Who can identify the sensor?

[sgauvry]

I am trying to order a new oil sensor for my 85.5 F150 6.0 EFI. I know it's an oil sensor, but am having difficulty finding one that fits the part in the pic below.  

I know you all can identify the part below, but can you tell me the correct sensor part # or point me to where I can get one?  

I ordered one and although its threads fit well, the sensor part bottoms out in the tube and it can't be installed.



Much appreciation in advance!  

Steve

[Gary Lewis]

Looks like that is something I don't have on the website.  Plan to later today, but in the interim:

[myrl883]

The adaptor is E1TZ-9B449-B, catalog lists thread as 1/4"-18 NPT, which should be correct.

As far as the sender, use D4AZ-9278-A if you have a warning light, or E4ZZ-9278-A if you have an oil pressure gauge.

Side note to Gary - Your catalog must be old? I've seen a few mistakes.

[Gary Lewis]

You are right, the D4AZ-9278-A is for a light.  My bad!  

However, I don't believe that E4ZZ-9278-A is the right number for his truck.  As shown below that's the right one for an 1988 and later, which uses a different gauge system with a reversed and different resistance range.

Let me get the new page up and I'll be back.





EDIT: I'M WRONG AGAIN!

[Gary Lewis]

Here's what I've found, and I'm really confused.  Note how D4AZ-A is both for a light and a pressure gauge.  And that E4ZZ-A is for a 1987 also, and I know those gauge systems were different than the Bullnose gauges.

[Gary Lewis]

I think I understand.  D4AZ 9278-A is a switch.  It is not a sending unit.  And it appears that Ford used it in TSB #88-5-14 to "fix" a low oil pressure problem by a slight of hand.  Read about it here, as in many other places.

Basically that substituted a variable-resistance sending unit with a 6 psi pressure switch and a 20 ohm resistor.  So any time the oil pressure was at or above 6 psi the switch would close and the gauge would read mid-scale - regardless of how much pressure there is.

[Gary Lewis]

I've now created a page for this: Electrical/Sending Units.  Still need to do the temp sender, but the oil pressure and fuel level tabs are done.

[NotEnoughTrucks]

Yup, that oil gauge trick is a dirty one and pretty commonplace. Even my 2003 Ranger has this. Good thing is you can convert back to a real gauge by shorting the 20 ohm resistor and using the gauge sender.

Don't know what year this started in.

[Gary Lewis]

Apparently, based on the catalog saying to use the switch for 1980 - 86 trucks, the TSB applied to the whole Bullnose era.  I'd like to find the actual TSB and post it in that section.

[reamer]

This falls into some perfect timing,.....As mentioned before, I plan on a dual oil pressure measurement system.
I want to use my original gauge, which only reads on the "N" of "normal" and hook up me new Digital oil pressure gauge and sender,
Now I will see a numeric value of "N"......

[85lebaront2]

Gary, the newer trucks, 1992-96/7 used the oil pressure "gauge" as simply an oil pressure indicator. On these you can do the same, jumper the resistor and use an older sender. You still end up with an arbitrary set of values unless you run some kind of aftermarket gauge. I, for one have an inherent distrust of digital gauges brought about by personal experience with Chrysler's infamous digital dash from the 80s. My oil pressure gauge would drop lower and lower the longer I drove. I hooked up a nice analog mechanical gauge and it never showed any drop. I measured the voltage on the sender wire, same thing it would show the same reading at a given rpm even after an hours drive. This told me it was somewhere in the integration circuit that considering Chrysler electronics is in Huntsville AL, was probably something NASA didn't want.

[Gary Lewis]

Bill - I'd read that somewhere Ford changed all of the oil pressure gauges to essentially idiot lights, but didn't know when.

On the digital gauge front, one of my goals is to install an Arduino to read a 2nd oil pressure and water temp sender and display that via a digital readout.  In addition I want to also have a volt meter.  If I can find the right display I'd like to put it in place of the clock in the three windows above the radio.  That way I won't need the under-dash aftermarket gauges.  And, I can set a limit for oil pressure, water temp, and voltage where an alarm will sound and the display will flash.

[sgauvry]

Thanks to you, Gary, and all that responded to this thread!  Never anticipated this would spawn much conversation.  Pretty cool!

[Gary Lewis]

Sometimes my fingers do the typing before my mind gets engaged.  

[reamer]

I had a guy in Texas, (suggested by you Gary?) that converted one of my "extra" amp gauges to a actual volt meter gauge, 12 volts makes the needle sit a 12:00. 10v = 10:00, and 14v = 2:00

[Gary Lewis]

That's Rocketman.  And I already have one converted by him, and will have to do another as that one is now going to go into Big Blue.  But my preference would be to install the correct shunt to use the ammeter with a 3G swap and then have the digital voltmeter in addition.

[myrl883]

Gary - I've been slinging Ford parts since bullnoses were new. I've been through all of the recalls and TSBs over the years.

The 6 psi switch and resistor that you mention were released for bricknose gauge systems, along with Thunderbird, Areostar, and Lincolns with digital clusters. Ford found problems and this was the easy fix. The sad part is that Ford seems to favor the "easy fixes", and this sender and resistor circuit was put into production on OBS trucks, Rangers, and others...

[sgauvry]

This is likely not helpful, but I like the old school look.  http://classicdash.com/product/ford-truck-1980-1986/

[fords4life]

So if we currently have a D4AZ-A(SW-1311) installed, and we swap to the E4ZZ-A(SW1547B) and we have a gauge, the gauge should actually start reading instead of being "steady state" all the time right?

[Gary Lewis]

Yes, except there will be a 20 ohm resistor between the switch and the wiring harness that has to be bypassed.  The link a few posts back talks about how to do that if I remember.