Check Gauge Light

johnwartjr

Registered User
This car and I are having quite the love/hate relationship, as of late!

I've been doing a little bit of spirited driving lately. The new motor mounts are probably to blame, the car is actually a pleasure to drive lately. Or, perhaps I'm just enjoying the 'fruits of my labor', after putting so much time and $$ into the car lately.

Regardless, I'm seeing something that confuses me.

If I take off slowly, the car seems to shift around 3k RPM.

But, if I lay into the gas from a dead stop, and accelerate fast, the car seems to shift closer to 4500 RPM, and for 1-2 seconds, right before it shifts, the check gauge light comes on. Between 4k and 4500 RPM.

The transmission shifts, and the light goes out.

If I go easy on the gas, I never see the check gauge light. But, if I beat on it, it lights up just before the shift, then it shifts.

Just for the record, should anyone see this thread and not know my recent history, in the last month, I've done

-water pump
-ps pump
-thermostat
-plugs and wires
-motor mounts
-alternator

Any thoughts on what could be causing this? Anything I should look at? I have also noticed that my 'O/D Off' light in the dash no longer turns on and off. Haven't tried to figure out if the button is working or not.
 
You'll have to see which gauge is dropping out.

Hint: The "Check Gauges" circuit board is ALSO the "Anti-Slosh" board. If you can't find anything else, it could be the fuel level.

I'd lay odds on the oil pressure connector rattling around, breaking connection, and causing it to see no oil pressure right before you shift.

Is yours still the factory idiot needle, or have you fixed it to where it actually IS an oil pressure gauge?

RwP
 
It's the factory oil pressure gauge

The gas tank is 3/4 full, and it was doing this at 1/4 full, and full also.

Where is the oil pressure connector located?
 
It's the factory oil pressure gauge

The gas tank is 3/4 full, and it was doing this at 1/4 full, and full also.

Where is the oil pressure connector located?

Rather than answering this question, why don't I link to the TCCoA thread on how to convert the switch setup to a real oil pressure gauge, which will include pics of where the sending unit (and the connector that quite often doesn't stay plugged onto the end of it!) is ... http://forums.tccoa.com/showthread.php?t=75977

You may have to read through several postings to find a 3.8 picture (the original was for a 4.6, there's also 5.0 and 3.8 pics in the thread.)

RwP
 
I'd lay odds on the oil pressure connector rattling around, breaking connection, and causing it to see no oil pressure right before you shift.

RwP

I agree, and had the same thing happen on my 91 SC when the connection to the oil pressure sender was loose.

David
 
Oil Gage

Oil gage was always an Idiot light. Even when ford had carbureted cars, the gage was fake. My 2004 f150 gage is fake. I was 3 quarts low and the gage read full. Always check you oil level. The Idiot light would come on when you were Really low on oil. The gage is the same. Yup. That's how they make their money.
 
I was 3 quarts low and the gage read full. Always check you oil level. The Idiot light would come on when you were Really low on oil.
As an FYI. The oil gauge is for pressure, not fluid level. The VMM has a warning light for low oil level. If the needle dropped to 0 or a warning light came on.. its because the oil level eventually got so low that the oil pickup was sucking air :eek:
 
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