Oil pressure sensor location?

[Harrie Harrison]

New poster! (less than 10 posts)

My 5GT was purchased with a known 'defect' of no pressure showing on the oil pressure gauge however the engine hasn't seized so I presume I have sufficient pressure! Seriously, I anticipate one of the following problems - the sender unit is dead, the wire to the gauge is broken/disconnected or the gauge is defective. Grateful for advice how to locate the fault.
Also, I drove the car in the dark for the first time today and noticed the oil pressure warning light was very very faintly 'glowing', barely visible, for the first five miles of the journey then went out - any thoughts on the possible problem gratefully received. Many thanks, Harrie Harrison

[Mr Raider]

New poster! (less than 10 posts)

My 5GT was purchased with a known 'defect' of no pressure showing on the oil pressure gauge however the engine hasn't seized so I presume I have sufficient pressure! Seriously, I anticipate one of the following problems - the sender unit is dead, the wire to the gauge is broken/disconnected or the gauge is defective. Grateful for advice how to locate the fault.
Also, I drove the car in the dark for the first time today and noticed the oil pressure warning light was very very faintly 'glowing', barely visible, for the first five miles of the journey then went out - any thoughts on the possible problem gratefully received. Many thanks, Harrie Harrison

Usually the oe oil pressure gauge stops working or works intermittently, they are not particularly accurate anyway. First things first i would check oil level manually (not relying on oe level/pressure gauge) to make sure there is enough in there and that its clean. If its filthy black its probably been in there for years and wont do you any favours with regards to oil pressure or engine wear, correct size oe oil filter also.

The very very faint oil pressure light glowing whilst driving in the dark could be a bad earth however I would not ignore it and stop driving until this has been investigated. If you undo the turbo oil feed pipe on the turbo and get a mate to crank it over you should see oil shooting out of this pipe (catch it in a container) so it will tell you you have oil pressure.

The oil pressure sensor is on the front of the engine block towards the gear box side, you will see the 'banjo' connector where this goes to the turbo oil feed pipe. Take off the orange wire connector and give it a clean to see if this helps.

I would recommend changing the engine oil and filter too, 15w-40 semi synthetic good quality oil and an oe size filter (ideally Purflux LS590 or Fram PH4546, if not Purflux LS218, or genuine Clio 172/182 oil filter) and go from there. If not it will be time to remove oil pressure switch on front of the block to check, and possibly sump removal to check oil pump strainer/pick up pipe isnt blocked and finally removing/dismantling oil pump to check internals for wear etc.

[Harrie Harrison]

New poster! (less than 10 posts)

Many thanks for the intell. The oil level is OK and I have the new filter ready to fit so will investigate the wiring when I change the oil as I will be under the car in the right location!
The next job after that is the heater fan! Kind regards HH

[Matt_S]

Oil pressure drops with temp getting warmer, so the fact that it got better as you got the engine warmer says gauge sender to me.

What's up with the blower?

[Mr Raider]

New poster! (less than 10 posts)

Many thanks for the intell. The oil level is OK and I have the new filter ready to fit so will investigate the wiring when I change the oil as I will be under the car in the right location!
The next job after that is the heater fan! Kind regards HH

No worries, what the RTOC is all about. You can see oil level sender on front of sump from underneath the car, oil pressure sensor is on the front of the block, easier to see with rad out to be honest.

Is heater fan bearing noisy? or heater fan switch (rheostat) gone?

[Harrie Harrison]

New poster! (less than 10 posts)

Many thanks for the replies. I have not had a chance to check the fan yet so unsure whether a switch issue. The previous owner had taken out the dash so I suspect it will simply be a failure to connect the switch! I will get access to the fan and apply 12v to the motor to check that and if it works, check the wiring. Kind regards, HH