Mad*Max

I'm on a roll...today I noticed on the instrument panel oil pressure showed zero and when I went to the DIC it says "XXX"

When I start the car the gauges roll back and forth and so does the oil pressure gauge.

Am I to presume that the oil pressure sensor is shot? I did a search and could not find what is involved in changing out the part?

C6ToGo

Hopefully the sender and not the cluster gauge.

Easy and cheap ($20). Should be behind the intake plenum near the firewall.

Removal Procedure

-Remove the left engine sight cover.
-Clean area around the oil sensor/switch before removing it.
-Remove the vacuum hose for the power brake booster.
-Disconnect the electrical connector for the oil pressure sensor/switch.
-Using the J 41712 (1) , remove the oil pressure sensor/switch.

wayback

The switch is known to fail around the 10 yr mark.
I found a solid brass unit on Amazon.

I removed the windshield wipers and cowl, then cut a hole above the sender. Just too tight for my hands to work without the hole. Taped the hole up with metal duct tape. Cowl hides it anyway.

Mad*Max

thanks for the procedure, let me look into this...if it were the gauge I don't think it would sweep during start up?

Mad*Max

I am at 11.5 years so I guess I am past due

Is your procedure over and above the one mentioned by C6ToGo in post number 2?

wayback

Yes once you have the hole cut follow his steps.
You will need a special socket for the sender. Auto part stores sell them....thin wall socket. Regular socket will not fit between the intake and the sender.

Yes your gauge will sweep even if the sender is bad. The sweep signal at startup comes from a different source, not the sender.

Mine showed 80 psi at idle. I energized the gauges without starting the motor and it showed 40 psi.

RUMBL B

My oil pressure sensor was acting silly last year.

By the end of my drive, #3 main bearing spun, overheated and shredded. Turned out to be the oil pump, not just the sensor. Motor toasted.

I'm now running a forged 402 from Texas Speed. 30% more power than stock. It was a seriously nice upgrade... but expensive.

1bdvet

I have 05, and about 4 months ago, my oil pressure went to 80, and new the sending unit took a dump.
Now a decision is to upgrade to C7, or have it fix, haven't made up my mine, since GM made a simple replacement so difficult to replace, on the LS2.

RichKiss

My sensor went out on my Yukon. It is a pain to get to because of where it is. The procedure is simple. There is also a mesh screen that I would replace as well. At least the Yukon had one. I would assume the Vette does too since it is essentially the same motor.

Mad*Max

I take it you were getting fluctuating readings, but were getting some readings nonetheless?

saplumr

Could be nothing more than the connection. When I had FAST installed years ago I found a loose connection giving correct pressure one minute then xxx the next.

Mad*Max

Where would I check the connection (I don't know too much about working on these cars)?

saplumr

Standing at the drivers side look directly behind the intake at the firewall. Connector has 3 white wires. Takes 2 people, one to watch the gauge and the other to move the wires with anything you can reach them with. Could be more than just the connection but it’s the easiest and cheapest way to start. Hard to reach but it can be done.

Mad*Max

Where can I find the sensor for $20?

RUMBL B

When starting the car, the gauge read zero for a short while... maybe 12-15 seconds, then appeared to read normal. While heading to work, the gauge started to fluctuate, wasn't zero and wasn't normal (this was over a year ago now, so the details have faded). So i monitored the oil temp on the DIC, it was fine. However, by the time i got to work, i could hear the motor rattling. I couldn't hear this during the drive, because the exhaust overcame the motor. My commute to work is 65 miles on way, so there was plenty of time for failure.

Looking back, there are some should'a / would'a moments....

Mad*Max

Okay - my situation does sound different - my analogue gauge is constantly zero and the DIC shows XXX.

Cybernetic Medic

Sensor failure was/is a common problem on C5's and there are a lot of threads related to it in the C5 section. There are write-ups on how to replace it the easy way and the hard way. There was also a lot of repeat failures not long after the sensor was replaced. It seemed to be a problem with cheap replacement parts and improper tightening. Another option is to move the sensor to the front of the engine and I think there were even aftermarket wiring extenders. If you are not sure it's a sensor problem you could probably install a gauge at the front of the engine to see what's actually going on with the oil pressure.

Mad*Max

Appreciate the reply and not to discount what you are saying, but if there is a chance of repeat issues I can live without my oil pressure reading, it is probably the least used gauge (by myself), it is more of a nuisance as I like my car to be in 100% working order

Mad*Max

I could not find the connector/wires, would you happen to have a pic?

Bruze

It's actually the most important gauge you have. If your pressure is around where it should be, that tells you that the engine internals are working okay.

I would definitely put another gauge on, if only temporarily. I have no clue about modern engines, but the old ones had a 1/8" pipe threaded hole where a sending unit or a mechanical sensor would go. From what they guy above said, apparently there is another hole somewhere on the front of the engine which (I assume) is just plugged with a 1/8 pipe plug.