Hello everyone, new to the forum. Just bought my first truck on wensday. And my dreams came true, it is a dodge ram, hence the reason I am here. Anyway just took a little trip to the inlaws and have developed a little problem, first the background info, she is a 1996 1500 4x4 Sport, 5.2, has just under 94,000. I noticed when I got off the highway that the oil light flickered, then it did so at every light until I got to the house, the oil gauge is reading the norm40, so I figured that the oil level was low, took a little trip to wallyworld and got some oil, only to find that it was not low, maybe even a 1/4 quart high. If anyone could help I would be eternally gratefull.
Ryan

 

let the truck sit for a while and check the oil again, not right after youve had it out. mine did the same thing and i really was low, but i jept checking it right after i was done driving....so i waited awhile, checked it, and it was about4 quarts low...yikes

 

I checked it about an hour after and the thing was way over, probably about 1 quart or so over, so I am going to drain the excess out, but I don't think that would be the problem, the only thing that I would think that would do is blow a seal, which is horrible in itself, but i would not think it would cause the light to turn on at idle. aahhhh!!!!

 

easy way to tell... change the oil. measure how much comes out. refill with the proper amount. why screw around and guess how much oil you have?

 

Actually too much oil can cause the type of issue you are seeing. Too much oil can actually be whipped into a froth by the crankshaft. The oil pump pulls the oil from the bottom of the oil pan and your oil pressure gauge reads from that pressure and does not fluctuate easily. However, the oil light may indicate fast changes in the pressure due to the oil overfill. As radwebster stated. drain it all, change the filter, and re-fill it with the corect amount. Hopefully the place where you bought it didn't overfill it in an attempt to cover up some other problem.

Good luck.

 

i think an oil change is in store for you mister, 10-30 or 10-40 up to you...

edit: i use 10-30w penzoil

 

Hey fella's thank yall, I changed the oil and filter today. There way about a quart or so to much, I won't be driving it until tonight. On a good note, I don't think the dealer added any oil, the stuff that was in it was oil and really thin. This may all be a badsign, but it is new to me so I have to hope for the best results, as won't be purchasing another truck for quite some time. Have a merry Christmas everyone.
Ryan

 

YOU COULD ALSO HAVE A FAULTY OIL SENSOR.

 

So, I drove her home this evening and it took a good 50 miles or so and she is doing it again. Damnation, so, do I systematically replace things one by one, and if so what is cheap and typically faulty so that I could start there?

 

Shotgun approaching any issue is not a good way to solve a problem. Using a logical approachto identify possible sources of the problem and eliminating the inexpensive possibilities first will save you money and help you learn more about the vehicle. Now that you have changed the oil and eliminated that as a potential source of the problem and the associated issues associated with too much oil in the pan, I would now begin looking at the oil pressure sending unit and the electrical connections to it.

First I would disconnect the electrical connector to the oil pressure sending unit and inspect it and the wiring for it as far as you can trace it. The sending unit is on the top of the engine at the rear and just to the left of the distributor. Not a friendly spot to work on, but it can be done from on top. Once disconnected, the wiring should run behind the distributor where you can pull it out t omore easily inspect it. If there is bare wire showing then your problem is probably the wire grounding out. If you can see no wire issues, clean all electrical connectors you find on this wire and use di-electric grease on the connections before re-connecting them. Use it on the connection to the sending unit also. This is a pretty cheap ( less than $2 ) fix that I have used for other electrical gremlins in my Dodge. Drive the vehicle again and hopefully the light will no longer come on.

If the light does continue to come on, then it looks like you will need to replace the oil sending unit.