Cal

Hello!
OK, this is not a Jeep question, but I do have 2 Jeeps also! I posted this
on the dodge site, but I think I am more likely to get a response here.
The oil light on my 96 intrepid will occasionally come on briefly when at
idle. I noticed that the sender (beside the oil filter) was leaking, so I
replaced it several days ago. I cleaned the connector with some wd-40
before connecting it. However, my wife said that the light 'flickered'
again yesterday when she came to a stop in our driveway. I guess the next
step is to get the pressure checked with a gauge at a shop. Has anyone had
this problem before? Is there something else I can check? This is a 3.5L
engine, so I think the pump is rather hard to get to, behind the cover over
the timing belt, so I'm not to happy about trying to fix it myself. The
engine has 130K miles on it. I put a small amount of teflon tape around the
threads on the new sender, but I didn't put the tape all the way to the end
of the threads, so that the first threads would still contact the block. I
still wonder if this tape may be interfering with the sensor grounding. If
that were the case, then would this only happen at idle? Any help would be
appreciated!

cal

Earle Horton

On an engine with this much mileage what you are talking about is usually a
sign of worn bearings, rather than being isolated to the pump. I would
certainly recommend taking it to a shop where you can get an actual gauge
reading of your oil pressure at idle and an expert (on this model) opinion
of what it all means.

Earle

"Cal" <codom1@triad.rr.com> wrote in message
news:mGalb.37643$kZ5.18820@twister.southeast.rr.co m...
> Hello!
> OK, this is not a Jeep question, but I do have 2 Jeeps also! I posted
this
> on the dodge site, but I think I am more likely to get a response here.
> The oil light on my 96 intrepid will occasionally come on briefly when at
> idle. I noticed that the sender (beside the oil filter) was leaking, so I
> replaced it several days ago. I cleaned the connector with some wd-40
> before connecting it. However, my wife said that the light 'flickered'
> again yesterday when she came to a stop in our driveway. I guess the next
> step is to get the pressure checked with a gauge at a shop. Has anyone
had
> this problem before? Is there something else I can check? This is a 3.5L
> engine, so I think the pump is rather hard to get to, behind the cover
over
> the timing belt, so I'm not to happy about trying to fix it myself. The
> engine has 130K miles on it. I put a small amount of teflon tape around
the
> threads on the new sender, but I didn't put the tape all the way to the
end
> of the threads, so that the first threads would still contact the block.
I
> still wonder if this tape may be interfering with the sensor grounding. If
> that were the case, then would this only happen at idle? Any help would
be
> appreciated!
>
> cal
>
>
>

Earle Horton

On an engine with this much mileage what you are talking about is usually a
sign of worn bearings, rather than being isolated to the pump. I would
certainly recommend taking it to a shop where you can get an actual gauge
reading of your oil pressure at idle and an expert (on this model) opinion
of what it all means.

Earle

"Cal" <codom1@triad.rr.com> wrote in message
news:mGalb.37643$kZ5.18820@twister.southeast.rr.co m...
> Hello!
> OK, this is not a Jeep question, but I do have 2 Jeeps also! I posted
this
> on the dodge site, but I think I am more likely to get a response here.
> The oil light on my 96 intrepid will occasionally come on briefly when at
> idle. I noticed that the sender (beside the oil filter) was leaking, so I
> replaced it several days ago. I cleaned the connector with some wd-40
> before connecting it. However, my wife said that the light 'flickered'
> again yesterday when she came to a stop in our driveway. I guess the next
> step is to get the pressure checked with a gauge at a shop. Has anyone
had
> this problem before? Is there something else I can check? This is a 3.5L
> engine, so I think the pump is rather hard to get to, behind the cover
over
> the timing belt, so I'm not to happy about trying to fix it myself. The
> engine has 130K miles on it. I put a small amount of teflon tape around
the
> threads on the new sender, but I didn't put the tape all the way to the
end
> of the threads, so that the first threads would still contact the block.
I
> still wonder if this tape may be interfering with the sensor grounding. If
> that were the case, then would this only happen at idle? Any help would
be
> appreciated!
>
> cal
>
>
>

Earle Horton

On an engine with this much mileage what you are talking about is usually a
sign of worn bearings, rather than being isolated to the pump. I would
certainly recommend taking it to a shop where you can get an actual gauge
reading of your oil pressure at idle and an expert (on this model) opinion
of what it all means.

Earle

"Cal" <codom1@triad.rr.com> wrote in message
news:mGalb.37643$kZ5.18820@twister.southeast.rr.co m...
> Hello!
> OK, this is not a Jeep question, but I do have 2 Jeeps also! I posted
this
> on the dodge site, but I think I am more likely to get a response here.
> The oil light on my 96 intrepid will occasionally come on briefly when at
> idle. I noticed that the sender (beside the oil filter) was leaking, so I
> replaced it several days ago. I cleaned the connector with some wd-40
> before connecting it. However, my wife said that the light 'flickered'
> again yesterday when she came to a stop in our driveway. I guess the next
> step is to get the pressure checked with a gauge at a shop. Has anyone
had
> this problem before? Is there something else I can check? This is a 3.5L
> engine, so I think the pump is rather hard to get to, behind the cover
over
> the timing belt, so I'm not to happy about trying to fix it myself. The
> engine has 130K miles on it. I put a small amount of teflon tape around
the
> threads on the new sender, but I didn't put the tape all the way to the
end
> of the threads, so that the first threads would still contact the block.
I
> still wonder if this tape may be interfering with the sensor grounding. If
> that were the case, then would this only happen at idle? Any help would
be
> appreciated!
>
> cal
>
>
>

Will Honea

Get a mechanical pressure guage from the local parts store - $5 to $10
- and screw it in place of the sender. See what you actually have for
oil pressure. I'd look for AT LEAST 10PSI hot idle and upwards of
40-50 PSI at anything over 1500-2000 RPM. Sending units are not my
idea of reliable devices.

