/detail/pdetail2.cgi?r=detail_view&item_num=20137

(cyclonecj) · (cyclonecj) **Join Date: Jul 2001** 01-21-2006, 5:56 PM

Unless you heard rattling lifters and knocking, it's probably just a bad sender. It's a five minute, 20$ fix. You could put a mechanical gauge on temporarily to verify good oil pressure, but I'd just put a sender on it.

(99_slaunch) · (99_slaunch) **Join Date: Oct 2005** 01-21-2006, 6:01 PM

What does the oil press drop to? I would buy a cheap mechanical oilpressure gauge and hook it up. Just to make shure the other gauge is accurate. That should only cost about $30 at an auto part's. GOOD LUCK!!!!!!

(big_ed_x2) · (big_ed_x2) **Join Date: Jul 2004** 01-21-2006, 10:11 PM

I talked to Steve over at Ski World and he suggested that it might be the oil pressure switch?

Does anybody know what this looks like and where it is?

(cyclonecj) · (cyclonecj) **Join Date: Jul 2001** 01-22-2006, 10:28 AM

If you have a gauge and not an idiot light, then you have a sending unit. Mechanics commonly call them switches sometimes. The sending unit and the switch are functionally similar, they screw into the block in the same place, and have one wire connected to them, but the sender will move the gauge needle and the switch is a simple on/off oil pressure or not, that turns on an oil light.

The link Shawn posted is for a sender that works on 99% of all boats, even on my Toyota. It is similar to some auto senders but it is good for 110 PSI oil pressure, boats usually have a HP oil pump. Look for it around the oil filter, it's usually close by. All you do is disconnect the wire, unscrew the sender using an open end wrench, replace it and reattach the wire.

You can test the gauge by disconnecting the wire to the sender and grounding it to the block with the ignition on. The gauge needle should go to full scale. If so, the gauge is good.

Here is what it looks like on my boat, yours will be similar and will be near the oil filter. One wire on a terminal on the end of it, that goes to the gauge.

Hope that helps.

sender

(jeff359) · (jeff359) **Join Date: Jun 2005** 01-22-2006, 11:20 AM

Ed hit me up, I can swing by and help out replacing the sending unit. Takes about 5 mins.