Have dash lights coming on and off...
 

For a few weeks I've noticed my check gauges light flashes on, oil pressure drops to zero and then everything goes back to normal after a second or two. It seems to happen when I'm braking and slowing down. The truck runs normal throughout all of this. The other light I have coming on just started tonight, it's the 4x4 light. It comes on when I brake as well, then flashes off after a second or two. I'm thinking I've got a sensor or something electrical shorting out. What do you guys think?

oh shit, your trucks outa oil... you might wanna put more, mine did the same and now i have major blow by... my rings are out on my pistons

Im not sure if this will help much but last winter my fans would kick on when the truck was in reverse and the back up lights were always on. This was occuring with out a key in the ignition. I looked into it and there was a short on the connector for trailor lights. Not sure if you have one or not but if you do i would look for some corrosion and maybe get it cleaned up some.

There's no way I'm out of oil. It's not reading 0 oil pressure all the time. The light just flickers on when I'm slowing. It's got to be an electrical short somewhere, but what would make the check gauges light come and the oil pressure drop to zero and then go back to normal like that? And why is the 4x4 light flickering the same way too? I'll look into the trailer plug but I'm thinking that can't be what's causing these lights to flicker on and off like this.

oil pressure sensor? The check gauges light comes on because the oil pressure is dropping. 4X4 light could be a separate issue.

However, they both go thought the PCM. Make the ground wire on the PCM is tight and making good contact and is not broken or corroded.

So like I mentioned before it seems to only happen when I'm braking. If the oil pressure was low, the light would probably always be on. It seems, and I'm crossing my fingers, that if it is only coming on when I'm braking that maybe it's a bad connection somewhere and the slowing of the truck is making it trigger. I also thought the slowing of the truck is making the oil slosh around and what not and if the oil is low would it be that sensitive to trigger? I'm not sure. So where would the PCM ground wire be located so I can check that?

Ground's on one of the bolts that secures it to the firewall.

Could you be a little more specific? Where is the PCM itself? What does it look like? What side of the truck?

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Anyone else have any opinions, thoughts, ideas?

Still have this issue and could use help if anyone's interested.

PCM is mounted on the firewall on the passenger side of the truck. It is just to the rear of the air filter.

Just an idea but have you checked your oil lately to see? But if the light flickers it might be an oil pressure sensor connection might be loose or the sensor is bad, and yes check the connections for the pcm

I feel really dumb now, and I'm sure I'll get shit for this one...I was looking around under the hood today to try and figure this out. Decided to check the oil. I really didn't think it could be the oil because the truck never leaks oil and I had it serviced not too long ago. Well it's out of oil. I can't belive it! I've never run a truck out of oil. The truck has been running fine and I've been so busy with other repairs on it and work and what not that I haven't even checked the oil. I'm really worried now because I just got back from a 700+mile trip and have been driving it like this now for who knows how long. How bad do you think I f**ked it up?

Drain it and see how much oil is in there, and fill it back up with new oil and if you have lots of blowby or if it runs smooth

Yeah I'm planning on draining it. But like I said, the truck has always ran good. But it's always had some blowby. I'm assuming a little more blowby at this point then before.

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I'm super worried that I've damaged it after driveing it more than 1000 miles since the light started coming on. I know diesels run hot, but no oil hot for over 1000 miles has probably done siome damage.

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How many quarts of oil woul I have to have gone through if the dipstick is reading almost completely empty? It's reading maybe quarter inch from the bottom of the dip stick. Dows that mean I'm almost completely out of oil, or just low?

Are we losing members or is this just a slow time for this site or what? Can't seem to get replies like I use to. Anyway, I figured out the check gauges light. Just wondering about the 4x4 light flickering on and off. Could it be because I am low on transfer case fluid?

No. It would have to do with the 4wd switch and the associated wiring. The 4wd switch on your truck would be activated off of vacuum but I'm not sure where it is located.

And I'm not sure how many quarts it would take to fill up the dipstick.That is why I didn't answer.

Sounds like anything is possible. Check it and see. As, far as worrying about what damage has been done, you can't. Just check all fluids, monitor them closely from this point and hopefully you'll be fine. I would suggest investing in a guage set, instead of relying on the factory idiot lights.