JFW

Ok, so here's where I'm at. I installed a brand new oil sending unit, right out of the box, bought from 22reperformance.com. I installed an SR5 gauge cluster I bought. The oil gauge didn't move, nothing. Ohm'd it out, as per the FSM, read ~12 ohms instead of the 44 ohms it says it should. The guy I bought the cluster from sent me the oil/temp gauge portion from another cluster he had(he texted me a picture of it working AND ohm'd it out). I installed the "new" oil gauge into the cluster, hooked it up, and it barely reads. The needle DOES move, but barely. I have to get it up to about 2k rpm before there's a real noticeable amount of space between the needle and the bottom white mark. I read from the connector pin to the sender clip when I was trouble shooting the first gauge. It checked good for continuity and read ~3 ohms of resistance. I'm thinking that should be good. Tonight I went and got a 12v battery, one of those probe looking circuit testers with the lights in it and the clip lead coming out the end, etc. and did the sender test. The FSM says the light should not light with the engine off, but the light should blink with the engine running and blink at different rates as engine speed changes. So, I did the test and with the motor running the light just stays on. No blinking. Does this mean that the sending unit is bad? I got as close to the FSM test setup as I could. Thanks in advance for helpful input.

-JFW-

Punchy

There should be no oil light if you use the gauge, Take it out.
The light makes a short that prevents the gauge from getting enough power.

JFW

Are you talking about an oil light in the gauge cluster? I didn't think the SR5 gauge clusters had a low oil light. The light I'm talking about that should be blinking is on the circuit tester. If it's a bulb I should remove, which one is it?

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

Did you clean the threads and electrical connections real good??

corrosion can be present your unable to see with your eyes .

It test good with your meter but still does not work when connected

the sending unit matches the year cluster you have??

you did order the new sending unit for the year gauge cluster you bought??

Your checking things with the FSM of the gauge cluster??

Buy yourself a multimeter much more useful .

you don`t tell us what years your working on what

Punchy

I am not sure what generation SR5 cluster you got ahold of since no info, So please post that.

On the 90-95 4R (89-95 truck) SR5 gauge cluster, There is a spot to add a bulb for low oil but do not use it if you wish to use the gauge.
I would assume the first gens clusters work the same way.

Have you checked out the wire from the sender to the cluster for good continuity, There is a connection in the engine compartment just before the sending unit, On the 3.0 it hides behind the alternator and I don't know where it would be on the 2.4.
This connection corrodes and frays sometimes.

JFW

Problem solved! Sorry for the missing info, but thanks for all the input guys. It's a 1st gen cluster, from an '88 I believe, going into an '85.

I had some bulbs in that didn't need to be in and apparently they were sucking up enough juice to keep the gauge from working properly. The bulbs I removed were on the right side as you look at the back. The timing belt, filter, and large bulb at the bottom. I have my bulbs in the same spots as the picture in this thread: https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...10-mod-218638/

Works like a champ now!