2001 dodge ram oil pressure

Hello, recently my truck’s oil pressure light goes to 0 when I stop my truck at a red light after having driven at a high speed(interstate) but as soon as I rev the engine it goes back to normal. This has started to happen more often and I’m wondering if it is just a sensor or what?! I went to the shop today and the mechanic told me I was 1 1/2 quarts low and the oil was dirty. He connected it to an oil pressure machine and said the pressure was fine but b/c it was low on oil that was probably the cause.(I had it changed about 3 months ago at Wal Mart so I dont know what happened there). What is y’alls opinion?! Thanks so much! I’m a poor student and if my engine blows i’ll be stuck!

I think you should watch your oil level and be sure to get it changed at the correct intervals. It’s possible that you’re burning oil or leaking it somewhere, or it’s possible that walmart just didn’t refill it correctly (more than possible).

Hopefully your oil pressure warning was the result of having pulled all of the oil up in to the motor and out of the oil pan during your interstate travel. Keep that oil level topped off, you’ll be replacing a motor if you don’t.

Replace the oil pressure sending unit. Don’t let anyone at Wally-World touch your vehicle…It is normal for a hot engine to have very low oil pressure at idle. But you should have 10psi even then…The sending unit is the usual culprit.

but b/c it was low on oil that was probably the cause.(I had it changed about 3 months ago at Wal Mart so I dont know what happened there).

My guess is you have used some oil in the last three months and it is now low. It might have been a little low when you left WalMart. I suggest you get in the habit of checking your oil on a regular bases. This is especially important if you car has started burning oil.

I’ve seen this problem on Dodges (It probably happens on other Chryslers, also) where a direct oil pressure gauge will indicate good oil pressure, even at idle, and the dash oil pressure gauge will drop to zero, the chime will “ding, ding, ding”, and the engine will stall, or nearly stall. When I changed the oil pressure sender, it made no difference in this behavior.
I don’t know what the solution is. I’ve done information searches, and found out that the oil pressure indication circuitry has an amplified range in the low end of the pressure spectrum for “increased sensitivity”. Regardless, I think that it is a BAD DESIGN.

i had a 1984 2.2 motor along time ago and i had something like this happened to me i had put a cheap oil filter on like the K mart special . got low oil pressure changed the sending unit and that didnt fix it. had the motor redone thinking it was some gasket material in the pick up screen. so i took off the oil pan nothing. i the end i bought a MOPAR oil filter at the dealership where i worked. and BAM oil pressure when right back up. iam a firm believer get a MOPAR OIL filter.

You don’t check your oil for 3 months at a time? That’s a little scary. I’d feel pretty uncomfortable doing that with a brand-new car, much less a 8-9 year old vehicle. If you don’t check the oil/keep it full, and change it regularly, you soon will have a damaged engine with very low oil pressure. Why not check it every third fill-up or so? Also, on a V8 like this with some miles and wear, I’d use 10w30, not the 5w30 or lesser viscosity that Wal-mart or just about anyone else will put in it if you don’t specify. Also make sure that the shop that tested your oil pressure checked it with the engine warmed up.

1994 dodge dakota, low pressure oil light came on and oil pressure dash gauge dropped to “L” while at a stop light, idle speed. Once picking up speed light cleared but gauge only moved up slightly. found oil leak when parked truck. dip stick indicated full oil level. problem was oil sending unit failure. total cost to repair if you do it yourself is about $50.00 including buying the special tool to replace the unit. the hardest problem was the location of the sending unit. hope this helps.