ub3 oil pressure

[rockfangd]

hi everyone. the good advice from w-body never fails. heres my problem. i just switched to the ub3 digital cluster in my 94 cutty and the oil pressure sending unit is different for the ub3. what i need to know is the car that i got the sending unit and the cluster out of was a 91 cutty. the sending unit has 3 wires. tan, orange, and grey. can anyone tell me where they go. im pretty sure one goes to the cluster, ones for the f/p, but i cant find anything in the haynes manual. any help would be highly appreciated. thanks

[Brian P]

they go to the same wires that already go to your existing oil pressure "switch". The only difference is that '92-94 cars have a resistor inline with one of the wires (forgot which one) you need to bypass that, then you're good to go.

[rockfangd]

well heres the thing. my 94 has 1 wire. the 91 that i got the cluster out of has 3

[Brian P]

OH right...3100 V6? You'll actually need a sender from a '95 Grand Am GT/ with the 6 gage cluster, since the threads are different. That should be using 1 wire as well.

[rockfangd]

ok. sorry. yeah it is a 3100. i just need to know a little more about the 95 grand am cluster. (digital or analog) one wire 3 inch sender. thx

[Crazy K]

they go to the same wires that already go to your existing oil pressure "switch". The only difference is that '92-94 cars have a resistor inline with one of the wires (forgot which one) you need to bypass that, then you're good to go.

Not true. the resistor is within the cluster according to info I have.

 

it sounds like you need to determine the correct wire foir the oil guage.

 

if the oil guage reads no pressure with the engine off and full scale pressure with the engine on, all you need is the oil sender.

 

either way you need the correct sender. You need to go to autozone or someplace, ask for a 1992 LUMINA oil sender (longer than a switch, but looks the same) you'll have to get the sender that has the larger threaded nipple (heh heh I said nipple )

[Brian P]

it's just for the analog 6 gage cluster in mostly Grand Am GT's. If you buy the pressure sensor new somewhere, make sure it's for a '94-95. It will work fine with your digital cluster.

 

http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/x,carcode,1253102,parttype,4588

 

4th one down

[Brian P]

 

Not true. the resistor is within the cluster according to info I have.

 

it sounds like you need to determine the correct wire foir the oil guage.

 

if the oil guage reads no pressure with the engine off and full scale pressure with the engine on, all you need is the oil sender.

 

either way you need the correct sender. You need to go to autozone or someplace, ask for a 1992 LUMINA oil sender (longer than a switch, but looks the same) you'll have to get the sender that has the larger threaded nipple (heh heh I said nipple )

 

What info do you have? So the two cars I've already converted must have been freaks. Not. There was a resistor inline, but these were also '92 and '93 cars.

The oil pressure sender for a 3.1MPFI/3.4DOHC will NOT thread into a 3100 block. 3100's have a larger "nipple". Unless they changed something later on in years and I haven't seen. My '90 and '89 had a small "nipple"/different threads.

 

Edit: I'll check at work tomorrow.

[ToroToro]

The '94 service manual says there is a resistor IN the cluster. Makes no mention of any other resistor...but I seem to recall hearing about one somewhere in the engine compartment. Where were the resistors in the ones you did Brian?

[Brian P]

right in the wiring by the sensor, maybe 6 inches up?

[rockfangd]

well here is the thing. the dummy switch that is on my 94 has 1 wire that just snaps into the sender. how many wires does the correct one have. all of the ones on rockauto have a 3 prong plug. thats why i need to know where those 3 wires go.

[rockfangd]

and also the nipple is bigger as i have taken my unit off. the biggest prob is hooking up the wiring because mine only has one wire and not 3 like the correct one. and there is only the resistor in the base cluster

[Crazy K]

 

Not true. the resistor is within the cluster according to info I have.

 

it sounds like you need to determine the correct wire foir the oil guage.

 

if the oil guage reads no pressure with the engine off and full scale pressure with the engine on, all you need is the oil sender.

 

either way you need the correct sender. You need to go to autozone or someplace, ask for a 1992 LUMINA oil sender (longer than a switch, but looks the same) you'll have to get the sender that has the larger threaded nipple (heh heh I said nipple )

 

What info do you have? So the two cars I've already converted must have been freaks. Not. There was a resistor inline, but these were also '92 and '93 cars.

