Oil Pressure Switch...

[shelbydave]

Where can I find a replacement oil pressure switch to fit on the hex in front of the engine? The car takes a single terminal one, I thought for an '86 turbo car, but the one that came in was 1/4 inch NPT, and the one in the hex is a 1/8 inch NPT. I checked the later turbo cars ('89 and up) and the switch didn't look anything like the one on the car now.

This is what the car has ...

only that one was 1/4" NPT, and I need 1/8"

when I search for one for an '89 > turbo, this is what is returned...


'86 -89 turbo gave me switch that looked like the top picture, but with 3 connectors.

Can someone tell me what vehicle I can search to get the correct one, or what I can use to get this running? The hex looks too small to drill and tap it out to 1/4" NPT.

[shelbymonster]

i got the seperate switch in the charger , and the caravan have it all in the same sensor (harness match) , im putting one from a 3.0L . so you can use a pigtail from caravan

[shelbymonster]

i see for the treads , forgot to say i put a ss turbo line so now i just need a T on the block

[shelbydave]

I have 3 outlets on the block that screws into the engine. 1 - Turbo line. 2 - Oil pressure gauge sender. 3 - oil pressure light sender. The one for the light sender is 1/8 NPT, and I can only find the sender with 1/4" NPT.

[rbryant]

NAPA has pretty much every kind of pressure switch that you could imagine.

-Rich

[shelbydave]

Can they find it without marrying it to a car? That's the problem I have with Advance or Autozone. They couldn't even get me Champion RC12LYC spark plugs without me telling them it was for a Dodge Intrepid.

[rbryant]

Can they find it without marrying it to a car? That's the problem I have with Advance or Autozone. They couldn't even get me Champion RC12LYC spark plugs without me telling them it was for a Dodge Intrepid.

Yes they can, they have a catalog of switches that list the connections and pressures... They can also look it up by applicatoin.

-Rich

[rare_ram]

My NA 82 Rampage had the single pole switch. Ask for that.

[86Shelby]

All the turbo L-bodies have that exact switch you want. '86 Omni turbo, idiot light oil pressure switch. I bought one a couple months ago, around $15 IIRC.

The older non-turbo cars only have that 1/4 thread switch since it installed right in the block where the turbo distribution block installs.

[shelbydave]

All the turbo L-bodies have that exact switch you want. '86 Omni turbo, idiot light oil pressure switch. I bought one a couple months ago, around $15 IIRC.

The older non-turbo cars only have that 1/4 thread switch since it installed right in the block where the turbo distribution block installs.

Must be something wrong with Advance database then. All the 86 and up turbo cars had a 3 conductor switch instead of the 1 conductor switch.

[86Shelby]

That's fricken weird, I cannot find the switch using any of the part store's websites. For some reason I only get the 3 prong switch as well. Just go in the store and ask.

[RoadWarrior222]

Hmmm, maybe there's a distinction between a switch and a sender they're not getting, since a switch is just a switch for the idiot light, and a sender is a variable resistance sensor of some sort for a gauge or variable input.

Heh, maybe everyone's catalogs are screwed, just looked at rock auto for a '86 shelby Z and they have a 2 wire pigtail/connector and 1 or 3 connector switches or senders. .

[shelbydave]

I ended up taking my switch in when I returned the other one. The guy behind the counter said "Chevy's have a switch like that" - Whaddaya know? I'm using one they have listed for a chevy now. Pressure rating is 2-7 PSI, but it looked like all the others were the same.
Light comes on when I turn the key on
Light goes off when I start the car
looks good!!

[turbo84voyager]

A 3 prong one will work. The center is for the light and the 2 outer ones are used to complete a circuit when there is oil pressure. The early carburated engines used the 3 wire ones because it was used to complete the power circuit for the choke. I used the 3 wire one when I put a 351V8 in a 97 ford explorer because I used the intank electric fuel pump but the engine is carburated. I didn't want the fuel pump to run when the engine was not running or if it would stall so I wired the oil pressure switch in line with the pump relay. Works great!

The later one will also work if you get the connector. The later one does both the light and gauge, so there is no need for the seperate sending units.

[rbryant]

A 3 prong one will work. The center is for the light and the 2 outer ones are used to complete a circuit when there is oil pressure. The early carburated engines used the 3 wire ones because it was used to complete the power circuit for the choke. I used the 3 wire one when I put a 351V8 in a 97 ford explorer because I used the intank electric fuel pump but the engine is carburated. I didn't want the fuel pump to run when the engine was not running or if it would stall so I wired the oil pressure switch in line with the pump relay. Works great!

The later one will also work if you get the connector. The later one does both the light and gauge, so there is no need for the seperate sending units.

I had something similar to this setup on my coil as a kill switch incase I ever lost pressure.

Make sure that you have a pressure switch with a low switch point if you do this or you won't get fuel/spark when cranking because the switch needs to get enough pressure to turn on and the starter won't always do that when the engine is hot and the oil is thin. Or you can always have bypass relay triggered by the starter relay...

-Rich

[chilort]

AutoZone has the 1 wire unit for sure. I just bought one for my '86 Daytona less than a year ago.