Oil Pressure Gauge

The oil pressure gauge gives an indication of the engine oil pressure. The instrument cluster circuitry controls the gauge pointer position. The instrument cluster circuitry calculates the proper gauge pointer position based upon engine oil pressure messages received from the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) on the Chrysler Collision Detection (CCD) data bus.

The PCM uses an input from the engine oil pressure sensor and internal programming to decide what engine oil pressure messages are required. The PCM then sends the proper messages to the instrument cluster on the CCD data bus. If the PCM messages indicate that oil pressure is too low, the instrument cluster circuitry moves the gauge needle to the 0 PSI graduation on the gauge face, turns on the Check Gauges lamp, and sends a chime tone request to the Central Timer Module (CTM). If the PCM messages indicate that oil pressure is too high, the instrument cluster circuitry moves the gauge needle to the 110 PSI graduation on the gauge face.

The engine oil pressure sensor is installed in a threaded hole that penetrates an oil passage of the engine. The engine oil pressure sensor contains a flexible diaphragm and a variable resistor coil. The diaphragm moves in response to changes in the engine oil pressure, which changes the internal electrical resistance of the sensor.