Oil pressure sending unit

[ITSANSS]

Snapped off my oil pressure sending unit in the block.  "Screw-Out" took the broken piece right out instantly, but went to parts store and they don't have same sensor I do.

I have a "Y" coming out of block to two sensors.  One is a one-prong and other is a two-prong.  Is one for a oil light and one for a oil gauge?  If so, I can just get by with the gauge.

Thanks

[VileZambonie]

Depending on the year and your gauges it differs. If you have an oil pressure gauge then the single wire one is the oil pressure sending unit. If it's carbureted the two wire one is the oil pressure switch which operates your electric choke.

[ITSANSS]

Ah, I see.  I was thinkin' one was for a oil pressure light and one for a gauge (because that's what person at parts store said, lol).  The engine is carbureted, but it doesn't have electric choke.  Got removed somewhere down the line.  Still got the Quadrajet, however.

When I was still daily drivin' my old Monte Carlo SS it didn't have electric choke and I really had virtually no problems with it.  An occasional extremely cold morning I would have to sit with it and pedal it a little until it stayed runnin' by itself, but no big deal.  Also, I didn't have a heater.  Hahaha  Two full winters of driving to school and work seeing my breath inside the car.  I'm glad I got a four cylinder 25 MPG daily driver now that has a heater, A/C, cruise, power steering, etc.  lol

I think I'll see about just screwing in the single wire sensor and goin' with it.

Thanks!

[ITSANSS]

Just to set ya'll's minds at ease,  , I never found the "Y" fitting I was lookin' for anywhere and out of the three automotive parts stores here NONE of the workers at any store had ever seen one like it.  lol  They all kept asking if I had made it and what it came off of.  They were all shocked when I told them it was an '85 C10 with 350c.i., most common pick-up and engine ever.  Maybe it's not a normal piece and is something that got rigged up along the way, who knows...

One guy pointed me in the right direction, however.  There's a little "mom & pop" hardware store here in town that I often forget about.  He didn't have the exact same thing I needed, obviously, but with a few different parts and pieces, he made one up that worked just fine.  There's more joints for possible leaks, but that's about the only bad thing about it.  $5.   

Thanks

[VileZambonie]

That's a factory fitting. I save them from every engine I pull because they can be hard to find but yes you can easily make one up from 1/8" brass fittings

[kmcbride74]

Depending on the year and your gauges it differs. If you have an oil pressure gauge then the single wire one is the oil pressure sending unit. If it's carbureted the two wire one is the oil pressure switch which operates your electric choke.

Just put in my 74 350 into my 85 silverado 2wd.  Cant seem to get the oil pressure gauge to work.  I bought a sensor for the 74 motor and have it screwed into the block just behind the distributor.  What does the electric choke wire have to do with the oil sending unit wiring?  Does anyone have a pic of the wire I need to connect to this new sensor from an 85 silverado?

[VileZambonie]

I bought a sensor for the 74 motor

Now why would you do that if it's going in an 85? Use the 85 sending unit.

[kmcbride74]

I bought a sensor for the 74 motor

Now why would you do that if it's going in an 85? Use the 85 sending unit.

Well, the temp sensor for the 85 didnt work but the one for the 74 does.  It's a question of who wins the motor or the carcas, right?

[VileZambonie]

What do you mean it didn't work? I'm confused  Everything that goes with the truck needs to get swapped to the new engine.

[thefarmboy21]

I dug up this thread while searching for info on my motor swap.....

I'm going from a 292 L6 to a 350 in my 86 K20. The 6cyl used two oil sending units and also has two temp senders....I know now that I need to use the 1-prong oil sender to work the gauge, right??? But which temp sender works my gauge and what's the 2nd run? In the 6cyl one is in the bottom of the thermostat housing and the other is in the head kind of between the head and manifold. I just need the gauges and not dummy lights or carb stuff. Thanks!

[VileZambonie]

Assuming you are eliminating the emissions related components and are only interested in operating the gauges, you will use the single wire sending units.

[thefarmboy21]

Yes, gauges only THANKS.
The real challenge is sorting through the L6 wiring harness with plugs galore and shortening/lengthening the ones I need, while finding something to do with all the unused plugs.