Ok, so I've posted in the 'Buick' thread about the oil pressure sensor issue. Mine crapped out a WHILE ago, so I finally got around to replacing it with the OEM non-brass version.

That was 2 weeks ago. For about 10 days, it worked beautifully!! Then about 4 days ago, I looked down to see that familiar 'pegged' gauge, and decided to do the Buick route.

Here's where it gets weird. Today, en route to install headers, the gauge started going crazy, maxing out, dropping to 0, stopping at 40, and back to max or 0. I started to get a DIC message every 30 seconds or so saying "Low Oil Pressure"...

I checked the oil, and the level is fine. No leaks. I changed the oil while I was doing the headers, and made sure everything was fine. So on the drive home (see my post in C5 Gen for that), the gauge was just stuck at 0, while the DIC read "Oil Pressure xxx", but no more DIC messages.

I thought a crapped-out sensor resulted in the gauge being pegged (that way it's been for 2 years), but this is different. Checked oil level - it's fine, and no leaks. Is this just another iteration of a failed sensor? If so, hopefully the problem will be licked once I get the Buick one on with my new adapter. Or is something else going on here? If it had happened AFTER my header install, I'd suspect I might have screwed something up, but it just happened out of the blue, as it were.

TIA,
Vaughn

P.S. Yesterday, I started getting a "Service Engine Soon" DIC message in addition to Change Oil Soon. I ran a diagnostics and got no codes (other than the C1214 which will be fixed as soon as I get my ECBM back from absfixer). Could removal of the ECBM cause the "Service Engine Soon" DIC message, or could that be related to the wacky oil pressure gauge reading?

 

Update: So I checked the codes again today, and am now getting P0522 - Engine Oil Pressure Circuit Low Voltage... The gauge is back to being all over the map, so either the connector/wiring is messed up somehow, or it's just the sensor is fritzing and therefore doing strange things...

 

Anyone?

 

Was your old sensor leaking oil, and if so, did you clean off the electrical connector?

Faulty oil pressure sensors always fail by giving high pressure. But if there is oil on the electrical connector, who knows?

If you have no valve train noise, then I doubt that you have zero oil pressure. Plus, if you drove it any distance, little chance of zero oil pressure.

 

I've driven it about 120 miles since Saturday morning. No weird sounds (other than the occasional DIC pinging when it spikes to 30 and then back). The oil sensor wasn't leaking when I replaced it just over 2 weeks ago, it just wasn't working.

I suppose maybe the electrical connection might be loose somehow, but it's odd that it would work for 10 days, be pegged for 4 days, then now be all over the map while showing 'xxx' on the DIC about 30 percent of the time...

The engine hasn't seized up yet, so I guess that's a good thing. Like I said, if it had started after the header install, I would have assumed I messed something up (like the oil dipstick, etc.). But it started on the way TO do the header install.

 

Sounds like the sensor is whacked out.

I'd replace the oil pressure sender before looking further as often as these things fail.

 

My friend owns one of the Corvette shops here in Tampa, (Corvette Shop & Supplies) and says that he has seen these sensors fail the next day after installation. They are just not very good. Good luck.

 

Mine did the exact same thing, pegging out and back to 0 psi. and low oil light on, didn't drive for 3 days, I bought a napa oil sensor and so far no problems, that was a month ago. Make sure you blow the oil out of the plugs before you install the new one. These sensors go out frequently. My first one lasted 3 days.

 

Thanks guys. I figured it had to be the sensor, since I've been driving it around since without other problems, and since it preceded my doing anything that might have otherwise caused it... I'd just never heard of the sensor failing in any other way than being always pegged. I'm going to try the Buick route to see if that works any better.

 

It appears that my sensor lost its mind this morning and is pegged at 130 PSI. Could some one send some information on the Buick fix? Not sure what that is all about.

 

Read the sticky that says oil sensor relocate.