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I bought an 86 Bronco II last week with the 2.8 engine and the oil pressure always seems low, even when cold. Is this common?

Check the pressure with a manual gauge first, if OK it could be the sender, it's self, or the dash board Voltage regulator.
Take the wire attached to the sender off and ground it, with the key in the run pos, the gauge should read max. If it does, the wiring and dash gauge, and dash voltage regulator are ok.
I have seen the dash voltage regulator's only work correctly when they wanted to. When they start going bad they will raise the dash voltage and if you have oil an temp. gauges they will read higher for awhile then return to normal and be fine for 3-4 days then start all over again.

The dash voltage regulator is located on the back side of the dash board, on the ribbon strip, and looks like a curcuit braker.

KRE wrote:Check the pressure with a manual gauge first, if OK it could be the sender, it's self, or the dash board Voltage regulator.
Take the wire attached to the sender off and ground it, with the key in the run pos, the gauge should read max. If it does, the wiring and dash gauge, and dash voltage regulator are ok.
I have seen the dash voltage regulator's only work correctly when they wanted to. When they start going bad they will raise the dash voltage and if you have oil an temp. gauges they will read higher for awhile then return to normal and be fine for 3-4 days then start all over again.

The dash voltage regulator is located on the back side of the dash board, on the ribbon strip, and looks like a curcuit braker.

Thanks, I'll stick my head up there tomorrow and take a look.

KRE wrote:The dash voltage regulator is located on the back side of the dash board, on the ribbon strip, and looks like a curcuit braker.

Do you mean on the engine compartment side or the cabin side?

Inside the Cabin

Back side of inst. cluster, where the dash lights, warning bulbs, 4X4 lights, ect an ribbon strip are. You'll have to disconnect the speedo cable to get the dash out.

I found a used instrument cluster and bought it (very cheap). But when I took mine out I discovered they were differant and I couldn't use the one I had just purchased. Since I had the cluster out I used some QD Electronic Cleaner on the terminals and presto! All guages now read normal -oil pressure is normal, the fuel guage also works correct, even the alt guage works.

Chilton's said to put some Di-Electric Grease in the speedo connection which I did but it started jumping all over the place. The good part is after 20 miles it settled down.

I also used the Di-Electric Grease in my trailer connection and made a separate post on a previous sting I had started about hitches.

303lithgow wrote:I bought an 86 Bronco II last week with the 2.8 engine and the oil pressure always seems low, even when cold. Is this common?

No one caught this but the 86 has the 2.9 engine.