The oil guage in a Mustang indicates...

joshheat25 · Nov 26, 2005

It is Pressure and only pressure! You have a dipstick to check the level why a gauge also!

ponysarepretty · Nov 26, 2005

40th GT said:
In the new Nissan Xterras, the oil gauge actually sweeps back and forth according to pressure. If the SUV's have it, why can't we!

It would open ford up to more complaints. I believe if it is over 6psi then it is at 3/4 on the guage, otherwise its off.

Mustang5L5 · Nov 26, 2005

People in general are too stupid to understand how to read a gauge. Hell half my family doesn't even know what the other gauges mean. As long as they see the speedo that's all the need.

it would never phase anyone to one day see there car putting out 35psi when it normally reads 55psi.

SO ford just makes it on off. It either works or it doesn't. The needle pointing to the red might get attention faster then seeing the needle sitting 2mm to the left of where it usually sits.

deftsound · Nov 26, 2005

in my old fox body stang it moved back and forth all the time depending on what the rpms were at...

Venom_Nitrous · Nov 27, 2005

I remember seeing someone say there was a way to add/remore a plug or resistor or change out the on off switch on the engine and replace it with an actual pressure sender to make the guage read actual pressure and "more with the rpm's". THE GUAGE READS OIL PRESSURE!!! THAT IS WHY THE GUAGE HAS A PICTURE OF AN OIL PUMP ON IT!!! an easy way to tell would be to drain half of your oil and see if it goes half way down, DUH.

timeless2 · Nov 27, 2005

Common drivers don't know how to read a gauge, hence the 1" of normal on the face of the gauge. If the pressure were to read as it should (fluctuating with engine speed, oil level, and temperature) most people would take their car to be serviced every week, fearing something is wrong.

joshheat25 · Nov 27, 2005

Yea that makes sense! Talk to randy and find out!

sgarlic · Nov 27, 2005

... the fact that you have anything more than 6psi of oil pressure.

mity2 · Nov 28, 2005

Kilgore Trout said:
Some people call it a glorified idiot light...

So true. I was told in the past there is something you can do to make it functional - like rewire something behind gauge cluster or something...

sgarlic · Nov 28, 2005

I remember reading an article about that.. I'd still rather use the autometer, so I have a number to look at.

timeless2 · Nov 28, 2005

mity2 said:
So true. I was told in the past there is something you can do to make it functional - like rewire something behind gauge cluster or something...

Anyone have a link to this article?

sgarlic · Nov 28, 2005

http://www.sfuller.net/projects/cobra/oilgauge/

Here's the kicker (taken from the article)

"For Mid '96 on cars you will need to buy the older gauge. The old (actual) gauge part number is F6ZZ-10850-BA. This is with the white face for the Cobra and is a combined assembly including the voltmeter. There is an error in the microfiche, the -BA part is indeed an older revision than the -BB part. I don't remember the price but I remember I didn't like it, anyway the clear cover needs to be removed from the instrument pod and it just plugs in. (Note: The price for this part was approximately $72. The parts person said that there was a replacement number for F6ZZ-10850-BA, so I'm not sure if this old gauge is even available from a Ford dealer anymore or not.) "

timeless2 · Nov 28, 2005

sgarlic said:
http://www.sfuller.net/projects/cobra/oilgauge/

Here's the kicker (taken from the article)

"For Mid '96 on cars you will need to buy the older gauge. The old (actual) gauge part number is F6ZZ-10850-BA. This is with the white face for the Cobra and is a combined assembly including the voltmeter. There is an error in the microfiche, the -BA part is indeed an older revision than the -BB part. I don't remember the price but I remember I didn't like it, anyway the clear cover needs to be removed from the instrument pod and it just plugs in. (Note: The price for this part was approximately $72. The parts person said that there was a replacement number for F6ZZ-10850-BA, so I'm not sure if this old gauge is even available from a Ford dealer anymore or not.) "

Garlic, thanks for the link. After reading it, it seems Autometer is the way to go.

sgarlic · Nov 28, 2005

Definately.

