My wife and I just bought the 2001 C5 Vert in May. Had only 41k on it and runs great. We just came back from an 1800 mile trip and everything was perfect. Had the oil replaced just before we left.

Today we started out on a short trip (weather great her in FL today) and about 5 miles up the road the oil pressure gauge pegged at 80PSI. The temp gauge did not change and everything sounded and ran as usual. Pulled over and restarted a couple of time and each time the gauge went up to 40-50 and then immediately pegged.

I am somewhat mechanical, but definitely not a gear head. I need some ideas on what it may be and how to diagnose the issue. I have an OBD II reader but have not tried it yet to see if it has shot a code.

Any advice or knowledge you guys can share would be most appreciated. I would like to know a little before I take it to my local Vette guy. I trust him, but would like to know what I am facing or if it might be something I could tackle at home.

I will check back in a few hours, we are jumping in my truck and taking the trip to check out RV campgrounds and fishing holes to go to in the next few days. Fishing after the 'Cane here has stirred the water and baitfish up and there is supposed to be a tremendous bite going on. Besides I just started my second round of Chemo yesterday and want to do a few things before it starts kicking my **** and affecting my QoL.

Thanks folks.

 

Go in through you DIC and see if it threw a code. Link below shows how. Then google the code or search it on here if it threw one. I know these cars have a regular issue with the oil pressure sensor (or something in that general area, I am no expert).


There will undoubtedly be a bunch of replies shortly! There are tons of experts on here!

Best of luck with the Vette, the fishing, the camping, and the chemo!

 

It just sounds like your oil sending unit gave up the ghost. If you have small hands, you might be able to get to it and r&r. A lot of people will let it go for awhile before replacing. It doesn't affect anything other than the oil pressure reading that you see. Iow, fairly common to see these go out.

 

100% the cause for the pegged reading is the oil pressure sensor which screws into the top of the block behind the intake manifold.

You remove the intake manifold to get to it and the part can be ordered from your local NAPA and isn't expensive. If you haven't done it before you can easily spend 3+ hours on the project to make an afternoon of it and try to have fun.

You'll notice that when you take off the intake manifold there will be all kinds of crud on the heads around the intake valves. Dirt and maybe even leaves. Take some time to vacuum and clean that up. Those sensors are common to fail, so if you own the car long enough you may be doing it again some day.

This video shows a method of doing it without removing the intake:

 

Along with that video showing how to retrieve the codes...

Here's a link that lists what the c5 codes mean:

http://www.stengel.net/diccodes.htm

 

Thank you for the tips on replacing the oil sender unit. I think I am going to try to do it myself, especially with the great video showing how to do it without taken the manifolds off. That was the first thing the local Vette shop said; it is probably the sender, but the job requires taking off the manifolds. Seems like the labor on doing that would really jack the cost.

Once again, thank you all for the replies. I am quickly learning that owning a Vette AND not belonging to this forum would be a HUGE mistake.

 

True Dat!

 

Success, it was in fact the Oil Sending Unit. I replaced it with a Borg Warner, which has a lifetime warranty and was only $8 more than the O'Reillys.

My local Vette shop where I have been a few times and have developed a great relationship, did the job for me.

They did not have to remove the manifold, but did remove the fuel rail. They only charged me $50. I would have spent almost that much buying the few specialized tools I would have needed to do it myself. Win-Win all around.

Thanks once again for you input and guidance on this.

 

Glad you got it fixed and that was a real good price from the shop.

 

Good deal on the repair. I bet that members down Florida way would like the name of a recommended corvette shop that treated a member well! Good luck with your new baby and best wishes!

 

Wow thats a killer deal in regards for paying for labor! Hope all goes well now!

 

Congrats and boy, take care of the guys at that shop! A good/honest shop is invaluable. And VERY hard to come by.

 

Thanks for the feedback folks. And yes they certainly treated me fair.

I have only been to this shop about 3-4 times for little things since we bought the vette, but I have tried to establish a good relationship with them. I was referred to them by Ecklers. I live in Titusville, FL, the home of Ecklers. Now there is a place that will cost you a few bucks when it is right in your neighborhood and only about 8-10 miles away.

The shop name is Corvette Interiors Plus.
http://corvetteinteriorsplus.com/

But don't let the name fool you, they have been in business for quite a while and they are certainly full service.

Of course dropping of a few cases of beer, a large bottle of Jack and a home smoked and pulled 12lb Boston Butt, certainly helps to establish a friendly working relationship. The guys are great and I enjoy dropping by once in a while just for a chat, even when I don't have anything for them to work on.

 

Ha, I've been driving mine like this for almost a year.

 

You got a great deal on the repair.

 

Fortunately for you, you got an awesome deal on that repair. This repair is more common than it should be. I freaked out when it happened to my first C5. There is a kit available that remote mounts the sensor so if it happens again it becomes a 5 minute repair. Hopefully you won't need to do it again.