FXHICKEY

i was at the Corvette Form wbsite and I looked for a probem similar to mine. i'm getting no oil pressure and forum site i found showed a picture of where the sender is and an explanation that the problem is that the sender sticks after an oil change. I lookin for that forum entry with picture. so I can show my mechanic.The vette dealer wanted $500+ and the Forum says the part is less than $20 and very accessible once you lift the vette. Any one help find the post?

Corvette_Ed

You don't lift the car to get to the oil sending unit because it's on top of the engine behind the intake manifold. You can look from the driver's side and see the unit behind the intake. It's a 10-minute job to fix if you do it without removing the manifold.

Here's a YouTube video of how to replace the unit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=5PvlDLcyXX8

Get the brass sending unit from O'Reilly Auto Parts, it costs about $40. And fire your mechanic; he's trying to rip you off. Telling you replacing the unit requires lifting the car is either a bold-faced lie or an indication that the mechanic has no clue what he's doing.

StatmanRN

The part is relatively cheap but the labor is due to having to pull the intake to get to it, unless to butcher the car by cutting a hole to access it. But $500 is pretty high even for the stealership. I would find an independant mechanic with corvette experiance.
Another piece of advice: Get the relocation kit so if it fails again, its easier to get to. Wish I had. Had a Delco part fail after 2 months.

Corvette_Ed

The Delco units are known for regular failures. The brass version sold by O'Reilly does not have the same problem. Mine has been going strong for a year and shows no signs of failure.

dblerman

Shop time for this job is only 1.3hrs, so I'd love to know where the mechanic came up with his $500 figure
That being said, you should be able to get the intake off in under 30 minutes, even if you have never done it before. Do the job yourself and save a ton of money

johnson-rod

All generalizations are always wrong.

My new Delco OPS unit has been running along fine for the last several years. So long that I don't remember exactly how long. It's around 2 years or more.

I think it's luck, clean living and careful installation at the correct torque that separates the early failures from the long term successes.

maxx2200

slvr bulit

Are you sure its the sending unit? When my failed, it pegged at the high range.

Aerovette

Your mechanic is wrong about lifting the car unless he knows some crazy-azzed trick and has lots of swivel extensions.

The Dealership is overcharging.

That being said, my hands won't BEGIN to get to that sending unit and would require me to butcher the car or pull the intake. Since it's not my DD, I'd pull the intake.

Vetteman Jack

And if you want some other information on replacing the oil pressure sending unit, PM me your e-mail address and I'll forward it to you.

guido7834

I did the job myself by cutting a hole. I didn't butcher anything. Cut a nice neat hole that no one knows is there.

GP777

Can anyone verify the video method actually works? If so, I want to change mine out this weekend.

Corvette_Ed

I didn't say all of them failed, just that the Delco's are known to. As you said, generalizations are always wrong.

Corvette_Ed

I used the video method on mine. Just be careful of the vacuum hose that runs directly above the sending unit. Also, put a piece of tape on the inside of the socket you use to remove/replace the unit otherwise you might end up having to fish it out. The tape will make a tighter fit so the unit doesn't drop down against the firewall.

dblerman

FWIW, a couple weeks ago someone on here was trying to use the video method and they kept running into snags and having to come back to the forum to ask questions....if he had just pulled the intake in the first place he would have been done in 1/10th the time.
Just my 2 cents.

johnson-rod

I can verify it looked like it worked for the guy in the video.

I can certify that it didn't work for me at all.

I spent over an hour getting the wires to release using the coat hanger method. My OPS didn't fit any of my hundreds of sockets so I bought the special OPS socket from Auto Zone and that didn't fit either. In trying, I broke off the top off the OPS. I also broke the very fragile PVC hoses running behind the manifolds. It was snowing and I slipped and fell face first onto the intake manifold. I looked like a Klingon for a week.

I can testify that it takes no longer than 30 minutes (20 minutes if you are really cold, pissed off and your nose is bleeding) to remove the intake manifold. Unscrewing the OPS and throwing it across the snow covered yard takes a moment. Installing the new OPS, connecting it, replacing the PVC pipes with plastic hose from Lowe's, cleaning up the valley and the throttle body and reinstalling takes up the rest of the short wintery afternoon.

Piece of cake.

Corvette_Ed

The moral of this story is not to attempt an oil sending unit removal in the snow. It's bad for your complexion.

maxx2200

Then after two Delcos and an Auto Zone I did the relocation kit.

andynpz

Great story, well told!

guido7834

Well, my brass one from Auto Zone is going on 3 years. ( Hope I didn't just jinx myself)...