Oil pressure sender location
 

502 Magnum MPI's, 2000. The oil pressure sender for the dash gauge is plumbed to the block just above the remote oil adapter, while the low oil pressure switch for the MEFI3 (alarm) is plumbed to the back of the block near the distributor and intake manifold. My question iare these; can I plumb with a tee both the sender and the switch together near the distributor, so that I can free up the port by the remote filter housing to install an oil temperature sender? Will the pressure reading near the intake/distributor be accurate or the same as by the remote filter? If I screw the oil temperture sender into the port by the remote filter, will it work correctly and do I need to worry about it blocking or altering the oil flow behind that port (the sender protrudes about 1/2" into the block)? Would hate to loose oil flow because the temp. sender closed the passage.

Thanks for your help.

Re: Oil pressure sender location
 

You can install a Tee and put both the sender and switch on the port at the back of the block. You can also install the temp sensor where the old sender was. You want the temp sender to be in the oils flow path not at a dead end. it won't be very accurate that way.

Re: Oil pressure sender location
 

Hillbilly - Thanks for the response. So if I mount both the sender and the switch teed to the back of the block, the oil pressure at that location should be accurate. Then if I use the port that I just freed up by the filter for the oil temp. sender, that is in the path of the oil and not dead ended? The temp. sender in that location will not affect oil flow through the engine?

Thanks. Don

Re: Oil pressure sender location
 

yep you should be good to go, no major restriction by installing the sender that way and if you do see a change in oil pressure for some reason you can install a short extension by using a close nipple and a female/female coupler. this will still leave the tip of the sender in the flow path but not so far in that it creates a restriction, you should be fine without it though.

Re: Oil pressure sender location
 

I wouldn't use a tee and close nipple. Too much weight hanging out there with all the vibration and bouncing. I have seen too many close nipples break. I fixed one this past weekend that was cracked and ready to break off. It had a close nipple, elbow and pressure sending unit. Lucky the owner noticed the oil leak before it broke.

Re: Oil pressure sender location
 

Yes, I remember as a kid heading down to the engineroom on the family yacht for yet another religious 30-minute walkthrough while running hard, only to be greeted by oil blowing all over the place from the port 6-71. It was exactly that, a broken tee fitting for the sender. I might have been only 10 years old, but I knew that thing needed to be shut down like right away... You'd be better off running a length of braided hose and bolting the sender somewhere else.

Better yet, just put the oil pressure sender in the back of the block, and the oil temp sensor in the pan. There are a half-dozen threads on this forum discussing the pros and cons of doing that. I think the general consensus was that if you have to pick only one location to monitor the oil temperature, the pan probably gives you the most accurate and real-time indication of what's happening in the motor.