View Full Version : Oil pressure sensor compatibility
FF33rod
05-01-2019, 01:15 PM
Ok, limited experience here hence the following question....
Are oil pressure sensors similar to fuel gauge sensors in that the sensor needs to be matched to the gauge?
The reason for asking... The oil pressure sensor that came with the autometer gauges is huge and wouldn't fit into the 302 block without some extension/adaptor. Went to the local parts store and ending up getting a new sensor compatible (supposedly) with 1990s Mustang. However, this sensor pins the Autometer oil pressure gauge above 100.... So I'm wondering if it's a compatibility problem
Thanks for the help
Steve
GoDadGo
05-01-2019, 02:15 PM
I'm pretty sure they sold you the wrong sending unit.
Check out the Autometer gauge instructions to check out the specs (Ohm Range) of on your gauge.
Also, you likely need to put an extension on that outlet to install the sending unit.
The link below may help:
https://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/SearchResultsPageCmd?Ntt=Scott+Drake+Oil+Pressure+ Sending+Extensions+C2OZ-9B339&requestYear=&storeId=10001&catalogId=10002&langId=-1&year=&make=&model=&submodel=&engine=&Nrpp=&No=&persistYmm=false
FF33rod
05-01-2019, 04:17 PM
GDG - I suspect the senders have different ranges just like fuel level. That extension is what I was originally hoping to find here in Vancouver but as far as car parts go, we might as well be on a remote island in the Pacific. Nobody sells that type of stuff. It's much easier to get a different sensor than it is to get low volume specialty parts like that. If I get it shipped from Jegs, it costs me $60 USD (that's like $600 Canadian these days, okay more like 80 something but it might as well be 600). Nothing shows up on Amazon Canada and on eBay I can buy it for $50 Canadian with shipping fees on top of that which in one case was $130 - LOL!!!! If I'm in the US, Summit will ship it today but internationally not until the end of May - what the heck is with that? I can have it shipped to a parcel depot in Washington state and drive down to pick it up but at the prices of gas in this town (now the highest ever seen in North America, $1.71 per liter for regular, add 18 cents for 91 octane, it probably would cost me $25 in gas.... Sorry for the rant. Getting a little frustrated with stuff like this, doesn't make the build easy, cheap, and really drags out the timing.
TxMike64
05-02-2019, 10:26 AM
You kinda are on a remote island in the Pacific... ;)
Bumper to Bumper doesn't have this sort of stuff? Surely NAPA will - looks like there's one down in 'Couve proper...
or Mopac Auto Supply
Jeff Kleiner
05-02-2019, 11:28 AM
The sender will be specific to the gauge; i.e., Autometer, Speedhut, etc. As you discovered the OEM Ford sender is not compatible (Actually most Fox era Mustangs had an "idiot gauge", just like the old idiot lights---they were either on or off---if there was anything greater than just a few PSI the gauge registered midway no matter whether it was 10 PSI or 100.) There isn't a Canadian supplier for Autometer?
Jeff
FF33rod
05-02-2019, 12:14 PM
The sender will be specific to the gauge; i.e., Autometer, Speedhut, etc. As you discovered the OEM Ford sender is not compatible (Actually most Fox era Mustangs had an "idiot gauge", just like the old idiot lights---they were either on or off---if there was anything greater than just a few PSI the gauge registered midway no matter whether it was 10 PSI or 100.) There isn't a Canadian supplier for Autometer?
Jeff
Thanks Jeff, that's what I thought. I have the compatible Autometer sender unit, it's just huge and needs an extension. Can't find the extension locally and as mentioned in my "rant", gets darn expensive (relative to the cost of the part) to bring a single item in from the US.
TXMike - Napa in Canada has less stuff than the US. In Canada, they carry a lot of "standard" car parts like OEM sender units but hardly ever custom stuff. I searched on oil pressure sender extension on the Canadian site and came up empty. Mopac is really useless. They rarely have anything in stock but they'll order it and get it in 1-2 months. I tried them for ARP bolt sets when I was building up the 347, nothing in stock. I have never figured out what Bumper to Bumper is good for, the web site is certainly useless. I have a feeling that the experience with them can vary greatly from store to store. I may stop in there on the way home this evening and maybe they'll surprise me. I'll probably just have to bite the bullet and order the extension out of the US and have it cost me around $80-90 Canadian in the end.
