The Nissan Path

I put this topic under electrical? Does the R51 oil pressure gage actually work or is it just for show?

Kestral wrote:I put this topic under electrical? Does the R51 oil pressure gage actually work or is it just for show?

early models ('05 & '06, I believe - someone correct me if I'm wrong, please) had a real guage
later models have a "dummy" guage that only indicates whether or not there is oil pressure or not

R51's with a pro date up to 04/2007 had an actual oil pressure gauge with an oil pressure sensor. For 04/2007 pro dates and later, the oil pressure sensor got replaced by an oil pressure switch, so the same oil pressure gauge was turned into a "dummy gauge."

smj999smj wrote:R51's with a pro date up to 04/2007 had an actual oil pressure gauge with an oil pressure sensor. For 04/2007 pro dates and later, the oil pressure sensor got replaced by an oil pressure switch, so the same oil pressure gauge was turned into a "dummy gauge."

can an early sending unit be installed on a 04/2007 & newer to make the guage functional?

The early style had three wires; the later style had two wires. So, just by changing the oil pressure switch, you can't. Whether it can be done by adding the wire between switch to the cluster, I cannot say. I'm also not sure if even the harness connectors are the same. I don't know of anyone who has tried it. That said, I have the earlier style on my 06 LE. The gauge needle hardly moves and the only time I even notice it reading any differently than where it normally sits is when I first start it up. For a few seconds, it'll read a little higher before it goes back to the halfway position. I don't believe you'll find it's worth the hassle to convert to the earlier type. Also, the earlier style switch is a lot more expensive.

Refreshing this to see if anyone had experimented with swapping out an older gauge in lieu of the older switch style, or found a workaround to install an actual functioning oil pressure gauge on the later models, particularly the VK56

You'd need to swap the cluster for the earlier model and route wires from the cluster to a 3-wire sensor. The dummy setup not only uses a different sender, it also routes to a different place. On the dummy the signal goes to the IPDM, which then forwards a low/okay message to the cluster and ECM via CAN. On the gauge the sender is both powered and monitored by the cluster, which forwards EOP data to the ECM via CAN in addition to driving the gauge. So it's doable, but not easily and not without replacing the cluster and routing new wires.