My oil presure gauge has always read in the lower 1/4 of the range but last night I noitced it was just off the end! Reving the engine had no effect which leads me to beleve it is my gauge that is shot and not my engine. I have no smoke on knocking. What shoud I check? Is my engine shot?

 

Not that a noob is the best sorce of info but...

The 2nd. gens have the oil pres. sensor too close (I think) to the oil filter, so when you are using a filter wrench too remove/replace the filter you tend to keep hitting it. Eventualy it will not send a reading to the gauge (it is pretty fragile). Maybe that is it maybe not. But if you really had no oil pres. I'm sure you'd know real quick...tick, tick, BOOM!!!!

 

BTW, this is what happened to me, my gauge (girlfriends actualy) has read zero for a couple of years, just because I hadn't replaced the sensor. Of cource all of that is mute now since I have to replace the engine now. (That should ease your mind ) Once I got my SAAB up I hadn't driven the 4Runner in 2 or so months, and she NEVER checks the oil. Well, she learned the value of the dipstick now...the dipstick. She had been driving it for who knows how long 3 Qz low!! Needless to say by the time I got home to hear the 'noise' she said it was making, it was too late. The ticks turned to booms, and now she is getting a new engine. Oh well, it had 209,000 on it, but that is just breaking in a Toy.

 

Yea, that's what I was thinking. Is that sensor by the oil filter on a 22re? How do I replace it?

 

I'm not sure as I have a 3VZE. In my Chilton's it looked pretty simple. Just a screw in type of thing, but it has been so long I'm not sure. If it isn't in your Chilton's (if you don't have one, get one THEY SAVE A$$ and cA$h ALL THE TIME!!) call a local shop w/ a good rep. It is a pretty common prob and a cheap fix, they could tell you about. They'd prob rather tell you than have you bring it in to fix, then spend time on it themselves.

 

the sending unit just screws in to the block, pretty straight forward swap

 

its on the intake side of the block, underneath the intake, not hard to replace at all, i swapped for a aftermarket, if you were to choose this route, dont get el-cheapo with the plastic lines, they burn and snap really easy, get a decent one with metal lines,

this is on my 94 22re also,

i wish i could describe better where it was but i cant!

its the sensor with 1 wire coming off of it though!
wade

 

Are you sure the engine was running?

 

lmao at your avatar epic37311!

This is a little off topic, but a great diagnostic tool is a calibrated oil pressure gauge with a length of flexible hose coming off of it and adapters for different threads at the engine block. This way you can actually test and see what the oil pressure is on a car that doesn't have one of those nice but rare-in-stock-form oil pressure gauges with actual numbers instead of high, medium high, low, and oh crap really low. Anyhow you can order one for about $55 online with adapters for every block thread and a nice case to store it in.

 

i have the same condition. the OP gauge reads about 1/2 way up when cold, and the hovers about midway between zero and the first mark when warm, and on a good day right on the first mark. i did measure my oil pressure w/a guage, and that day it read 14psi at idle, and 24psi at 2800 rpm. i think i read nunsa's post about not worrying about it, but i do....i have plans to change out the motor, but i dont have a big enough garage to do the job in. my truck just fits in the garage with hardly any room to spare lengthwise.

 

before you replace the sending unit, try cleaning up the contacts. i replaced mine and it still gave intermittent op readings. i never got around to cleaning the contacts before i scrapped the rig.

lee

 

it could be the sensor or guage or related wiring & connetors...but not in my case. i replaced the sensor, the connector at the sensor, and the guage....

 

Yea, That might be all I have to do since it stopped working while I was driving around in deep snow.

 

hey bike4miles- were you able to correct the problem? let us know if you had any success!

 

Hey Greg,
Replaced my engine last year with a new 3.0L from Orient Engine - came with a new oil pump - oil pressure reads like the old engine - no change at all ! I added some of the Lucas oil Stabilizer and the oil pressure came up
quite a bit - then I read the test report on the Lucas oil and drained it the same night. The oil will foam but does not cling as advertised using the Lucas stabilizer. I can not find the post - a real eye opener !!!!!!

I'll live with the lower than normal looking oil pressure - runner runs fantastic !