Mustang5L5 · Nov 28, 2005

sgarlic said:
http://www.sfuller.net/projects/cobra/oilgauge/

Here's the kicker (taken from the article)

"For Mid '96 on cars you will need to buy the older gauge. The old (actual) gauge part number is F6ZZ-10850-BA. This is with the white face for the Cobra and is a combined assembly including the voltmeter. There is an error in the microfiche, the -BA part is indeed an older revision than the -BB part. I don't remember the price but I remember I didn't like it, anyway the clear cover needs to be removed from the instrument pod and it just plugs in. (Note: The price for this part was approximately $72. The parts person said that there was a replacement number for F6ZZ-10850-BA, so I'm not sure if this old gauge is even available from a Ford dealer anymore or not.) "

Ah, I knew i had it right when i said early '96 Cobras had a functional gauge.

For that cost though i'll just get an Autometer gauge.

GT-03 · Nov 29, 2005

It use to be a pretty simple change. Just replace the "on/off" oil pressure sensor to an "analog" oil pressure transducer. And on the back of the instrument cluster, short out the 20 ohm resistor.

An "analog" oil pressure transducer changes electric resistance according to measured oil pressure. When it is around normal pressure, the transducer reads as 20 ohms, and therefore, 20 ohms puts the gauge needle about center of the "normal" zone.

The "on/off" oil pressure sensor is simply 'on' or 'off'. Ford puts a 20 ohm resistor in, so that when the sensor is 'on', the gauge "sees" 20 ohms and puts the needle about center of the "normal" zone (just like with the transducer). When the sensor is 'off', the needle drops to zero. So, in these cars, the needle is at only one of two places; zero or normal. Thus, the nickname of "idiot gauge".

The "Cobra" trick, and this trick is documented for many other Ford vehicles like Explorers and Thunderbirds too, is to find that 20 ohm resistor. Unfortunately, and this is the real catch, Ford has "cost reduced" the instrument cluster on newer Fords, so that the 20 ohm resistor is now inside the gauge itself.

If someone could just find a way to access that now internal 20 ohm resistor, we could all have a real functioning oil pressure gauge for about 1/2 hour of work and $5 for the transducer.

timeless2 · Nov 29, 2005

GT-03 said:
If someone could just find a way to access that now internal 20 ohm resistor, we could all have a real functioning oil pressure gauge for about 1/2 hour of work and $5 for the transducer.

Volunteers?

Anyone have a recently wrecked or totaled 99+ we could see this on? This could be interesting.

Kilgore Trout · Nov 29, 2005

GT-03 said:
It use to be a pretty simple change. Just replace the "on/off" oil pressure sensor to an "analog" oil pressure transducer. And on the back of the instrument cluster, short out the 20 ohm resistor.

An "analog" oil pressure transducer changes electric resistance according to measured oil pressure. When it is around normal pressure, the transducer reads as 20 ohms, and therefore, 20 ohms puts the gauge needle about center of the "normal" zone.

The "on/off" oil pressure sensor is simply 'on' or 'off'. Ford puts a 20 ohm resistor in, so that when the sensor is 'on', the gauge "sees" 20 ohms and puts the needle about center of the "normal" zone (just like with the transducer). When the sensor is 'off', the needle drops to zero. So, in these cars, the needle is at only one of two places; zero or normal. Thus, the nickname of "idiot gauge".

The "Cobra" trick, and this trick is documented for many other Ford vehicles like Explorers and Thunderbirds too, is to find that 20 ohm resistor. Unfortunately, and this is the real catch, Ford has "cost reduced" the instrument cluster on newer Fords, so that the 20 ohm resistor is now inside the gauge itself.

If someone could just find a way to access that now internal 20 ohm resistor, we could all have a real functioning oil pressure gauge for about 1/2 hour of work and $5 for the transducer.

Seems to me that the above information proves that the guage indicates whether you have a sufficient LEVEL of oil or not. So 3 of us who voted were correct

GT-03 · Nov 29, 2005

Kilgore Trout said:
Seems to me that the above information proves that the guage indicates whether you have a sufficient LEVEL of oil or not. So 3 of us who voted were correct

OK, turn your ignition switch to 'on' (but don't start).

Does your oil "gauge" read zero or normal?

If zero, does that mean you don't have a sufficient level of oil? In other words, if your oil "gauge" reads zero, then, possibly, you should not start your car because you don't have any oil!

GT-03 · Nov 29, 2005

4u2nv said:
Volunteers?

Anyone have a recently wrecked or totaled 99+ we could see this on? This could be interesting.

I had hoped that one of the aftermarket replacement clusters (like Autometer) would have added something like this. Possibly some way, external to their gauge's mechanicals, to either "short" the 20ohm resistor, or to bypass it.

Unfortunately, not.

The oil guage in a Mustang indicates...