Mailing List lml@lancaironline.net Message #42289
From: Tom Gourley <tom.gourley@verizon.net>
Sender: <marv@lancaironline.net>
Subject: Re: [LML] LIVP Oil Pressure Question (TSIO550E)...Fluctuations Noted
Date: Fri, 25 May 2007 08:03:14 -0400
To: <lml@lancaironline.net>
LIVP Oil Pressure Question (TSIO550E)...Fluctuations Noted
My first suspicion would be an electrical problem with or around the oil pressure sensor.  You mentioned that you rigged a ground wire.  Depeding on how it's hooked up it may or may not affect the problem.  I've seen some engine sensors read erratically because of where the ground lead from the engine interface box (the box all of the engine sensors are wired to) was physically attached.  The problem may affect multiple sensors, or only one.  For example on a Legacy using a JPI engine monitor the installation manual said to attach the ground wire from the engine interace box to the engine block.  We first tried an unused stud (it was real convenient) on the back of the engine where the vacuum pump would be, if it had a vacuum pump.  The tach reading jumped all over the place.  We removed the ground wire from that stud and attached it to the large ground stud running through the firewall to the engine.  The tach worked fine after that.  After thinking about it I suspect attaching the ground wire to the vacuum pump pad created a secondary return path from the engine back to the rest of the system that was in parallel with the primary return path (a "ground loop").  Bad. 
 
What type of oil pressure sensor do you have?  Is it a 4-wire sensor?  A 3-wire sensor?  Single wire sensor?  If it's a multi-wire sensor does its ground wire run back to the engine interface box?  If it's a single-wire sensor, and the sensor case isn't attached to the engine, then the case of the sensor should probably have a wire running back to the same ground as the engine interface box.  Does the installation manual specify how to ground the sensor?
 
Tom Gourley
 
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