oil pressure guage fault?

[Pastry]

since i bought the car the oil pressure has sat at around 5 under load and 2-3 idling when warm, it doesnt use a lot of oil.

the last few days however the oil pressure guage seems to hit the top (5+) and stays there, sometimes twitching slightly when idling but staying at 5+.

the car is still running fine, no oil in the water or water in the oil, levels arent sinking. not much more i can check at the moment as i'm in france. i'll probably take it to the garage or look into it further when i get home but wondered if anyone had an idea what could be causing it.


cheers

 

[Riverside]

A bad earth, probably in the sensor (cheap but hard to reach) or the wiring.

 

[sulzeruk]

Take the guage out of the cluster and clean the 2 small bridge pieces at th eback of it, it will probably be worth doing the whole lot pf them. Most cars seem to have at least one low or high reading gauge.
Alasdair

 

[MRGT]

This happened to mine a few months after I got it. Changed the sender, took out the dash pod, cleaned all the contacts and the gauge, and still as dead as a dodo, Indy reckons theres a break in the wiring somewhere.

Howard

 

[edh]

does it hit 5 when you turn on the ignition but before you start the engine?

 

[Copperman05]

I would guess its the sender rather than the gauge (which rarely fail according to Clarks garage), I also have had my oil pressure warning lights come on recently, even though the gauge was showing good pressure, got me worried a bit. A quick tweek of the contacts on the sender and the lights have gone out. I will probably get it replaced at the next service.

Edd

 

[Pastry]

ORIGINAL: edh

does it hit 5 when you turn on the ignition but before you start the engine?

yes it goes to the top pre-ignition, then stays there apart from twitching slightly when hot under idle - ie when it would usually be reading 2-3 (and was a week a go).

there arent any lights and everything else seems ok which makes me think its a fault with the reader. one to shrug off and scratch head rather than anything serious ( i hope) i cant think of a reason why the oil would be overpressure constantly unless there was a blockage or fault with the filter.

thanks for the responses, hope it gets me home. possibly a mistake to take a 22 year old car to the continent .... although it's certainly more fun than bringing the golf.

 

[Diver944]

Definitely sounds like the sender to me as mine displayed the same symptoms when it died. Around £30 to replace and easily unscrews from just below the oil filter once the oil is drained out

http://www.type911shop.co.uk/shop/article_861/944-all-Oil-Pressure-Sending-Unit.html?shop_param=cid%3D1%26aid%3D861%26

 

[edh]

you can have my old one for a fiver - see spares

Ed

 

[Pastry]

ORIGINAL: edh

you can have my old one for a fiver - see spares

Ed

sold! email sent, cheers.

 

[zcacogp]

Problem certainly sounds instrument-related to me rather than to do with oil pressure. Sensor, wiring and gauge are all worth a look. Don't let it spoil your holiday.

ORIGINAL: Pastry
possibly a mistake to take a 22 year old car to the continent

Twaddle. Here's my S2 in the Loire Valley earlier on this summer. I can't think of a better machine to have done the trip in.

Oli.

 

[JamesO]

I agree have driven mine to the 'ring had a beer stayed the night did 8 laps the next day and drove back the same day.
Roughly 1k in 2 days without issue.
Saw plenty of newer cars broken down though.

 

[SUSIT]

My oil pressure guage has never worked since I bought my car, red light on all the time and needle sitting at one, except and I find this quite spooky on the way to work I drive the same road every day and at the same area it suddenly starts to work, light out and 4 bar pressure, all for about 1 mile then nothing. It never, ever works at any other time.

Had garage check it out just after I got the car and they could not find a fault ever with sender, wiring or gauge. so I just live with it.[8|]

 

[Copperman05]

ORIGINAL: SUSIT

My oil pressure guage has never worked since I bought my car, red light on all the time and needle sitting at one, except and I find this quite spooky on the way to work I drive the same road every day and at the same area it suddenly starts to work, light out and 4 bar pressure, all for about 1 mile then nothing. It never, ever works at any other time.

Had garage check it out just after I got the car and they could not find a fault ever with sender, wiring or gauge. so I just live with it.[8|]

Perhaps time to replace it with a nice new one?

Edd