after i replaced the plenum gasket the truck was running great, then i noticed on cold days the oil pressure would be at zero then go to normal after the truck warmed up a little. Today i drove it and the gauge was normal then dropped to zero and has not come back to normal. Check guages light is on as well. I also notice a ticking noise during acceleration. I've tried to look up threads with the same issue but not to many to find. Any suggestions or similar experiences?

 

mhm, is the ticking noise coencidal with the drop in pressure on the guage? has the ticking always existed or just since the pressure started to drop? did you try replacing the sending unit yet?

 

yes, the ticking just happened today when the gauge stayed at zero. the gauge had benn only a problem when i first started a cold engine ,then when i would drive it when i gave it gas it would go to zero then fix itself to normal after 10-15 minutes. I have not tried replacing sending unit, when i replaced the plenum and manifold gasket I don't remember seeing it or noticing it. Its in the back near the distributor right?

 

Yea, its right next to the distributor, about 3 inches to the passenger side. It sounds like a sending unit problem, the ticking may or maynot be related, but if you have 0 oil pressure for 10-15 min your motor would have seized a while ago. When doing the sending unit you need a special sending unitsocket to get it out, its like $6. Just remember when putting it back in to put it in the right hole. There is a hole about 1/2"-1" next to the sending unit hole that is the same thread. I made the mistake of doing that once and wound up splurting a couple of quarts of oil all over the engine. Took about 10 hours to clean that up.

 

I'll try it. Can I let you know after i do it? I have seen your name and recognize your picture around this whole forum. It is a great tool for information. I actually have looked up all items pertaining to my truck through tsb reports concerning spark plug wire locations and pinging under load with my 98 ram 1500, but avoided doing the plenum job because i thought it would be a mess. It was only until i started looking for research on this site that i decided to do it. It really wasn't that bad at all, and like i said, my truck was running beautiful after i did it.

Thanks

 

I decided to drop the pan before i change or checked the sending unit.The screen to the oil pump was clogged completly. Probably due to 225000K on the truck and the replacement of the plenum gasket. I was extremely careful with anything getting into the engine when the intake was off even vacuuming out debris. I suspect that even though if one was careful stuff will loosien up after the intake is reinstalled and make its way to the bottom of the pan. Then clog the screen. That can be extremely bad news if it is driven when the oil pressure drops to zero. Anybody looking to replace the intake gasket and plenum might want to drop the pan and clear the screen as well. Thanks for all the info.