Randy Smith
Junior Member
I bought a 97 Dodge Ram 1500 off Facebook marketplace. It has the same 5.2 318 engine as my previous truck (95 Dakota) with half the miles. Got it home and the oil light came on and the pressure gauge dropped to 0. I changed the oil sending unit. No change. Ended up taking it to a shop (never done that before) and they diagnosed the issue as a failed pump. They also said there was a lot of sludge in the pan and the pick up screen was clogged, and it likely would need to be cleaned out again. After spending $900 on parts and labor (new oil pump, pick up tube, oil pan and gasket) I picked up the truck and within 20 minutes the light came on and the pressure was dropping again. So back to the shop it went, where I spent another $300 on getting it all cleaned out a second time. All seemed well for about a week, and then the same issue happened AGAIN! Being all out of money, I went the route of YouTube university to teach myself how to do the repair. Dropped the pan and pick up screen, cleaned it all out as thoroughly as possible, fresh oil filter. I’m no mechanic so I was feeling pretty good about things when I filled her up with fresh oil and nothing leaked out. I felt even better when I let the truck run in the driveway for about 20 minutes to build up pressure and get to operating temperature. Gauge looked good! No oil lights on! Time for a test drive!! I got to the bottom of the driveway and the pressure started drop and by the time I got to the corner the light was back on!! Feeling defeated, I parked the truck in the street and called it a night.
So my question is, anyone have knowledge on how I can actually fix this problem? I’m hesitant to use any engine flush methods as I’ve been warned by many mechanics that using those can cause more harm than good.
Keep in mind, I’m no mechanic by any means so if you comment on this, I’ll probably be asking some very obvious sounding questions haha!
So my question is, anyone have knowledge on how I can actually fix this problem? I’m hesitant to use any engine flush methods as I’ve been warned by many mechanics that using those can cause more harm than good.
Keep in mind, I’m no mechanic by any means so if you comment on this, I’ll probably be asking some very obvious sounding questions haha!