92 R/T has low oil pressure?

[Mike-92RT]

When i bought my 1992 Stealth R/T, the stock gauge read completely fine. It was in the normal range, until my VSS went, i added 1 litre of oil a week... I ended up having to replace all the valves, VSS... etc.

Over 3 years later (lack of job/money), my car was good to go in august 2010. I drove her around for a month, tweaking things here and there... I noticed my oil pressure gauge fluctuated each time i drove. One start up it would read perfectly fine when it idled and drove. Other times it would read a little bit low, and really low.

Since this has been happening i have decided to replace the pressure sending units, along with the harness for them to ensure a good pressure reading. Also over the next winter, i will be replacing the water pump, and oil pump to ensure good oil pressure.

Anyways, i managed to take 2 pictures with my cellphone, two different days, while driving lol... of my pressure gauge reading different readings.

http://i581.photobucket.com/albums/ss258/Mike92RT/IMG00177.jpg
http://i581.photobucket.com/albums/ss258/Mike92RT/IMG00159.jpg

Can anyone send some advice/experience my way, if any? Thanks! lol


PS: when i drove my car in August 2010, after adjusting the CAS timing... it ran 100% like i drove it brand new off the lot. With my oil gauge reading that crappy.

[Hans@GZP]

Sometimes the gauges are just crap. Buy a cheap electronic oil pressure gauge to ease your mind.

[Mike-92RT]

Stupid thing is that i let the engine run with a minimum amount of oil (by accident)... forgot to cut holes for the pickup tube/oil filter gaskets... oil did get through but not a whole lot, and the engine squeaked/stalled two or three times when i was tryin to figure out WTF was happening. (KICKING MYSELF IN THE ASS FOR THAT)... and when i drained the oil probably 1000kms after that, i found a tiny bit of metal shavings in the oil... not a whole lot though. My car still runs ridiculously good.. just the oil pressure that worries me.

[GTwizard]

It is start up that kills motor. You having no oil did it. If you are lucky, the crank will be OK. Just pull the pan and slip in new bearings before it's too late.
Because you said I squeeked and stalled, I don't think the new bearing will help as damage most likely done. So pull the pan, pull the gerdle and inspect crank and bearings.
You could have been real lucky with the crank. But your bears are crap.

[Mike-92RT]

would i be okay to drive the car through the summer in its current state?. It drives absolutely fine, when i drive it normal, and when i pushed it. Just the gauge worries me.

I will be replacing the oil pump and water pump over the next winter. So i can do the bearings then while its off the road for hibernation.... But if not, then i can do it before spring, when i bring her out.

[speedy25]

Rule of thumb is 5 psi for every 1k RPM. Check your pressures with a known good gauge. Hoking up one temporarily is fine. In real life with your stock gauge it should read between the two long lines at idle and highway speeds. Oil pressure loss is either poor pressure from a bad oil pump or excessive clearances from worn bearings.

-SP

[CoreyB]

Dont drive it like that or you will join my exclusive club.

[Mike-92RT]

Dont drive it like that or you will join my exclusive club.

i won't be apart of your club... sorry Corey lol

Well i have decided to replace the oil pump before the spring time, along with new pressure senders/harness. I'll check the condition of the bearings as well. I know if they have scratches on them, they're bad... so if i see any, i wont' be driving her until its fixed, which will be done before the summer.

[GTwizard]

Pull the pan before you do any driving. Look and see what your sittuation is before taking any action.
We could not answer your question with out pulling the pan as well. In this case, your car will have to answer that question for you.
A good gauge is a good idea, but your going to end up pulling the pan anyways.

[SpdDmnVR4]

My oil pressure on my VR4 is generally the same place as yours when Im at 800 rpm idle, but you said you were driving? wow thats a little low. At 2500 rpm highway cruise, my Oil pressure is 2-2.5 ticks BELOW the upmost long hash mark.

