I need some good advice. My truck recently hit 200,000 miles and it's starting to do the fluctuating oil gauge problem. When I'm at idle speed the dummy gauge goes down to 10 or 20 when I'm cruising it does back up to 55 to 60. I'm replacing the oil pressure sensor gauge this weekend. And also doing a lot of other changes to the motor. I have owned this truck since it was brand-new and have consistently change the oil every 3000 miles. Started using synthetic oil when the truck had 12,000 miles on it. From a lot of the forms I have read, that the Dodge engines are prown to this problem. Any thoughts would be helpful.


A list of modifications that I will be doing:
Cleaning out the oil pan and replacing the oil pump and pick up screen
Replacing the timing chain
Replacing the water pump
Replacing the intake manifold to get rid of the Plenum problem.
　
There goes my vacation for the week!!!!

 

Looks like you have most everything covered to replace. Might do a leak down or compression test also, Have fun.

 

take care of the rear main seal since you are dropping the pan...

 

Thanks for all your responses and your help on this. I'm just learning how to do a lot of this stuff. So this makes it a little easier when I ask a lot of questions. I will change the rear main oil seal while I'm in there.
　
Also I was looking at the valve covers today and noticed a slight leak so I'm going to replace those gaskets as well.

One more quick question, when you do these modifications.What would you clean everything out with? Seafoam spray or Brake Parts Cleaner?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated on what has work best for you guys

 

brake parts cleaner is fine to use.

 

+1 on rear main and valve covers.
also be sure and replace the short little water pump bypass hose.
also consider heater hoses, rad hoses, t-stat, serp belt, pcv, valve cover rubber grommets.
tune up - wires, plugs, cap, rotor.

+1 on brake cleaner