# 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 oil pressure issue



## spikeman66 (Jul 26, 2014)

I have a 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 4WD 5.9L V-8 Magnum engine, 143000 miles. My daughter drove my truck, brought it home and told me the oil pressure was high. I started the truck and watched the oil pressure gauge move to approximately 70 and it stays there whether at idle or when I apply the gas pedal. A month ago I ran Sea Foam through the block to clean out the engine and think it might be a related problem. I also run Marvel Mystery Oil through my gas tank . So, oil has been changed along with the filter (Wix), to see if maybe the oil filter was the culprit...nope, fresh oil and filter still registers 70. Changed out the oil pressure switch and still no luck, pressure stays at 70. Now I am moving on to dropping the oil pan and cleaning up everything. While in there, I am going to install a newer high volume oil pump. Has anyone had similar problems? To have the oil pressure stick at 70 is a bit baffling for me...I am thinking that possibly when I ran the Sea Foam through the engine, residual sludge finally broke free and is now causing me these issues. No other options at this point from what I can see. Ordering a new oil pump and have to wait until next weekend to give it a go. Any words of advice or experience with this issue would be much appreciated...:banghead:


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## MPR (Aug 28, 2010)

First, just check to see if the oil level is too high. Then, I'd replace the oil filter. If the oil pressure is still too high, by using a solvent-based product in the engine you may have loosened sludge deposits which then plugged oil passages. You could try an engine flush but unplugging the oil passages might prove impossible without a complete engine teardown.


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## Panther063 (Jul 13, 2009)

Is the gauge on the dash electronic or hydraulic? Just thinking maybe it is the gauge that is faulty.
Have you tried an inline pressure gauge, you screw them into the outlet on the block for the sender unit.
70 PSI is quite high and could result in gaskets blowing out and serious oil leaks.


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## spikeman66 (Jul 26, 2014)

The gauge on the dash should be electric as the pressure switch plugs in and runs up to the dash...where would I find an inline pressure gauge? Also, the oil level is fine...just checked it again for the 20th time to make sure I wasn't missing the obvious, still siting at 70...won't drive the truck until this is resolved...


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## Panther063 (Jul 13, 2009)

Most auto parts stores should have them, you wont need an expensive one if you only need it once.
This is an example Engine Oil Pressure Test Kit


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## spikeman66 (Jul 26, 2014)

Thanks for the advice...I live in a small town and the auto parts stores here don't have them...just my luck...I guess I will have to drive to Amarillo or Lubbock to hit up Harbor Freight...always like to visit that store but under these circumstances it kind of sucks...I am guessing if the pressure is still at 70 the oil pan is getting dropped...any preference for a new high volume oil pump?


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## MPR (Aug 28, 2010)

spikeman66 said:


> drive to Amarillo or Lubbock to hit up Harbor Freight...


LOL, I have the same problem as you -- I live a couple of hours north of Amarillo. My "store" is usually Amazon.


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## Panther063 (Jul 13, 2009)

If you still have some, run Sea Foam through again and see if it clears any blockages.
It cant hurt if you are going to change the oil anyway.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Check it with a manual gauge is the best first step.

If that shows the same pressure then the pressure relief valve is stuck or the spring is broken(a serviceable part of the oil pump), the normal pressure is a low of 6psi at idle to a max of range of 30 - 80 PSI at 3000 RPM(pretty wide range)

Also keep in mind the gauge is connected to the Power-train Control Module not directly to the sensor(the engine computer sends the readings to the gauge cluster) so a good scan tool will read the sensor directly and tell you if it's a mechanical or electrical issue.


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## spikeman66 (Jul 26, 2014)

Thanks for the advice...my ODBII sensor is not kicking any codes back to me regarding the oil system or gauges...if the pressure is mechanically the same then the oil pump is getting swapped out...after talking to my friend who had the same truck and year, he replaced his oil pump with a high volume unit after having some issues and the truck ran great after that...I will have the oil pressure tester this evening and dig into the engine tomorrow afternoon...I will post my results...


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

It will not show a code since technically at 70 psi it is within spec and it is not a emission related defect to not have oil pressure, the better scan tools like the snapon modus an the otc models allow you to view individual sensor outputs in real time.


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## spikeman66 (Jul 26, 2014)

I hope I can get a better reading from the mechanical gauge...a post from the Dodge Forum stated I might have a plugged oil passage and the gentleman said if so, the engine needs to be torn down and hot tanked...before I go that route, I will mechanical gauge it, if it is still 70, I will dump a can of Sea Foam into the oil, run it for a few minutes, drain the oil out, drop the pan if necessary, clean everything completely, replace the existing oil pump with a higher volume type and hope that solves the problem...


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## Basementgeek (Feb 7, 2005)

Be aware not all oil pans can be dropped easily, mine can't. I use Sea Foam
all the time in small engines but never in the oil. If it always had regular oil changes you should not have any sludge. 