As Earle said, with those miles I'd suspect bearings before the pump
but either could be expensive - I think that pump is built into the
front engine cover.

The last engine I saw with that flicker stopped doing it when I added
oil after my kids ran it 2 qts. low...

On Tue, 21 Oct 2003 13:39:30 UTC "Cal" <codom1@triad.rr.com> wrote:

> Hello!
> OK, this is not a Jeep question, but I do have 2 Jeeps also! I posted this
> on the dodge site, but I think I am more likely to get a response here.
> The oil light on my 96 intrepid will occasionally come on briefly when at
> idle. I noticed that the sender (beside the oil filter) was leaking, so I
> replaced it several days ago. I cleaned the connector with some wd-40
> before connecting it. However, my wife said that the light 'flickered'
> again yesterday when she came to a stop in our driveway. I guess the next
> step is to get the pressure checked with a gauge at a shop. Has anyone had
> this problem before? Is there something else I can check? This is a 3.5L
> engine, so I think the pump is rather hard to get to, behind the cover over
> the timing belt, so I'm not to happy about trying to fix it myself. The
> engine has 130K miles on it. I put a small amount of teflon tape around the
> threads on the new sender, but I didn't put the tape all the way to the end
> of the threads, so that the first threads would still contact the block. I
> still wonder if this tape may be interfering with the sensor grounding. If
> that were the case, then would this only happen at idle? Any help would be
> appreciated!
>
> cal
>
>
>


--
Will Honea <whonea@codenet.net>

Will Honea

Get a mechanical pressure guage from the local parts store - $5 to $10
- and screw it in place of the sender. See what you actually have for
oil pressure. I'd look for AT LEAST 10PSI hot idle and upwards of
40-50 PSI at anything over 1500-2000 RPM. Sending units are not my
idea of reliable devices.

As Earle said, with those miles I'd suspect bearings before the pump
but either could be expensive - I think that pump is built into the
front engine cover.

The last engine I saw with that flicker stopped doing it when I added
oil after my kids ran it 2 qts. low...

On Tue, 21 Oct 2003 13:39:30 UTC "Cal" <codom1@triad.rr.com> wrote:

> Hello!
> OK, this is not a Jeep question, but I do have 2 Jeeps also! I posted this
> on the dodge site, but I think I am more likely to get a response here.
> The oil light on my 96 intrepid will occasionally come on briefly when at
> idle. I noticed that the sender (beside the oil filter) was leaking, so I
> replaced it several days ago. I cleaned the connector with some wd-40
> before connecting it. However, my wife said that the light 'flickered'
> again yesterday when she came to a stop in our driveway. I guess the next
> step is to get the pressure checked with a gauge at a shop. Has anyone had
> this problem before? Is there something else I can check? This is a 3.5L
> engine, so I think the pump is rather hard to get to, behind the cover over
> the timing belt, so I'm not to happy about trying to fix it myself. The
> engine has 130K miles on it. I put a small amount of teflon tape around the
> threads on the new sender, but I didn't put the tape all the way to the end
> of the threads, so that the first threads would still contact the block. I
> still wonder if this tape may be interfering with the sensor grounding. If
> that were the case, then would this only happen at idle? Any help would be
> appreciated!
>
> cal
>
>
>


--
Will Honea <whonea@codenet.net>

Will Honea

Get a mechanical pressure guage from the local parts store - $5 to $10
- and screw it in place of the sender. See what you actually have for
oil pressure. I'd look for AT LEAST 10PSI hot idle and upwards of
40-50 PSI at anything over 1500-2000 RPM. Sending units are not my
idea of reliable devices.

As Earle said, with those miles I'd suspect bearings before the pump
but either could be expensive - I think that pump is built into the
front engine cover.

The last engine I saw with that flicker stopped doing it when I added
oil after my kids ran it 2 qts. low...

On Tue, 21 Oct 2003 13:39:30 UTC "Cal" <codom1@triad.rr.com> wrote:

> Hello!
> OK, this is not a Jeep question, but I do have 2 Jeeps also! I posted this
> on the dodge site, but I think I am more likely to get a response here.
> The oil light on my 96 intrepid will occasionally come on briefly when at
> idle. I noticed that the sender (beside the oil filter) was leaking, so I
> replaced it several days ago. I cleaned the connector with some wd-40
> before connecting it. However, my wife said that the light 'flickered'
> again yesterday when she came to a stop in our driveway. I guess the next
> step is to get the pressure checked with a gauge at a shop. Has anyone had
> this problem before? Is there something else I can check? This is a 3.5L
> engine, so I think the pump is rather hard to get to, behind the cover over
> the timing belt, so I'm not to happy about trying to fix it myself. The
> engine has 130K miles on it. I put a small amount of teflon tape around the
> threads on the new sender, but I didn't put the tape all the way to the end
> of the threads, so that the first threads would still contact the block. I
> still wonder if this tape may be interfering with the sensor grounding. If
> that were the case, then would this only happen at idle? Any help would be
> appreciated!
>
> cal
>
>
>


--
Will Honea <whonea@codenet.net>