ok this car has been like this for a while and just curious why it has low oil pressure when iam in drive and engine up to temp . ill get only 8 or 9 . and in netrual about 10 psi 1500 rpm's til 20 psi . is this bad at all ?

when its cold ill get 40 psi idling till it warms up .

Just changed the oil too so it has 5 qaurts in it and still does .

thx

 

Sounds like a motor with many miles on it and typical bearing wear. The only fix is a rebuild but till your pressure hits the red, I wouldnt worry too much about it. Try not to spin it real high because that is when oil starvation becomes an issue followed by what I like to call catastrophic engine failure and its not pretty.

 

i get good oil presure as soon as i give it some gas . could the gauge be false ? also i have only 72,000 miles . could a intake leak cause this ? i think my intake leakes on the front . thx

 

Intake leak won't have an effect on oil pressure. You might try changing the oil pressure sensor. Sometimes they get tired when old and give a little lower readings.

 

If the oil pressure was reading at only 5 psi (at the red point), wouldn't this cause easily distinguishable tapping in the motor? I say this, because I just changed out my clutch and after I did I'm only getting a max pressure reading of 10psi, when before I got them well over 40psi. I'm think I knocked a sensor off or something.

 

where is the oil pressure sensor at? how do i change it ? and how much for a replacement ? thx

 

Sending unit is about $30 or so, and I believe it's on the back of the block close to the intake. You need a special deep socket to get it out. It's really about liking changing an O2 sensor. I'd also hook up a mechanical guage even after you get a new sending unit to verify the reading. The sending unit in my old 4.3 Blazer used to read 10 psi low and that was when it was 2 yrs old.

Jason

 

My pressure is usually around 20psi at idle but my firebird used to idle at around 10-15psi.

 

Location visual

 

wow shoebox you make life easier for everyone!! Good job man!

 

Obviously, it is much easier to get to it with the engine out of the car.

 

I have been getting readings below 0psi when its up to temp at around 900rpm. And it will only reach about 10psi at 5500rpm.

Again, if the pressure was actually at 0psi, wouldn't this cause a lot of tapping?

 

I was wondering if you started using a different oil filter a while back. My pressure was low, then I read that certain filters give poor pressure. I changed filters and now the oil pressure is fine. Just a thought. Good luck.

 

try using a GM oil filter, I know the FRAM oil filters don't hold pressure, I've tried several & they all fail almost instantly, also check your oil pressure sending unit as mentioned, I have seen one go before showing very low oil pressure, they ussually snap where the platic connects & the button inside doens't get pressed all the way.

 

I would be checking that situation out with a mechanical gauge. If your pressure is really that low, you are on borrowed time. If pressure was really 0 for long, yes, you would hear some noise.