The oil pressure sender for a 3.1MPFI/3.4DOHC will NOT thread into a 3100 block. 3100's have a larger "nipple". Unless they changed something later on in years and I haven't seen. My '90 and '89 had a small "nipple"/different threads.

 

Edit: I'll check at work tomorrow.

oops, I was refering to a 94 CS. But I now have a 93 and 92 cs to convert... umm wait, my 92 vert is using my lumina engine and tranny, and wiring harness, with the guage sender... I think the guage remained at 5/8, but then again, it has only run 90 seconds since the swap. the best test is to unplug it for a moment and see if it goes full scale... but i won't see the car for a month.

 

I'll post when I check out my 93 cs tomorrow. I'm in New Jersey right now (yuck!)

 

 

the nipple size changed during 92 on the lumina and probably around the same time on the other models...

 

interestingly some 92 CSs have a real oil gauge and some have a fake guage! probably the same for luminas.

 

 

Rockfangd.... my bros 94 has three wires on the oil switch and it is the same connector as the sender would have. the switch is located on the center front of the block. are you sure you are looking at the right sensor? and not the knock sensor which is near it????

 

[rockfangd]

omg could be.it was to the left of the starter. directly above the oil filter, and when i disconnected the wire my service engine light came on for the first time since i got the car lol.. there was no hole in the end that goes into the engine on the unit .can you tell me the exact location of the unit on mine. if thats not it i feel like an ass. lol

[Crazy K]

the oil switch is located on the center front of the block. basically right above the starter on the 3100.

rmember the switch is short and the sender is long.

[rockfangd]

well i will have to check it out in the motn. thx

[Brian P]

ut oh! Yeah don't disconnect the knock sensor! Now that I think about it, I think I saw the 1-wire pressure sensor in an early '88 W-body, that has a separate fuel pump cutoff switch on the block vs the integrated switch in the pressure sensor.

[rockfangd]

well when i had it disconnected to do a test on the wire the only thing that happened was my service engine light came on. but while on the topic. i can disconnect my fuel pump fuse and relay and keep on driving, shouldnt the relay and fuse kill power when removed. lol i think this may be a safety issue

[Brian P]

What you'd have to do is also unplug the oil pressure sensor, that should shut down the fuel pump. That's what the other sensor wires are for.

[rockfangd]

well i feel like an ass. the sending unit is above the starter not to the left like the knock sensor. . and also when i disconnected the plug from the oil sensor the engine shut right off. duh lol so is there a way i can get a sending unit with a bigger nipple to screw into the ignition or do i need an adaptor????

[Crazy K]

AGAIN... go to autozone and look for a sending unit for a 92 Lumina, they should have two differnt ones availible, the larger has the same port as the 94 3100 switch/sender. "Don't you understand? I HAVE PEOPLE SKILLS. WHAT's WRONG with you PEOPLE?" just kidding. that make sense or should I get you a part number?

 

here goes, I just researched... and realized the change over should be mid 91??? yet my 92 engine used the smaller sender???????? which is my own confusion, since it is the orginal engine, numbers matching.

 

here's what autozone carries:

NIEHOFF

1/4" thread OP24471 $19.99

NIEHOFF

1/8" thread OP24501 $19.99

 

the 1/4 should be what you need!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

stand by for an update on the resistor on my 93. tomorrow.

[rockfangd]

lol thanks

[rockfangd]

lol go t one for free at my local j/y out of a 94 pontiac grand am gt. the only sender in the lot that would work. and there is no resistor in the line on mine but it is in the base cluster. Thanks everyone for all the help

[Crazy K]

lol go t one for free at my local j/y out of a 94 pontiac grand am gt. the only sender in the lot that would work. and there is no resistor in the line on mine but it is in the base cluster. Thanks everyone for all the help

 

yeah the guage is wired funny. glad for the info on 95 Pontiac gt. I never got around to checking my wire.... but I'll double check mine.

 

the way the guage is designed is that the windings on the analog oil guage are wound differently than that of a real guage. but not by much... it basically reads on a compressed scale, where 5/8 is full scale, 0 is real 0 and everythinhg in between is compressed. I need to get the sender for my ride. update to follow when I get more info.