A B737-300 IN CRUISE AT FL350 DIVERTED DUE TO R ENG OIL PRESSURE INDICATING ZERO PRESSURE WITH NO LOW PRESSURE WARNING LIGHT. CAUSED BY FAILED OIL PRESSURE XMITTER.

Narrative

AT FL350 ABOUT 100 MI E OF CLE ENRTE TO ORD; I NOTICED THE OIL PRESSURE GAUGE WAS INDICATING 0 PSI. THERE WAS NO OIL PRESSURE LIGHT AND ALL OTHER ENG INSTS WERE NORMAL. I HAD THE FO CHK CIRCUIT BREAKERS AND THEY WERE NOT POPPED. WHILE THE FO WAS CHKING THE FLT MANUAL; I SENT AN ACARS MESSAGE TO MAINT CTLR WITH THE INFO. I THEN DID A CALL FOR DISPATCH. THE FO WAS FLYING. HE SHOWED ME THE IRREGULAR PROC CALLING FOR AN ENG SHUTDOWN. I ELECTED TO KEEP THE ENG RUNNING FOR THE TIME BEING. DISPATCH LINKED ME TO MAINT CTLR AND MAINT CTLR SAID THE ENG WOULD HAVE SEIZED BY NOW IF IT WERE OUT OF OIL. I ELECTED TO OPERATE THE ENG AT IDLE AND DIVERT INTO CLE WHICH WAS 80 MI AWAY. I MADE A FLAPS 30 DEG LNDG AT CLE AND USED THE R ENG ON SHORT FINAL. LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL AND THE R ENG WAS IMMEDIATELY SHUT DOWN AFTER CLRING THE RWY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED HE MADE THE DECISION TO OPERATE THE ENG AT IDLE PWR SINCE ALL ENG INDICATIONS WERE NORMAL AND NO LOW OIL PRESSURE WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE RPTR SAID MAINT REPLACED THE ENG OIL PRESSURE XMITTER; RAN ENG AND TESTED OK.