[Mike-92RT]

the fucked thing is that the connector for the pressure light broke... so i have no idea if the pressure actually is low lol.. i guess i'll pull my oil pan this weekend and take some pictures for you to analyze GTwizard... gotta dig my car out of the snow first :( lol

[Mike-92RT]

My oil pressure on my VR4 is generally the same place as yours when Im at 800 rpm idle, but you said you were driving? wow thats a little low. At 2500 rpm highway cruise, my Oil pressure is 2-2.5 ticks BELOW the upmost long hash mark.

I know thats weird eh?... it reads the same at idle. Or it'll raise just a little bit... Other days it reads where it "should" be, when im driving.

I'll still pull the pan off and check the bearings just to be safe. Car is off the road until the snow disappears anyways, so its not like its going anywhere anytime soon, since Ontario just got hit by a provincial snow storm lol

[Atrosity]

My car started reading under 10 psi on oil pressure, if i didn't have my gauge I would say I can not tell a difference...the car drives just fine so idk....

[Mike-92RT]

where would i hook up a cheap oil pressure gauge? with out taking mine out of the dash?... would i put it where the pressure sender is in the block?

[Atrosity]

where would i hook up a cheap oil pressure gauge? with out taking mine out of the dash?... would i put it where the pressure sender is in the block?

You can get a sandwhich plate and put it inbetween the oil pump and filter install the gauge and check the pressire.

[speedy25]

Sheesh! Take out the old sender and put in the fitting for a mechanical gauge and duct tape it to the hood!

When you done put the old or replacement parts back in.

Senders ARE old enough to fail and they are pretty cheap so I would put in a fresh one if you have any doubts.

-SP

[Mike-92RT]

Sheesh! Take out the old sender and put in the fitting for a mechanical gauge and duct tape it to the hood!

When you done put the old or replacement parts back in.

Senders ARE old enough to fail and they are pretty cheap so I would put in a fresh one if you have any doubts.

-SP

thats what i was thinking.. the senders are almost 20yrs old... i know they're original cause they look like shit lol.. but i'll buy a cheap gauge and see what the actual problem is, just to be on the safe side... im gonna be buying new senders and a new harness anyways, because the tab on the pressure light sender broke.

Like i stated earlier, the car runs AMAZING.. feels like i drove it right out of the dealer's lot. Just the pressure thats worrying me. If the oil pressure is low, im pulling the oil pan and checking the bearings like GTwizard said. I will also change the oil pump too, since its probably original.

[thor'svr4]

anyone know what PSI he should be at if he gets a cheepo mechanical gauge for a 1 time use? my sunpro seams to show 20psi per 1000rpm when warm. (idle = ~20psi, 2000rpm=~40 psi, 3000rpm =~60psi, ect

edit:
forgot to mention that at idle my oem gauge shows the needle pretty low (same as in your photo). but at 2,000rpm (40psi) I’m at the lower 'large' tick mark. by 3700ish rpm (70ish psi) im 2 tick marks below the upper ‘large’ tick mark but even WOT my pressure never goes above it.

[tein]

What filter are you running I put an FRAM in when I bought the car just change to a Denso, now pressure is like stated before 2.5 from upper long line. Before It was 6 from the bottom.

[Mike-92RT]

im using a synthetic FRAM oil filter... its working great wonders for me... i just haven't seen the gauge act like this before... when i first bought it, it was in the normal range... but then again, i was using regular conventional high mileage oil... so maybe switching over to synthetic was the culprit?... maybe i have to change the oil pump, senders, or thicken the oil itself?

[SpdDmnVR4]

anyone know what PSI he should be at if he gets a cheepo mechanical gauge for a 1 time use? my sunpro seams to show 20psi per 1000rpm when warm. (idle = ~20psi, 2000rpm=~40 psi, 3000rpm =~60psi, ect

edit:
forgot to mention that at idle my oem gauge shows the needle pretty low (same as in your photo). but at 2,000rpm (40psi) I’m at the lower 'large' tick mark. by 3700ish rpm (70ish psi) im 2 tick marks below the upper ‘large’ tick mark but even WOT my pressure never goes above it.

