oil pressure on startup
 

so the last couple of days i have noticed that 1 second after start up oil pressure gauge reads 0 then i will get the check gauges light then it will be normal pressure after that. the only reason i have noticed this is because of the check gauges light. other than that truck runs smooth. what do you guys think my problem is? bad gauge or something more.

Try unplugging the connector at the oil pressure sending unit and cleaning the contacts on the connector and the sensor itself. I have heard they get dirty and won't read right. If it still does it after that, connect a mechanical oil pressure gauge (you can get a cheap but good one at Harbor Freight) and watch it while a buddy starts the truck and see if it reads normal. If it does, the sending unit is bad. If the pressure is still off, I would guess you need to drop the oil pan and clean the pickup screen. Depending on the mileage on the truck it might be better just to replace both the pickup screen and the oil pump with new parts.

Jimmy

my gauge has that delay too, but its never set off a dummy light. weird.

The gauge on mine does the same thing. But it also turns the check gauges light on when I slow down to 40 kph. Driving through town is a noisy affair. The guy I bought it from told me the sending unit was bad, but I've heard from the guys at the local Dodge dealership that it's a common problem with Dakotas that they randomly lose oil pressure which definately helps with all the motor problems. Anyone heard of that before or know what causes it?

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