Thread:

Oil pressure sender unit tried to kill my engine!

I had a catastrophic oil leak today on my Chevy Vortec 350. I only noticed it because of the oil film when my bilge pump kicked on. I took a peek and the bildge had several quarts of oil in it. It was spraying out of the plastic end of the oil sensor / fuel pump switch. I easily could have wasted the engine today. So...what do I buy so that this never ever happens again? Is there a high performance GM 3 plug unit out there?

Don't know about the newer stuff but any of the 80'-90 stuff runs a 3 wire switch and the center is bakelight...they were stout enough to put up with vice grips/channel locks as long as you wern't brutal.
On some of the third wire ran electric choke....and as long as you are aware that 3rd wire hooked to fuel pump is not intended to shut motor down over loss of oil pressure

The switch on mine is the same one used in the 70's and 80's on GM cars with electric fuel pumps. I don't run a choke, so I could use a two wire oil pressure fuel switch if those are more reliable. Do you guys not run oil pressure fuel cut offs?

Originally Posted by Rivernut

The switch on mine is the same one used in the 70's and 80's on GM cars with electric fuel pumps. I don't run a choke, so I could use a two wire oil pressure fuel switch if those are more reliable. Do you guys not run oil pressure fuel cut offs?

Kind of a pia..... cut the fuel because of no oil pressure? Motor with no oil pressure needs to cease and desist
long before fuel bleeds off. I think i would like to remain in control of the situation myself. Stick gauge in the dash and a hobbs rated at 5lbs less than hot idle hooked to a red light where the pilot can always see it in peripheral vision.
It just seems like having a motor shut down when it thinks it needs
to might cause more than it solves