I am sure I read about the oil pressure gauge in the dash not working right because of the sender and their was a fix but I cannot find it in the search could someone link me?
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04:05 AM
PFF
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imacflier Member
Posts: 946 From: Levittown, NY, USA Registered: Apr 2002
I am sure I read about the oil pressure gauge in the dash not working right because of the sender and their was a fix but I cannot find it in the search could someone link me?
Using the 88 sender works best but it will stay pegged most tbe time. Unsure if they is a fix but i is not really a problem. Your temp gause will be off also......
Use the oil sender from the Fiero. The one on the 3800 is for an oil light not gauge.
Does that "oil light" come on when the oil PSI drops below a specific PSI value? what would that value be if so?
I ask because I have an aftermarket VDO oil PSI Gauge; which obviously does not have the oil PSI light built-in like the factory rally unit does. I would like to use an idiot light as well...
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09:46 AM
Mike Gonzalez Member
Posts: 5093 From: Colorado Springs, CO. USA Registered: Jul 2001
Hmmm, I have never had pressure drop to know for sure. If you are using an aftermarket gauge it should have its own sender, you could T off the oil adapter and use both senders.
The oil light must work off the gauge somehow, there is not another sensor for a light on a stock Fiero, and the fiero sender does not have 2 seperate outputs.
Hmmm, I have never had pressure drop to know for sure. If you are using an aftermarket gauge it should have its own sender, you could T off the oil adapter and use both senders.
The oil light must work off the gauge somehow, there is not another sensor for a light on a stock Fiero, and the fiero sender does not have 2 seperate outputs.
Yes, the VOD gauge has its own sender...
Yes, the stock Fiero oil "light" has a circuit built-in to the stock rally gauge circuit board that controls the light...
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09:43 AM
Darth Fiero Member
Posts: 5922 From: Waterloo, Indiana Registered: Oct 2002
I use the 88 Fiero 2.8 oil pressure sending unit in all of my swaps. Make sure you don't use teflon tape on the threads of the sending unit (use only teflon paste), as the tape could insulate the threads from making good metal-to-metal contact with the oil filter adapter housing on the 3800. The sending unit needs to ground to the housing in order for the sending unit to work properly. Any kind of poor connection will result in high resistance which will cause higher than expected gauge readings. Also make sure the sending unit is tight and not loose.
Nominal oil pressure for a 3800 V6 is pretty high. On all of the swaps I've done, the oil pressure tends to be 80psi or more when the engine is cold. After the engine (and oil) heats up, the pressure at idle can be anywhere between 30 - 70 psi, going higher as the engine RPMs increase. Depends on what type and weight of oil you use in the engine as well.
-ryan
------------------ 7+ years on this same swap -- NO engine or transmission failures... Custom GM OBD1 & OBD2 Tuning | Engine Conversions & more | www.gmtuners.com
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02:35 PM
Sep 30th, 2011
Alex4mula Member
Posts: 7405 From: Canton, MI US Registered: Dec 1999
Just found this thread and it happens to me. I was going crazy. Glad to knowe it may be just fine. Oil rides close to 80psi (24k mi on engine) and pegs sometimes at WOT high revs. Temp is about 30°F higher (reads 225 when it is at 195). Can the gauges be modified for the difference? Or do I need to live with that? Tks
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09:31 PM
phonedawgz Member
Posts: 17103 From: Green Bay, WI USA Registered: Dec 2009
Electrically the temperature gauge sender of a 3800 3 pin sender is the same as the Fieros. You can check your temperature gauge using the procedure in the bottom of this link.
Electrically the temperature gauge sender of a 3800 3 pin sender is the same as the Fieros. You can check your temperature gauge using the procedure in the bottom of this link.
