Manually checking Oil Pressure

[jkallen21]

I am going to attempt to manually test the oil pressure in my 2006 SANTE (ZR6). I have not used a manual oil pressure gauge before, but my understanding is that I remove the sender and put the manual tester in it's place. If I do that, will the boat run? My understanding is that the alarm wire feeds the ECM and a) I don't remember if I have to disconnect the alarm wire when I disconnect the sender and b) if I do have to disconnect the alarm wire, will the ECM allow the engine to continue running or will it detect the issue and shut down the fuel pump or something to save itself?

Thanks for any help

[Jonny Quest]

You should be able to install a "T" and run both.

[jkallen21]

Thanks! This is exactly what I did and it worked perfectly. Thanks for the tip!

[homer12]

Will oil sender or alarm shut down the engine?


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[jkallen21]

I believe that's the job of the oil switch (not sender, but I'm not totally sure). They are both right there together and share a brass tee for pressure checking.
Whichever one does it, it actually works with the fuel pump to prevent the engine from going over 2000 RPMs so it doesn't damage itself but also doesn't leave you stranded.

[homer12]

Do you have a pic or can you tell me the location of that sender and that switch on the engine?


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[jkallen21]

I don't have a pic, but you can see what the part looks like on Nautiqueparts.com - searching for "oil sending".
On a ZR6 engine it's on the starboard (driver) side probably mid engine. You can see it unless you remove the hard rank on that side and the black plastic engine divider. You can feel it without removing anything but you'd have no idea what you're feeling unless you've been down to see it.
It's about a 2-3 hour job. You can also follow the oil lines from the filter as they will likely bring you right into the correct spot.

[homer12]

When you pull a sender does oil start draining out making it necessary to drain the engine first?


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[jkallen21]

Some will come out but not a lot if you don't waste time putting the new one on. I'd suggest a few things:
1. Wear thin rubber gloves and have spares available at hand (you'll be laying down to do this.
2. Do it with a cold or cool engine. The hotter the oil, the harder it is to work with and it will come out quicker.
3. Use the cardboard liner from a case of beer/soda in the bilge to catch oil that drains.

You should lose no more than 1/16 to 1/8 of a quart or so.

[homer12]

jkallen21 - thanks for all the help! I appreciate it. Well, I picked up an oil switch from local dealer today and will try tonight. I'm going to update the rest under the thread I started over here https://www.planetnautique.com/vb5/f...ow-oil-warning
in case anyone needs the rest of the story. I hope this solves it.

PS - kind of strange but my first 2 initials are JK and last name is Allen...