Oil level gauge not working?

[Mjonzo]

Hi chaps, wonder if someone can give me any pointers on this gauge? It doesnt appear to be working at all, i havent seen the needle move once, whether a long or short journey, fast or slow. Is it run off a certain fuse?..or would it mean the oil sender is faulty? or anything else to check out for on it...ie faulty earth?

I'm a bit nervous of relying on the dipstick alone,as its so hard to see 'any' traces of oil on it.

 

[bones]

you should be easily able to see oil on the dipstick, aim to keep it somewhere between the top and bottom marks. Only check the dipstick with the engine running, fully warmed up and on level ground. If the gauge still doesn't work then first check the wiring from the oil tank sender.

 

[kevin]

And don't forget, May 21st Worcester Park, you are cordially invited...........11:00

Kevin

 

[tim_haskins]

I had same problem. Mine was the sensor that is located in the drivers side rear wheel arch. It is attached to the oil tank by 4 screws. It maybe difficult to see as it is covered by a plate which gets muddy. Its easy to change and only about 50 pounds or so. You should be able to test unit with a meter.

hope this helps

Tim

 

[Mjonzo]

Thanks guys.

Tim, how would i go about testing the unit with a meter?...ie do you mean put a voltmeter on its 2? terminals with the ignition on? Not overly clever with car electrics

 

[Guest]

Have you tried idling the car for over 10 minutes?
It took 10-15 mins of idling on my driveway before the guage slowly woke up.
Turns out the oil level was spot on but it did take a long time with the engine running to get any reading at all!

 

[Keith Calder]

mine died too, bought a new tank sender but before taking the trouble to fit it i plugged it into the loom below the air filter and moved it from side to side and checked the gauge, just to make sure it wasnt just a wiring fault, that way you could always take it back for a refund, if its a faulty gauge , or stick it on ebay

 

[tim_haskins]

Not good idea To do anything with ignition on!

What you need to do is to set you meter to Ohms to mesure resistance. Remove the sensor from the tank. Put meter on to terminals on plug. There are 2 wires.Move float switch up and down. If the reading on the meter also goes up and down then the float switch is ok and you need to look else where. Possible gauge problem. My guess is that the float has filled with oil and now the unit will not operate or the coils on the float switch (variable resistor) are broken.

Hope this helps
Let me know

Tim

 

[Jeff Forsyth]

To chk this properly-first note it means jack whilst the vehicle is moving-think about it, dry sump, pump responding to the engine etc...In short it may move on occasion whilst driving. Only trust the level gauge after you have been driving for at least 15 mins approx and have come to a standstill on level ground with the engine running i.e. warmed up. Firstly, check the oil level, using the dip stick, check sevreal times with the engine idling. If your happy the level is between the markers, this is a good start. Then refer to the gauge, it should read somewhere between the two red marks depending on the oil level. If it doesnt read at al the oil level sender is probably the problem. A DIY fix can bee seen on John Miles site. An erratic gauge on the flat may also signal problems on the way.

Sincerely

 

[Jeff Forsyth]

P.S: forgot to say-what's your pressure reading whilst moving-this is all you should be aware of whilst moving-low pressure is not good. Mine usually runs between 4.5-5 whilst running

 

[Mjonzo]

Thanks for the info guys.

Jeff, oil pressure is good, same as your reading. Having previously been a TVR owner, its something i keep my eye on !
Took another check on the dipstick after 15 minute drive, parked it flat in my garage and this time was able to see the oil clearly half way between the marks, so thats a relief !.
As a rough guide, if its showing half way, how much more oil can i top it up with?

No movement from the gauge.Will have to investigate the sender unit by looks of things.

 

[bones]

There is about a litre between the two levels, don't worry about topping it up to the higher level, just keep it between the two, remember the oil expands the hotter it gets. There is a heck of alot of oil in the 911 engine design just keep an eye on it every 500-1000 miles and it should be fine.