The life of your 1998 Dodge Ram 1500 depends on the proper operation of the oil sending unit, oil pressure gauge and warning light. The unit warns you whenever your engine experiences a sudden loss of oil pressure. But if you are unaware of this problem due to a failed sending unit, your Ram engine can self-destruct in minutes. Avoid a major disaster and replace the bad oil sending unit now. It only will take you a few minutes and a minimum of tools. Your Ram will reward you with thousands of miles more on the road.
Open the hood of your Ram 1500 and remove the ground (black) battery cable with a wrench.
Locate the oil sending unit next to the distributor. You can easily find the distributor by following the spark plug wires from the engine to the other end of the wires, where they connect to the distributor cap. The sending unit is a small, plastic, cylinder about 2 or 3 inches tall and about 1 inch in diameter. It has an electrical connector on top and a hexagonal aluminum base. The unit screws to the engine block.
Unplug the oil sending unit electrical connector.
Spray penetrating oil around the mounting base of the oil sending unit, following the instructions of the product manufacturer. This will make it easier to remove the sending unit.
Unscrew the oil sending unit with an open-end wrench and remove it from the engine.
Verify that the new oil sending unit has a new O-ring seal on its mounting base.
Lubricate the threads of the new sending unit with engine oil and thread the unit by hand on the engine block.
Tighten the sending unit with the open-end wrench.
Plug in the sending unit electrical connector.
Reconnect the ground (black) battery cable with the wrench.
Start the engine and check for oil leaks around the base of the oil sending unit. Turn off the engine and close the hood.
