Low oil pressure on Diesel view Cummins 8.3 (pressure good at engine)

[John Rucker]

On our first run for the spring (2006 Searay 48 Sundancer) I got a low oil pressure alarm on my port engine about 30 minutes into the trip. Checked the gauge on the engine and it showed good oil pressure. Shut it down anyway and went back to the marina. I then verified oil level is good and restarted while watching the gauge on the engine. Pressure came up just like starboard engine. Engine sounds fine and pressure matches starboard on engine gauge. Alarm still went off on my Diesel view. Any thoughts? Is this a bad engine oil pressure sensor the diesel view uses? Is that a common thing?

Topic

[bhcard]

Low Oil Pressure

John, did you ever find a solution for this issue?

[John Rucker]

Yeah it is not just the gauge. The Smartcraft (Diesel view) shows an alarm, and my chart plotter does as well. I will go through the connectors and go from there. Good to know it can be one alarm at a time.

Thanks.

[Steve Lewis]

https://www.sbmar.com/community/topic/fault-throttle-and-engines-will-not-start/

This thread will give you some recommendations on contact cleaners.

On our ’06 40 Sundancer we had an intermittent ghost so it was fun to see which instrument would temporarily cut out on me. Engines kept on running but the analog instruments would get fun. I guess here is a troubleshooting idea…….

When your analog dials cut out, check your digital display. If everything there is ok that might point to the connections behind the dash as opposed to in the engine room.

Start behind the dash??

[John Rucker]

Steve,
A bad connection could very well be causing the problem. From time to time when I start both engines the port gauges (at the helm driven by the diesel view) don’t come online. I have to shut both engines down and restart again. Most of the times this brings both sets of gauges online. This was the first thing I thought of when I got the low pressure alarm. It may be a connection problem or related to my random gauge issue. But, when my port set of gauges don’t work, they all don’t work; tack, oil pressure, water temperature, fuel. This would be the first time just one gauge stopped working.

I wonder where to start checking connections? At the engine or at the helm? The engine harness looks very clean and secure. I almost hate to disturb them. However the harness at the helm are less clean. SeaRay just tie wrapped them together. The connections don’t even look to be water tight maybe they are. Just not impressed with the connectors.

Anyone have advice on electric contact cleaner I can spray on the connectors as I pull them apart and reseat them?

Thanks

[Steve Lewis]

JR and Tony,

Could there be another explanation? Seeing that Smartcrap is involved could it be that the base signal from the Oil pressure sensor is fine but JR might have a bad connection in the Smartcrap harness? Might be worth checking connections in the harness? Disconnect, clean and reconnect?

I have a similar setup on my 480CE. Analog dials on a metal bracket by the Aftercooler. See Attached. I also have Smartcrap display on my helm. Same sensor or two different sensors? I have not tried to trace anything.

Ghosts in the machine maybe……….

[John Rucker]

Tony, I didn’t install any gauges. Both the engines have oil pressure and water temp gauges right on the engines. You have to be in the bilge standing right next to the engines to see them. This is how it came from the factory. Both engine attached gauges show good oil pressure. The alarm I’m getting is from my diesel view at the helm. I get an alarm and the oil gauge on my dash shows zero pressure.

I wonder if the diesel view uses a different sending unit then the gauge attached to the engine??

[Tony Athens]

What exact mechanical gauge you install?

Where was it installed to VERIFY actual oil pressure?

How many trips was the gage installed and how was in monitored during all operating conditions?

[Author]

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