Ritter v4.0

It no longer reads at all. (Dipstick, temp and pressure all indicate properly- phew!)

Is it a sensor that is easily changed or the gauge itself?

Ritter v4.0

Actually its not 100%- upon start-up it moves to the bottom of the red section.

jimq

its suppose to go to the bottom until the thermostat opens and the car sits at idle for a few seconds after being fully warmed up.

AOW162435

I sounds as if you are merely a quart low. Remember that these cars have somewhere around a 12-quart capacity. Unless you are racing the car, a quart or two low should do no damage.

You should drive the car to get it properly heated up, then park it on a level surface with the engine running. Check the level via the dipstick - it will probably be at the lower mark. Slowly add oil and you should be able to see the gauge react through the rear window.

Andreas

RallyJon

I was in the same place. Sure it was broken. Dipstick read fine. I got it nice and hot, and just started dribbling in oil. Took a whole quart, now the dipstick reads towards the top and the gauge is in the middle.

It appears based on when the gauge started to move that there's less than a quart between bottom and middle. That considerably limits the usefullness IMO, but if you want it to read in the middle, keep on fillin'!

jnx

If you change the sensor, it is easy to do. Just remove the fenderliner and you will see it near the top of the oil tank.

g_murray

Yup, mine does the same thing. (Got me scared at the very beginning, b4 I figured out the 'nuances' of this here beast!)

G.

TRINITONY

details please...

jnx

I have never replaced one so I don't have all of the details. When you change your oil, you can see it at the top of the tank. Easy to get to, looks like an electrical connection and some bolts.

Jay993turbo

To change the sensor is fairly straightforward, best to change it when you change your oil. Just remove the fenderliner on the passenger rear wheel to access the oil tank. You will see the sensor on the tank facing you, just make sure you have already drained your oil before you remove it !

Ritter v4.0

I checked it after a "spirited" run and let it idle for at least a minute I'll try that (adding oil) and check again. The car is dry underneath but I am running rich (no cats) so could be down a bit, but
the dipstick ( is that where the negative connotation came- guys like me who can't read it properly?) looked good to me.


BTW- when I change the oil allow for 12 qts and replace both filters?

danpugh

To briefly echo some of the other replies, I had a similar experience with my '96 C4S after I acquired it in July. The quantity gauge never really moved out of red, though the dipstick looked (to me) as if I had the proper amount of oil. After taking it for its first oil change, during which both filters were replaced and it was filled with the proper amount oil (~11 quarts, I believe), the quantity needle suddenly started behaving properly. That is, when the engine is warm, the needle drops when I rev the engine, and slowly returns to approx. 1/2 to 2/3 at idle. This is consistent with what the manual says it should do. If your other gauges (pressure, temp) are reading fine, then I'll bet your quantity guage will behave like mine did... Good luck!

martyp

Hmmmm . . . I was just getting ready to replace mine since I have the same symptoms as Ritter. Yet when I get the car hot (9:00+ on the temp gauge) and park it level, the oil reads very near the top of the spiral (closest to the handle end) on the dip stick. Am I reading the level incorrectly?

JasonAndreas

There is no need to drain the oil from the tank before you replace the sensor but you do need to make sure the area on the oil tank behind the sensor shield and around the tank opening is eat-off-it clean.


It's a possibility but it is not that difficult to check the gauge and the sensor if want to make sure. For the gauge you need a 100 Ohm resistor that you attach at the oil level sensor connector in the engine compartment (red arrow in the 1st image below). Turn the ignition to on and the gauge should read at the halfway point. If it doesn't try cleaning the pin contacts on the back of the gauge with a pencil eraser. To check the sensor you need to attach a multimeter to the opposite side of the same connector and move the operating float on the sensor in the tank. At empty it will read ~0 Ohms (2nd image below) and at full ~180 (3rd image below) Ohms. If you don't own a multimeter you can manually move the float with the ignition in the on position (but don't start the engine). Also, if one or the other is busted the level marker on the gauge will not move at all when you turn on the ignition. If they are okay the level will move from the absolute bottom to the red level.

tar6day

JasonAndreas,

Very impressive reply!!