Appreciate the replies guys. Sorry to be such a Debby Downer. I was hoping that there was a "secret" compatible slim OEM sender that would work that you guys knew about. Oh well, all part of the fun!
TxMike64
05-02-2019, 01:03 PM
Well, I was just searching online for things... that situation kinda stinks. Sounds like it's difficult to be a gearhead in BC!
Another option to search for is industrial supply houses. The threads on these senders are all NPT, meaning you don't need an "oil pressure sender extension", you need a pipe or fitting with 3/8"NPT male and female ends. Maybe a hydraulics supply place, or heavy equipment supply?
frankeeski
05-02-2019, 11:21 PM
This is the Ford part you need.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sdk-c2oz-9b339-a
These were OE on every Ford small block engines for the last 40+ years. You have to have a local Pick & Pull salvage yard near you. Or do a quick search on ebay.
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=oil+pressure+sending+unit+extension&_sacat=0
FF33rod
05-03-2019, 12:01 PM
This is the Ford part you need....
These were OE on every Ford small block engines for the last 40+ years....
Seriously? okay, now I'm confused (didn't take much). I didn't think this was something Ford supplied on their cars.... thought it was something that helped adapt aftermarket sensors.... there are definitely some salvage yards close by that I could visit...
Jeff Kleiner
05-03-2019, 01:53 PM
Seriously? okay, now I'm confused (didn't take much). I didn't think this was something Ford supplied on their cars.... thought it was something that helped adapt aftermarket sensors.... there are definitely some salvage yards close by that I could visit...
Seriously. Ford used these extenders for the oil pressure sender on literally millions of Windsor engine equipped cars and trucks from the 1960s onward.
Jeff
FF33rod
05-03-2019, 03:25 PM
Well why didn't you say so!!! LOL. Have no idea why I was stuck on this being a "special"... tunnel vision? thanks guys...
Dodgeman
05-03-2019, 07:26 PM
Heres what I bought, 1/4" by 4" pipe nipple with a 45 degree elbow.
Paid all of $6.00 US.
Painted black.
Bob
JimLev
05-05-2019, 06:01 PM
For my LS3 I used a short NPT nipple and a few NPT fittings that you should be able to get at Lowes, Home Depot, or just about any hardware store if any of them are near you.
I ran the car for a while with an adaptive elbow between the sensor and the block because of clearance issues with the distributor. I had a lot of problems with the sensor reading stability and the reliability of the sensors. I recently eliminated the extra plumbing and screwed the sensor right into the block. I immediately noticed a 20 psi rise in the pressure level on the gauge. A friend explained that the elbow left room for air pockets as the oil was pumped up into the sensor.
108980108981108982
JimLev
06-17-2019, 05:51 PM
Mine is mounted horizontally, didn't have any problems with it reading the correct pressure.
We have different engine so it's apples to oranges comparison.
TDSapp
06-18-2019, 12:32 PM
How about a DIY solution....
https://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2301886
Brave Salmon
06-18-2019, 02:55 PM
Heres what I bought, 1/4" by 4" pipe nipple with a 45 degree elbow.
Paid all of $6.00 US.
Painted black.
Bob
That's exactly what I did with my 351w. KISS!
Brave Salmon
06-18-2019, 02:57 PM
I ran the car for a while with an adaptive elbow between the sensor and the block because of clearance issues with the distributor. I had a lot of problems with the sensor reading stability and the reliability of the sensors. I recently eliminated the extra plumbing and screwed the sensor right into the block. I immediately noticed a 20 psi rise in the pressure level on the gauge. A friend explained that the elbow left room for air pockets as the oil was pumped up into the sensor.
108980108981108982
That's way cool wrp, but we are speaking ford 302, not Chevy 302.