Low Oil Pressure
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 10
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From: Philadelphia PA
Low Oil Pressure
Just got the low oil pressure warning after driving her for a minute this afternoon. When I press on the gas, that's when the pressure drops on the gauge. She's only got 1200 miles so far and was problem free up until this point. Any quick fixes I could do on my own? Is it even safe to drive her to the dealership with no oil pressure???
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2004
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Originally Posted by MaddSkillz
Just got the low oil pressure warning after driving her for a minute this afternoon. When I press on the gas, that's when the pressure drops on the gauge. She's only got 1200 miles so far and was problem free up until this point. Any quick fixes I could do on my own? Is it even safe to drive her to the dealership with no oil pressure???
Now the more pertinent question is whether you actually have low/no oil pressure or if you just have a faulty sensor. The fact that the oil pressure drops when you press on the gas tells me you have an actual problem. It *could* be oil starvation. What's the oil level read on the dipstick? If it is way low, that might be the problem. Otherwise, flatbed it to the dealer and let them take care of it.
Racer
Joined: May 2005
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Most low oil pressure readings are due to a faulty sending unit. I heeded decreasing oil pressure readings in a Porsche about 20 years ago (despite my hunch that it was nothing more than a defective sending unit) and thereby saved the engine, as the oil pump was rapidly failing. That was when Porsche had an unlimited mileage/12 month warranty on NEW cars. Mine only had 6,000 miles on it, but it was 18 months old. You guessed it, out of warranty. I think it cost about $2,200 to R&R the pump, including the flatbed, but a quick shutdown saved the engine from any damage. Replacing the pump was still much cheaper than a new engine.
What with the reported crank pulley problem, I would definitely pay attention to any low oil pressure or high engine temp readings, shut it down immediately and call for a flatbed to take it back to the dealer. Even with the engine under warranty, you don't want it in the shop for a month while they replace a lunched motor, have to reconnect all the A/C, cooling and electrical bits they removed during the engine change and hope they got the installation right.
Remember, as Ben Franklin once said, "fight a fever and starve a cold." Well, maybe it was another of Ben's quotes, but you get the idea. Let us know how it turned out.
What with the reported crank pulley problem, I would definitely pay attention to any low oil pressure or high engine temp readings, shut it down immediately and call for a flatbed to take it back to the dealer. Even with the engine under warranty, you don't want it in the shop for a month while they replace a lunched motor, have to reconnect all the A/C, cooling and electrical bits they removed during the engine change and hope they got the installation right.
Remember, as Ben Franklin once said, "fight a fever and starve a cold." Well, maybe it was another of Ben's quotes, but you get the idea. Let us know how it turned out.
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
From: Philadelphia PA
Ok.......so I get the flatbed to take her into the dealer yesterday morning. The technicians identified the problem as a faulty sensor switch and replaced the unit. On the way home, everything seems fine. As I'm driving to work this morning the same thing happens again!! Everytime I press on the gas, the pressure drops to zero and then jumps back up to normal pressure (35-40). Called the dealer and they think it might have something to do with the wiring. I really really hope this isn't a sign of more problems to come.
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 1,651
Likes: 125
From: laguna niguel ca
No oil pressure is....
If you really had no oil pressure, With in a few seconds you would hear you lifters fail and your valvetrain noise would sound like an AK-47 on full auto. If your engine is quite, then you must conclude you 've got a bad sending unit. I had an oil pump fail in an LS1 motor, it didn't take but a few seconds to know what happened. Don't drive it if you have noise! Just my experence!
Andy G.
Andy G.
