You might try checking your truck for an oil leak. My dakota got bad enough that I had to add a quart a week before I replaced the front seal. The front seal on these trucks will typically get a groove in them after 100,000 miles or so especially if they've ever been on a gravel road. But running your truck with no oil pressure isn't somethin you should ever do if at all possible.

DICE

 

Yeah, the oil level is ok. Right at the full line. I'll check oil pressure at idle adn roughly 3000rpm. See what I get.

Where IS that oil pressure sensor, the manual doews not tell you... is the oil pressure sensing unit the same thing?
The book says that is under the motor roughly beneath the alternator position?

Any kind of PSI gauge is ok, right
???

Thanks,

Rich

 

Yes. Oil pressure sending unit, oil pressure sensor.. its all the same. I guess what they call it depends on what side of the bed the engineer woke up on that day. (You would think they would be able to come up with a set of standard terms already?)

They like to call it the "engine oil pressure sensor" ("engine oil pressure sending unit/switch" on my old Dakota). I guess they think us stupid consumers might confuse an "oil pressure sensor" with something that might sense transmission fluid oil pressure. Oh, thats right, EVEYRONE calls the stuff they put in the tranny "tranny FLUID". God, I'm smart.
2.5L, 3.9L, 5.2L, 5.9L: To the ENGINES right of the distributor.

I wouldn't see why not. Well, it should at least say its OK for oil pressure tests. Get something that measures at least 0-50PSI. (Maximum allowable pressure is 80PSI at 3000 rpms, minimum is 6psi at curb idle)

 

Thanks, why in the world do they put it there... not exactly to best place to rumage around...

Thanks,

Rich

 

From the lubrication schematics, I guess its pretty close to the inlet from the filter.

 

when in doubt,give it gas...floor it!!!!!!!

 

Try replacing oil filter. Some times bypass valve sticks open on oil filter.

 

the reason your oil pressure is higher when you first start the truck is simply because your motor is cold. once the operating temperature rises, the block will expand slightly, in turn decreasing oil pressure.

 

Im a mechanic and its quite simple why oil pressure changes. When u start a car/truck when its cold u will have better oil pressure due to the fact that the oil is thicker and less oil pressurewhen its warm as the oil thins out. hense 10w-30 (30 stands for the weight or thickness when cold, 10w thickness when warm or hot oil) As for dakotas they have a G-rotor oil pump in them and it will change with RPM due to the fact that this style of oil pump is connected directly to the cam shaft. But if your oil gauge reads under 1/4 oil pressure or none at all i wouldnt even run the engine. No oil pressure or low oil pressure means u could or will cause major damage to your engine and require a full rebuild. Common reasons for low oil pressure are: low oil, wrong viscosty, open by-pass valve, excess oil leaks, worn pump and partial pluged oil pick-up in the pan