Super High Oil Pressure - Reads 120 after 5 seconds!

[collinsprinkles]

Today when I started my M185A3 I checked the air pressure and saw that it was already at 120, I thought "dang, I didn't drain the tanks after driving yesterday" then I realized it was the oil pressure gauge!!! I shut it down immediately. What could be going on? Whenever I start it up it hits 120 psi in about 5 seconds. Is something seriously wrong or is it just a problem with the gage?

 

[Warthog]

You need to make sure the sending unit and the gauge match. The is a 60psi version and a 120psi version.

 

[doghead]

What is the temperature there?

 

[Coffey1]

Mine starts out really high in this cold then comes down.

 

[collinsprinkles]

It's in the thirties. I freaked and called my dad. He said that once it would warm it the pressure would drop and it shouldn't hurt anything. I let it warm up as much as possible with a piece of cardboard over the radiator (I have the winterfront cover but still haven't had time to figure out how to install it), I took it for a little drive and once the engine got to around 160 the pressure dropped. I picked the truck up from southern cali so maybe I should put some less viscous oil in it? It does get pretty hot here in the summer though.

 

[TAKPAK]

If it has been working right up to this point, I would check the connections in the wiring. On my M35A2, the gage started going crazy, and it wound up staying pegged at the high end. Had me spooked for quite a while. Finally, after much checking, I discovered that at the connection to the sending unit, even though it LOOKED like it was firmly in place, it apparently was not. Pulled it out, lubed it up a bit, then re-seated it "firmly" and from that point on, the gage worked perfectly, running right at "spec" pressures. Phew.....now I can sleep again.