Nervous Gauge

[sailsmanship]

Have an oil pressure gauge that flickers back and forth about 1/4". Seems to read accurate if you split the difference. Gauge problem or sender problem?

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Nervous Gauge

How do you know its accurate if you split the difference? The only way to know that is by measuring oil pressure with a known good gauge. Use a mechanical gauge to check oil pressure. If its steady, its very likely a sender problem. If its still varies, its an internal engine problem. Now back to your original statement -- "varies by 1/4-inch". Under what conditiions? If it varies with engine RPM that's normal. Pressure at idle is less than it is at higher rpm -- after all, its a pump. If it varies at any rpm (idle, midrange, or wide open) that's a different story. Which is it and it would be handy to know what engine we are talking about.

 

[sailsmanship]

Re: Nervous Gauge

What I mean by splitting the difference is that when both engines are warm and viscosity has thinned, both engines have always run at 20 psi idle and 45 psi at cruising rpm. The gauge with the problem still moves like that but it twitches back and forth around those numbers.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Nervous Gauge

Appears to be a loose or corroded connection either at the sender or the gauge. Good to have a little more information when posting problems. Remember, we can't see your boat so all we (I) knew was it was four stroke. No idea you had two engines and we still don't know if its an I/O or outboard. If the connections are clean and tight, I would rig a mechanical gauge at the engine to verify that it is or is not a mechanical condition in the engine.