Are 5.9 magnum oil pumps from the ram van and dakotas compatible with my 97 5.9 ram 1500

 

Absolutely. The pickup tube may likely be different depending on the oil pan configuration, but the oil pump should be the same. You can get a high volume, high pressure and standard oil pumps for the 5.2/5.9 engines via the aftermarket.

 

so what happened was my truck just suddenly died on me while going down the road.
my oil pressure went to zero and for about 20 seconds before losing all rpm and power my truck was getting about 1500 rpm but really struggling.

the day before my oil gauge at 2 seperate red lights had dropped to zero but when i started moving again everything went back to normal. Didnt think much of it because since i bought it about a year ago occasionaly the oil light would come on before i pressed the gas but would immediately go away.

background info here. So about a month ago i noticed a had a lifter tick on the left side. Tried various things that didnt work. So i put a couple of ounces of seafoam directly in the oil. This fixed my lifter tick. And was planning on changing the oil after about 500 miles. Well the engine died after about 300. Im assuming the seafoam knocked loose some debris and its clogging my pump and starving the engine. Havent yet had time to drop the oil pan and check.

sidenote: truck currently has 299k on it. I regularly maintain myself and do all the work. Did the plenum and valve gaskets at 270k and i didnt see hardly and gunk or sludge inside. And i know the previous owner had it changed every 6k miles like clockwork. When i bought the truck i also switched it over mobil 1 synthetic.
i just cant imagine that it knocked loose anything large enough to cause the clog though.
it also could have just failed due to 300k on the clock

 

The red light symptom is usually the oil pressure sensor

 

Your first paragraph makes me suspicious of electrical. And you should install a real, mechanical op gauge.

If lack of oil pressure actually caused your engine to "die", it would be just that: DEAD. Not like TO BLAVE dead where Miracle Max can fix it, but like "Zed's dead, honey. Zed's dead."

 

With a motor that has 300,000 miles on it, congratulations! It ran for a long time and many don't make it that far. As has been mentioned by others, the oil pressure sender/switch is famous for leaking oil and causing erratic readings on the oil gauge and oil light. Check the oil pressure sender for leaks and replace it, if needed. You can also check the engine oil pressure with a cheap mechanical gauge to determine what the real oil pressure is. I'd also suggest draining out that diluted seafoam oil and oil filter, refill it with fresh oil and filter and see if things are better.

 

thanks for all the great responses!

so would a failed oil pressure sender really cause my truck to just cut off like this and refuse to start. When i tried to crank it back everything seems fine but the engine just wont start.
Know for a fact it isnt a problem with my battery or alternator they are both brand new and no gen light came on.

 

Nope, some equipment has a low oil shutdown but not most passenger vehicles and light trucks. If it cranked again it wasn't low oil that caused it to stop because it'd be seized. Forever.

And if it's cranking well then low voltage did not cause the problem.

You may have a grounding issue or perhaps crankshaft pos sensor/ignition module or fuel pump....just off the top of my head. Try to pull codes just to see if anything comes up

 

I had a somewhat similar issue with my engine where it would cut off randomly. I thought it might have been the oil pressure sender, since I replaced it and the engine ran again, but later determined that it was more of a coincidence. The engine ended up cutting off on me while towing a utility trailer about 70 miles from home. Luckily, I had my scanner in the truck. I hooked it up and pulled a code stating that I had a failing crank sensor. I disconnected the battery to reset the computer while on the side of the road, the truck started up again and allowed me to make it home. I ordered a new crank sensor for the truck from a Dodge dealer online that very day, but I'm waiting for a warmer day to install it.

I'd scan the truck to pull any codes that may be present to see if you can gain any clues to your issue. After that, I'd disconnect the battery to reset the computer and try again to see if the truck starts.

 

solved. And i feel like a COMPLETE BONEHEAD. So i changed out my oil pump. And boy was that screen in the pan clogged. But still wouldnt start.
turns out the boot on my ignition coul had popped loose. Wow paid for a tow and went thru all that when all it was the boot had came off.