I recently installed a sr5 cluster in my 89 2wd , and after 12 years of watching the idiot light going off, I found that I miss having it. My work day starts before daylight and having the light was handy when doing the mourning warm up. I have noticed that there is a plug in the center of the motor mount in line with the oil sender .My question is has anyone tried hooking a oil gauge to this port. The oil pressure sending unit will thread into the hole . This might be a cheaper way to add a mechanical gauge or idiot light . When time allows I plan to try checking to see if it is an oil port and if has pressure at it. So far I have been been experimenting on a motor that has been setting for years and any oil that was there is long gone.

 

I have wondered about that port as it is just plugged with a bolt. Curious as to what you find.

 

Try it. I'd love to have a real mechanical gauge

 

Curiosity got the best of me , I pulled the plug out of my dd and oil came out , but the hose on my pieced togather oil pressure gauge, wouldn't bend enough to do a oil pressure test.

 

I use both ports, I put the small idiot light sending unit in the port that rests inside the engine mount, it fits just fine in there.

 

Thanks for the reply ,I will rig myself up a idiot light when time allows.

 

Cant use both the gauge and the oil light at the same time, Well on my SR5 gauges you cant, The oil light bulb shorts the power away from the gauge.

 

 

I should've noted that I do not have an SR5 cluster.

 

You can put a tee in a mechanical gauge line any place it is easy to reach.

Then you can have your light being you miss it so.

I have Mechanical gauges in most of mine

 

Aaand there we go.
When the time comes I'll be ACE Hardware
, GW Hardware, Lowes, Home Depot bound.

 

They are both oil plugs and travel through the same oil passage and both the same thread as the oil pressure switch so all you need to do is buy a mechanical universal oil pressure gauge from you favorite auto parts store and run straight into either of the two ports. You could even installed a 90 degree elbow so the clear oil pressure line won't kink on you if our prefer.

 

On my truck I plan to rig up a stand alone light and use the check engine socket on the cluster. The main thing needed is a bulb socket with pig tails, that will plug into that place on the cluster. Since my truck doesn't have a ecm it is not used anway.