RJB

Does anyone else feel that these cars are possessed sometimes???

Let me describe my problem and then what I have done thus far to fix it. Hopefully someone can help me with what to do next.

My oil gauge seems to have a mind of its own. When I start the car, the pressure goes above the 5 and stays there until the engine oil heats up. This is normal. It then goes down to around the 4 when I am driving. Again, normal. However, when I start to slow down, or especially when I push in the clutch and come to a stop, the needle pegs above 5 and then settles down to the 2 to 3 number. It continues to peg and drop as if there is something electrical wrong. I do not get the feeling that the pressure fluctuates that wildly because it happens too fast and when it settles down, periodically, it has a proper reading. The oil light is not on, but it does work. The thing that is driving me crazy is that the needle keeps dancing up and down.

Here is what I have done. I have pulled out the gauge assembly, cleaned the football plugs for the gauge, cleaned the connectors, and replaced all of the bulbs. I have not removed the flexible circuit board to check for bad solder joints because I was concerned about damage. I have cleaned the grounds under the dash.

I have measured the current from the negative battery terminal to the block and there is no current flowing. Also measured the voltage between the negative battery and the block, which was zero. Therefore, I do not suspect a ground problem to the block.

I have cleaned the terminals to the oil sender. They were dirty, but they are sparkling clean now. I have not replaced the oil sender yet.

So, now my question. What suggestions does anyone have for my next steps? Do I pull the gauge assembly again and dig deeper for bad solder joints? Does anyone have a test procedure to see if the sender is bad? Is there another ground that I need to find and check? This thing is driving me crazy!

Thanks for reading this long message and any help that you can provide.