BG


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## spikeman66 (Jul 26, 2014)

The oil gets changed regularly so that is good news...got the mechanical gauge and fingers are crossed that it is simply the dash gauge...with my luck the pan is coming off...will post results...


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## spikeman66 (Jul 26, 2014)

So, got the mechanical pressure reading: steady 64...when I apply gas pedal input the mechanical gauge moves to 67-68...looks like the oil pan is coming off and I am installing a high volume oil pump and while in there will change the rear main seal for good measure since the pan will be off...anyone have any thoughts about the pressure reading? Friday evening or Saturday morning the deed is happening...will post updates after the repair unless someone has a fix in mind...


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## Panther063 (Jul 13, 2009)

spikeman66 said:


> ....while in there will change the rear main seal for good measure since the pan will be off....


If the Rear Main Seal is one piece, you will have to drop the gear box and fly wheel (manual) or Flex plate if an auto.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

It's 2 piece on a Dodge motor.


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## wolfen1086 (Oct 4, 2007)

I can tell you this, I have never in 51 years had oil pressure go up, down yes, but never up, I'd run a manual pressure test first and see whats what in there


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## Basementgeek (Feb 7, 2005)

See post #15, they did.

BG


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## Panther063 (Jul 13, 2009)

Wrench97 said:


> It's 2 piece on a Dodge motor.


Good to hear, I haven't changed a two piece rear main since the 70's lol


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## spikeman66 (Jul 26, 2014)

So, went to a buddy's house, aka NASCAR garage, drained the oil, which didn't look bad, swapped out the filter (again), dropped the oil pan and didn't find any large pieces of sludge, metal or anything to make me alarmed, changed out the oil pump with a Melling High Volume Pump, scrubbed the hell out of the pan, pickup tube and screen. The screen had a few small pieces/specks of "sludge" if you will, changed the rear main seal (two piece) which was kind of a pain in the backside, buttoned everything back up, no oil leaks so far. Started the truck and the pressure went back to 64...let the truck warm up and the pressure went down to 40...drove about 3.5 miles to fill up the truck and as I pulled into the pumps, truck was at idle and the pressure dropped to 28 or so...revved up the truck, oil pressure went up as usual and dropped back to an idle reading of 28 or so...filled up the truck, drove another .5 miles, pulled over and let the truck sit for about 20 minutes...started up the truck and idle reading of 28...drove the truck 8 miles home and along the way the pressure was between 45-68 or so (estimating with the stock gauge), pressure drops to 28 or so at idle...what I am guessing is that this is my new normal. I am running full synthetic 10W-30 and a Wix oil filter. I have read that full synthetic isn't recommended for the 5.9L Magnum engine as it doesn't clean like it should...anyone have any thoughts on that? Also, I guess I should be happy with high oil pressure considering my truck is 13 years old and has 143k on it. I live on a small farm and tow a lot of stuff so as long as this old truck is pumping oil, I suppose everything is getting lubricated like it should. Still thinking about ****-canning my dash gauge and installing a mechanical oil gauge that runs directly from my block to my cab so I can get an honest reading...with all of the words I passed, does anyone have inputs? I appreciate everyone weighing in...


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## Basementgeek (Feb 7, 2005)

I would use the type of oil recommended, not synthetic oil.

BG


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## spikeman66 (Jul 26, 2014)

I also changed my valve cover gaskets today along with replacing my upper and lower radiator hoses, radiator housing and thermostat. The valve covers on a 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 5.9L Magnum 4WD will test a man's patience...luckily I am only 5'3 and can fit inside the engine area (with some contortions)...I had my willpower tested for sure...had to have a friend provide another pair of hands, without help it would have sucked exponentially...no more leaks...finally...swapped out the thermostat with a 160 degree unit and replaced the housing which stopped that leak too...truck runs nice and cool as I live in Eastern New Mexico on a small farm and it is hot, dry, and dusty...I haul a lot of hay and horses...am running a thorough radiator flush through it...100 miles before I drain and flush again...still need to swap out spark plug wires but will likely wait until I change the plugs again...installed a Spectre Cold Air Intake, replacing the OEM unit that was cracked and on its last legs...Cleaned the carb really well with carb cleaner and am pretty happy with the Friday/Saturday maintenance...I learned a lot about this truck and am keeping my fingers crossed that I don't have any issues pop up anytime soon...I will keep an eye on the oil pressure until I can install the mechanical modification...thanks again to everybody that offered advice!


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## MPR (Aug 28, 2010)

spikeman66 said:


> I live in Eastern New Mexico on a small farm and it is hot, dry, and dusty...I haul a lot of hay and horses...


Sounds familiar, my sister has a horse ranch outside of TRC but I'm thinking that you probably live somewhere near Clovis. I did a lot of rat trapping around Tucumcari and Clovis in grad school. Those flood irrigated alfalfa fields have more mosquitoes and chiggers than I've seen anywhere but Louisiana and the rice fields of southeast Texas.


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