My Stock gauge shows the same position as yours, however, I dont have a Aftermarket gauge to tell me what I am actually running. Only difference is at 2000 rpm I am about 2-2.5 ticks above the lower "large" tick. Having a fresh engine, I dont suspect I have any problems. The stock gauge suffices to show if you have a loss in oil pressure, and thats about it.

[speedy25]

im using a synthetic FRAM oil filter... its working great wonders for me

Wonders I can believe. Great??!! I cant! Fram is the crap of the industry. Please change to something else better. There are a few oil filter comparisons out there for you to read about the differences.

You might even find a big change in oil pressure with a better filter.

-SP

[GTwizard]

This might help.I always retap the oil pump oil pressure gauge hole to 1/8 NPT. It can be done in place if you keep the metal shaving from entering the opening. Than we add an after market 45 deg brass fitting and any other 1/8 nipple required to get the job. done.
In the picture below you can see we add an oil pressure sending unit while keeping the stock gage as well. The after market gauges and fittings will only thread in about one thread if you do not make this mod and the gauge will come loose.
http://i498.photobucket.com/albums/rr343/GTwizard/S6306460.jpg

[Mike-92RT]

yeaaa, i wouldn't trust myself to drill, retap a hole in the block, since i only did it once in high school lol.

is there an easy way to just hook up the cheap walmart gauges to our car?

[Mike-92RT]

Wonders I can believe. Great??!! I cant! Fram is the crap of the industry. Please change to something else better. There are a few oil filter comparisons out there for you to read about the differences.

You might even find a big change in oil pressure with a better filter.

-SP

well i've used regular FRAM filters before, and i had no problems with them.. i switched to the synthetic filter, after i installed new valves, lifters, VSS.. and now this low oil pressure.

Maybe its just the US shipments that are garbage? hahaha... i've honestly never had a problem with FRAM filters yet. I do recall my sisters car had problems with them, the oil ring seal kept breaking and spewing out oil from the filter... but thats only happened twice a couple years ago, but it hasn't happened since.

[Mike-92RT]

okay i have some new updated, and weird news WITH pictures lol.. I started my stealth for the first time today, since winter has hit, and it was weird. My oil pressure gauge read in the 'normal' range when driving, WHILE I WAS IN IDLE. So definitely theres something going on. Here are pics to prove.

http://i581.photobucket.com/albums/ss258/Mike92RT/IMG00119-20110217-1402.jpg
http://i581.photobucket.com/albums/ss258/Mike92RT/IMG00120-20110217-1402.jpg

Now heres my theory.. My car had a significant amount of oil sludge in the cylinder heads when i removed them, cleaned them, and put in the new valves. Could the oil pump, OR, the oil pressure senders some how be clogged with oil sludge?

Since the cylinder head build, i have put in castrol synthetic (I know its not true synth, but w/e).. I did however find a TINY amount of shavings in my oil. There was more oil than shavings, but it was some what noticeable when i tilted the oil catcher in the sun...

Unless there was metal shavings in the oil catcher that i used which may have been the case, since i used my ex's dads garage (mechanic) and the catcher was on the ground when he does lots of work to other people's vehicles. I am taking that as a possibility also.

My ears are open to comments/ideas of what you think is wrong.

[TwoXist]

Sorry for stealing your image.

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m294/heshiro/untitled-1.jpg

But at driving my needle is where it is in the image. And it drops to where i put the blue line when ideling. The car has always done this since the first day i got it. It didn't even change after i got my VSS and lifters replaced. I have had a few people tell me not to worry about it and that the gauge is most likely off, so i haven't put much thought into it until reading this thread.

[Mike-92RT]

ya, my gauge is acting up for sure... i think i'm gonna purchase 2 new pressure sender units, along with a new harness (needs to be replaced)

i'll see if that does anything.. i'm still thinking oil sludge is the culprit to this.

[Chris@Rvengeperformance]

greddy gauge senders will thread right in the stock location, the thread pitch and size is the same as stock.

