06 Dodge Stratus 2.4l dohc, aftermarket oil pressure gauge?

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I would like to have an oil pressure guage on my car. I suppose my car doesn't matter and what matters really is any motor that doesn't have an oil pressure guage, but rather an oil pressure sending unit.

Has anyone installed an aftermarket oil pressure guage on their motor when that motor only has an oil sending unit?

If you have or you know how, would you mind helping me out with the process of installing an aftermarket oil pressure guage, please?

Thank you,
J
 
The reason most cars don't have them is because people were bringing theirs cars in for warranty service when they thought the pressure was too low but it actually was normal.
 
You just T in. What kind of gauge do you want to use a mechanical (meaning you run a oil line to the gauge or an electric which only requires a wire?
 
I'm not a mechanic, nor an electrician. Which is best, electric with wires or mech with line? Which is easier to do? Which is more reliable, or are they the same?

How/where to T it in? Run an oil line from where to where

If using electric, where do the wires go?


Please be patient with me. Thank you
 
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I had one on the Santa Fe. It had an electric sending unit (wired type). I took off the low oil pressure switch that turns on the low oil light, and I put in a section of threaded pipe with a "T" to split the feed for the pressure switch and for a fitting for my oil pressure gauge sending unit.

I ran the wires inside the cabin. Wired the ground to a ground, wired the internal light to the head light switch so it would light up at night, and then the power wire to a vehicle accessory wire that is only on when the key is on, and then the final wire to the sending unit.

I don't like using the mechanical gauges in the cabin because if it leaks you could end up with oil in the cabin. Also depending on the quality of the tubing some of them I have found will allow the smell of oil to permeate into the cabin from the tube. There isn't a leak but the smell will off gas through the tube walls.

Spend the money and get a good gauge with a quality sending unit because there is a lot of crap out there that won't last long.

Here is a video I found to give you more insight into what's involved: https://youtu.be/Uhszp-nKTkA

(I recommend you split the line and don't eliminate the low oil pressure sending unit for the low oil pressure light, so you have a second redundant warning system should you loose oil pressure)
 
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Thanks StevieC,

I believe I can understand how you wired the gauge.
Did you fabricate the threaded steel pipe with a T?

I do not have the tools to fabricate threaded steel pipe. I'm guessing the vertical part of the T had threads that were on the outside and matched the threads of the low oil sending unit to fit in the hole and the horizontal part of the T had threads on the inside that matched the theads of both the oil sending unit and the oil pressure guage?

The guy in the video unplugged his oil sending unit and had an aftermarket oil sending unit he used and told the audience "your engine light may come on, because the original wasn't plugged in" I don't want the hassle of having to put things back for emmision testing purposes.
 
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No I bought a small section of NPT threaded pipe from Home Depot in the brass fittings area of the plumbing department and then bought a "T" to go with it. Teflon taped the threads and installed. The pipe went into the engine where the low pressure sending unit was previously, then into the "T", then the low pressure sending unit into the other end of the "T" and the oil pressure gauge sending unit into the "T". The piece of pipe was only 2".

It's easier to screw the short second of pipe into the "T" first and then put the pipe with the "T" on it already into the engine.
 
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There are oil filter adaptors with threads to install Oil pressure and temperature sensors ,as well as an external oil cooler I guess (4 holes) with bolts to close the unused ones.Just screw to the oil filter socket and then screw the oil filter on the adaptor and you are good to go in seconds.That's how it is in my car.
 
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