Oil Pressure Reading, 2015

[77Bronc]

Since the dash only has water and fuel gauges, I thought for sure the oil pressure and alternator would be buried in the center display, scrolling through the pages.

I looked and looked, am I missing something? Having a transmission temp would also be good.

Now granted, I have not looked in the manual yet, as the truck is outside and I am way in the back of the house being lazy.

Looked in the search area, only saw references to earlier generations with gauges.

Thanks,

77

 

[BlackWorksInc]

Toyota probably didn't bother programming it in; I'll be honest, it'd be nice but what for?

 

[cjacob316]

Don't our vehicles automatically shut off if oil pressure drops to protect the engine?

 

[wfo9]

Don't our vehicles automatically shut off if oil pressure drops to protect the engine?

You would think... but there have been post here where members drove away from the dealer after an oil change (where they forgot to put oil in...) The motor destroyed itself with no warnings until it was done....

This is not a strength for Toyota's. The warning and diagnostic info seems very underwhelming. But they are reliable... Most cars I have owned in recent years included an oil level warning light.... Seems worthwhile....

 

[diverscale]

with a scangauge, you will easily be able to get voltage and transmission temperature, but for the oil pressure, you will probably have to tap an oil passage on your block and install an aftermarket gauge. I do not think it is worth it if you are not doing heavy off-roading.

 

[77Bronc]

Toyota probably didn't bother programming it in; I'll be honest, it'd be nice but what for?

For basic information, all of my vehicles have or had Oil Pressure...in my line of work, the more telemetry, the better.

Like someone said, I guess this is not a priority for Toyota, my 2002 Taco nor my 1996 T100 have pressure gauges.

What got me to thinking is I am looking at purchasing a 3/4 ton 4WD and have been looking at YouTube videos of the RAM 2500 diesel and the telemetry on the programable center dash info center is really nice.

Thanks,

77

 

[77Bronc]

Don't our vehicles automatically shut off if oil pressure drops to protect the engine?

Not sure if we have a low oil pressure shutdown? I have never heard this, would be nice to know. If this is the case, has to be a timer in the circuit to allow the engine to start and time to develop oil pressure.

77

 

[77Bronc]

Don't our vehicles automatically shut off if oil pressure drops to protect the engine?

CJA, where did you get your Trail with KDSS, Gulf States Toyota can't even spell KDSS

77

 

[flyinhawaiian01]

My '87 xtra cab has oil pressure! And a voltmeter too!!!

Anyways, you could also just get the Torque app if you have an android phone (pro, not free version), then get a cheapo ELM327 bluetooth dongle for the obd2 port, and you'll have trans and toque converter temps, along with about a billion other gauges that YOU would want.

And, if you get all crazy and want them in the dash, throw a head unit that ties your phone to the head unit's display and you can have it on-screen!

Just some other ideas to ponder....

 

[cjacob316]

Not sure if we have a low oil pressure shutdown? I have never heard this, would be nice to know. If this is the case, has to be a timer in the circuit to allow the engine to start and time to develop oil pressure.

77

You would think... but there have been post here where members drove away from the dealer after an oil change (where they forgot to put oil in...) The motor destroyed itself with no warnings until it was done....

This is not a strength for Toyota's. The warning and diagnostic info seems very underwhelming. But they are reliable... Most cars I have owned in recent years included an oil level warning light.... Seems worthwhile....

I've read something on a Tacoma where he drove off, vehicle shut off. Turns out oil was not refilled, but Toyota claimed that the engine shut off automatically to protect it and nothing was wrong with the engine. If a Tacoma has, I assume we would. It could have been BS though, it's definitely not something I would test. I'm not very knowledgeable about engines, I just wanted to mention it in case it was something you wanted to research. That being said, this is my first of 5 Toyota's that did not have an oil pressure gauge. I miss the battery gauges too.

If we do have a shut off, my guess is the pressure would have to build first, so in that Tacoma's case, he may have had enough oil left to build pressure and then it drop before damage was done. I most cases I guess the pressure would not build.

CJA, where did you get your Trail with KDSS, Gulf States Toyota can't even spell KDSS

77

Hampton Toyota in Lafayette. They had a couple on the lot.

 

[DesertCanyons]

Oil Pressure gauge needed

Oil pressure can tell you when you're low on oil either because of a leak or on an older car, because it's burning oil. Last year on a very rugged rocky ravine we saw a trail of oil drops that started out large and got smaller the farther we went. It indicated someone had busted an oil line or cracked a pan or its seal on the rocks. We never saw the vehicle broken down on the road, but it could have been from the day before.

The scangauge sounds like the best option mentioned here so far. Tapping into the engine block somewhere should be fairly easy. I did it once with a 1976 Toyota pickup.

Thanks for raising this topic. I've read the manual but didn't realize I don't have an oil pressure gauge on my 2015 T4R TE.

 

[cjacob316]

I just took a look, we have a warning light, which for the average person, is probably more effective than a gauge. People probably pay more attention to lights coming on than a gauge that's always there.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

What I meant was, general oil pressure is nice. But, there's multiple areas where pressure varies greatly; so one static measurement may not be that useful.

 

[05Rrunner]

Oil pressure gauge is pretty worthless to most people , which is why we have big idiot lights and warning buzzers. The manufactures that still you a gauge its basicly fake and is a on off switch anyways because erratic readings cause people to freak out. So they dumbed in down.

 

[1engineer]

Oil pressure gauge is pretty worthless to most people , which is why we have big idiot lights and warning buzzers. The manufactures that still you a gauge its basicly fake and is a on off switch anyways because erratic readings cause people to freak out. So they dumbed in down.

Exactly. In order to use a gauge of any kind you first must understand the system that is getting measured. Let's take the oil pressure for example: Does anyone here actually KNOW what the minimum and maximum oil pressure is supposed to be for the 4Runner? How about max cold start oil pressure? What is it supposed to be at 90 degree ambient and 4000 RPM? Now you could say, "If I had a gauge then I could see what it runs at normally and if it deviates from that then I know I have a problem." Well, if you said that then you just described the operation of an idiot light lol.

 

[Ron4RNevada]

Good explanation 1engineer..... As I recall, almost every vehicle made since the mid '60s has had idiot lights for oil pressure and charging systems.

My '46 Dodge flathead I-6 had a pressure gage that when cold read 40psig and after running for a while would drop to about 25psig.

My '51 Chevy overhead I-6 had a pressure gage that when cold read 12psig and after running for a bit would drop to 5psig.

Both were doing what they were supposed to - The Chevy had a "splash" lube system = The valve lifters were pressurized but the rod journals were hit with squirters that were arranged around the top of the pan and splashed the rods as they came by....

My '61 GMC 305 V6 was actually half of the big 610 V12 industrial rig that pretty typically ran about 35psig all the time. I believe it was actually the first American made cast iron V6. The V12 version was two V6 blocks bolted end to end with four heads and a 12 throw crankshaft......