oil pressure gauge

A

artron9

Senior Member
Back again! Just when everything was working great, I noticed today that my oil pressure gauge on my 52 Vic was at zero and did not move. Up till today, it worked fine. It always took its time to get up to 50-60 psi but it would get there. My guess is its the sending unit. But then again it could be the gauge. Could be the original wiring? There is plenty of oil. Not sure where to begin. Don't want to spend $40+ on a sending unit if I don't have to! What would you do???
 
I would add a mechanical oil pressure gauge as a backup to be sure there is not an oil system problem! It is most likely the gauge or the sender, but if it was me I wouldn't want to gamble.
 
This is what I did on my 39, if you have the room on your 52 its nice when under the hood and tinkering. Its a nice way to compare the sending unit to an actual gauge.

I used the top outlet off the block and a short riser up to a ball valve with a gauge, usually there is a plug in that location.
 

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Thanks 39portlander. Bought my 52 Vic from your neighbor in Freeport. Goldenrod Garage. Emotional purchase. My dad had a 52 same colors ivory top black body. Not sure where I could install that. Need help on that. Also, why a ball valve? Thanks for your input! Ron
 
To check whether its the sender or gauge that's not working; take the wire off of the sender. With ignition switched on, get a helper to ground end of that wire, on the engine block or somewhere, whilst you observe the gauge....if the needle moves, it indicates that the gauge is ok. Do not ground the wire long enough for gauge to read maximum, else you may damage the gauge. If, when performing this test, the needle does not move, either the gauge is bad, or you have a broken wire or some other wiring issue.
 
flatford8 said:
Why the ball valve?....why not let it read the pressure all the time?......Mark
Click to expand...
That is an HVAC habit, we do not install gauges with out a valve below them.

Open valve check psi, close valve. Several years ago one of the local schools had a gauge failure, no valve and a few gallons of oil was discovered in the a.m.:eek:
 
I'm not sure how a '52 compares to a '46, but I just went through the process of working on my oil gauge sender. The PO had removed the sender and installed a mechanical gauge. I wanted the dash gauge working and still have the mechanical gauge as backup. I couldn't access the back of the oil port on the engine with the floorboard out, (no removeable floorboard on a '52 I suspect) so had to do the job from the engine compartment. Still have bruises on my chest from laying over the fender. I have a set of 3/8" drive crowfoot wrenches, that along with an extension allowed me to work from the top to do the installation. I got some brass fittings from a plumbing supply, which I combined to have both the mechanical and electric gauges functioning. A couple of short nipples, a coupling and a tee fitting gave me the two ports I needed to do this. Orienting the tee and the mechanical line to clear the throttle linkage arm took some thought, and I had to realign (bend) the oil line that goes to the filter so it would clear the electric sender. I got the oil press gauge, p/n SWW-82208 and the tube kit p/n SWW-82553-F from Summit Racing
 

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19Fordy Sharp eye. No, that is plastic wiring loom that I slid over the oil line tubing to protect it from any potential wear.
 
Thanks Brian and 51woody: I'll be out in the driveway in a few minutes and begin solving my problem thanks to you guys! Ron
 
Thank you 51woody and Brian: I appreciate your input. Ill be out in the driveway in a few and will start to solve this problem. Again thanks to all of you who responded. Ron
 
Thank you Brian. Your advice worked great. The gauge is ok. Getting the original sending unit out is something else. The problem is that the unit is attached to a brass fitting which right angles into the block. When i try to remove the sender, the brass fitting is moving somewhat sloppily on the block. I have to stabilize the brass fitting with a vice grip and try to wrench the sender away from the fitting. Tough spot to work in. Just venting . Not sure how you can help. Gotta do this on my own?
 
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