GReddy 52mm Pressure Oil/Fuel Meter-Gauge-White/Amber - eBay (item 200577607305 end time Mar-19-11 10:35:03 PDT) (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/GReddy-52mm-Pressure-Oil-Fuel-Meter-Gauge-White-Amber-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem2eb35b6689QQitemZ20057 7607305QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccesso ries)

[Mike-92RT]

i kinda wanna keep her as stock as possible, no matter how unreliable the stock gauge is... thing is, it worked fine before my cylinder head project.. now its wacky. There was a ton of sludge in the cylinder heads... could sludge be the problem for these wacky readings?

[Chris@Rvengeperformance]

i kinda wanna keep her as stock as possible, no matter how unreliable the stock gauge is... thing is, it worked fine before my cylinder head project.. now its wacky. There was a ton of sludge in the cylinder heads... could sludge be the problem for these wacky readings?

if sludge is really causing issues like that I'd be wary of your whole engine right now. Does the oil come out really dirty even with just a few miles on it?

[Mike-92RT]

yea it does actually lol.. i've used engine flush sooooooooooooo many times.

i filled the engine after i put her back together with Mobil 1... started it a few times, then i drained it again to fix a leak on the oil pan, and when i was draining it, it was a dark grey.

PS: the previous owner didn't take too good of care to my baby when he had it :(

[Mike-92RT]

Here is a video i recorded today. Hope you guys can give me ideas.

im taking care of my oil pressure issue but here is another one.

brand new headgaskets, head bolts are torqued to specifications.... no leaks on the ground.. the exhaust doesn't smell like its burning coolant, yet, i am losing coolant somewhere. I also have this milky crap in my oil, two times its showed up now.

My car was dormant all winter without being started.. Could that be the issue?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OogVyLb478

[CoreyB]

99% sure thats just condensation.

[Mike-92RT]

thats what my dad said as well... my exhaust smelled normal.. but i AM losing it somewhere, and i dont see any drips on the ground.. UNLESS, the car isn't completely filled with coolant yet.... i dunno, it needs a coolant flush, engine flush (sludge), and oil change before i drive her in the spring.

[CoreyB]

If you lost a noticable amount of coolant into the oil the oil woil look like chocolate milk. Likely just some air being worked out of the system from the head rework. If you were losing it out the exhaust the system would be very pressurised causing your reserve to fill and overflow.

[Mike-92RT]

you know Corey, what you have said, just makes me feel relieved, because it ALL MAKES SENSE. Fuck i'm worrying too much. Ever since my bent valves/cylinder head work, i've been trippin over everything.

[VR-4 0wnz j00]

I would get an aftermarket gauge or replace the sender unit. More than likely its one of those.

[speedy25]

Sludge does make for some silly problems, but oil pressure wise change the sensor and quit worrying!

Coolant loss can be from a bunch of places, but if its not on the ground, its either in the pipe running in the V or a bad coolant cap that only leaks when running.

Enjoy your car in the meantime!

-SP

[Mike-92RT]

Sludge does make for some silly problems, but oil pressure wise change the sensor and quit worrying!

Coolant loss can be from a bunch of places, but if its not on the ground, its either in the pipe running in the V or a bad coolant cap that only leaks when running.

Enjoy your car in the meantime!

-SP

i do plan on replacing both 19yr old pressure sender units, along with the harness, since the connector for the pressure light broke off.

I do plan on searching for that coolant leak, if there even is one. My coolant cap seems fine, it locks down pretty tight. I really hope its air pockets... im thinking i should take off my downpipe just to check it out?

[DG]

Pressure senders go bad all the time.

DG

[J_Parker]

If you have another person to help you run the car without the coolant cap on. It'll help any air in the system escape, it may be messy, but it works almost all the time. Another thing to do is squeeze the coolant pipes while the car is running, either with or without the cap on.

[Mike-92RT]

i'll try running the car for awhile without the cap on.. i know about the squeezing of the coolant hoses... i gotta flush out the system, there was old-dried up coolant after my cylinder head build, and now its starting to turn a bronze colour lol..... notttt goooood!! :(