no oil presure at idle

[z_boi]

I jus got my car yesterday and didnt notice this untill jus now. I was driving it and left it idling, when i got bak in the car. i noticed that my oil presure was completely down. Then when i begin to drive it. (as the revs go up) The oil presure begins to go bak up. Could this be because a bad oil pump? bad sending unit? wat can the problem be?

[seerex]

try the sending unit first , I has the same issure til I replaced it , as well as my brother , they don't seem to last very long , they are 8-12 bucks and take 3 minutes to put in

[z_boi]

well, i'll have to check that. Can u tell me where it is located?

Its kinda weird tho. when i start it up for the first time of the day, it has pretty good oil pressure. Then i guess when it warms up, the presure begins to drop and then when i drive it hard, it goes up pass the middle. I hope its just the sending uinit or the guage that is faulty.

[BillD]

I have the same problem and suspect the sender. Where can you get an oil pressure sender for $8-$12? MSA sells them for $33.50-$45.10 and I'd love another source.

Thanks

[mdbrandy]

Sending unit is on the passenger (right) side of the engine block, down near the oil filter. Screws into the block.

[Brett240]

sounds pretty normal to me, if the gauge goes past the middle then it sounds ok.

what RPM does your car idle at? L series engines dont have much oil pressure, they dont need it.

on an aftermarket gauge mine shows 10 PSI at 750RPM and on the move maxes out at around 55PSI.

If your worried about oil pressure then put in a turbo pump with stonger springs.

[AxtellZ]

Ditto to Brett240.

Don't be too concerned, its normal.

(as long as the pressure climbs under engine load)

[2ManyZs]

It's also possible some of it is due to the condition of the engine, as the engine wears, the tolerances will increase, and when warm, the bearings have a bit more clearance than they should have to promote the highest possible oil pressure...

I'd put a sending unit in for sure, or, hook up a mechanical gauge temporarily so you know exactly what your oil pressure truly is. If it's OK with the mechanical gauge at all RPM's, you have piece of mind that no matter how innacurate the stock gauge is, you still have pressure that is not going to cause premature wear on the engine.

The Turbo pump is a good alternative if your pressures do check out a bit low. The pump doesn't increase your pressure all that much, but it does increase the volume and that is just as important if not more so than the increase in pressure.

[seerex]

The place i got mine was a local import place called triangle , gonna look for the receipt to make sure but I know it wasn't in the 25-35 range. I find alot of parts on msa are cheaper at a good import parts place, but don't count on finding hard to find stuff, thats where I count on them .

[z_boi]

car idles at about 750-800. when its all warmed up, the oil presure drops way below the line. its almost to where it is when the car is off. I'll check out the car this weekend. no time till then. Thanks a bunch guys.

[beandip]

you can buy a few $8 to $10. units from the local parts store if you want . I was told over 3 yrs ago to not bother and get one form Nissan which I did and have not had any further trouble. Check with one of our sponcers midwestz and see what Chloe can do for you. She saved me some serious $ on dist. rebuild parts. and all are OEM. Gary:classic: