AEM Oil pressure gauge on the fritz

[Archer Fabrications]

Hey guys, I have an AEM oil pressure gauge (I didnt install it) and it has been working fine until yesterday when I turned the key to the on position the gauge was swinging at 150psi to 100 psi back and fourth. This was with the engine off so I know there wasn't even any oil pressure.

I know it does a check when you first start up and goes from 0-150 and back down to 0 then to your oil pressure when the car is started, and it does work when the car is started, but I found it quite weird that it was swinging from 150-100 back and fourth as soon as it hit each number would go back to the other.

Anyone else have this issue? Could it be one of the serial cables in the back might be loose? I'm just hoping that this doesn't mean my gauge is reading inaccurately.

Also when the shop installed this gauge my stock one was disabled. Any way to have both and how do I get it to log in ECMLink?

 

[92AWDHX40]

Any way to have both and how do I get it to log in ECMLink?

ECMTuning.com forums may have a quick answer.

 

[agentorange313]

AEM gauges are a pain in the butt from my experiences.

It started with my boost gauge, didnt work right out of the box. Same thing happened to the second gauge.


I had to call AEM and get in contact with their customer support. They will run you though proper hook up etc. to make sure you are getting a proper reading. If the gauge is broken, most of the time its not the gauge but the sensor, then AEM will give you an RMA number to send it in.

Both my gauges were under warranty when they stopped working so the replacement of the sensor was free since it was faulty.

I would contact AEM about this and see what they have to say about the gauge.

I personally if I didn't have two AEM gauge already, I would buy another brand. I dislike mismatched gauges.

 

[turboglenn]

They get all kinda issues with shorts in wires or just going hay-wire from vibration loosening inside parts.. I'll save my AEM gauge slander for now though and recomend you check the connections from the sensor to the wires (there's a connection for each wire on the last one i saw)

Then check the length of the wires for areas that may have rubbed through where it comes into the cabin fromthe engine bay.

After that or before, unhook the sensor and see if the gauge stabilizes, in the manual that you can download fomr AEM's website it will show you what the value should be to test for a dead sensor.. After that i recomend getting rid of the AEM unit and going autometer.. The only gauge i've had much luck with from AEM is the plain standard WB02 they sell (once ifound sensors for under 50 bucks at O'reilly anyway )

 

[Archer Fabrications]

What is normal pressure at cold and at idle? What are the limits on too high an to low before something gets damaged, I'm running Valvoline 20w50

 

[turboglenn]

What is normal pressure at cold and at idle? What are the limits on too high an to low before something gets dammaged, in running valvoline 20w50

Ok, on "most engines" without balance shafts, but with squirters. I measured at the OFH, and cold is usually about 60psi at idle, warm idle is about 30psi and when hot with no porting to the OFH I would see 85psi all the way to 100+ anywhere from 4K - 5K RPM and up. I ran like this for many years with no issues but turbo was fed from the head where pressure is usually no more than 28 psi or so running and 10-12 at idle.

Well, I must note about that oil though, my machinist won't cover anything on my engine internals under his warranty from running such a thick oil in this type of engine, says it's too thick to get properly pumped to the top end of the engine and some "bla bla bla" about the way oil works saying that 20/50 is more of a band-aid for low pressure and is carried over from those who grew up building "loose built" small block racing. And IF it means ANYTHING, I've got about 4 years and probably 25k miles on my engine of HARD USE, running E85 and 25 - 30psi with high timing curves, and I beat it DAILY and have had no signs of any failure, let alone lubrication failure.

This is one area (the oil weight) where I'd like BogusSVO to chime in with some facts, but I too wanted to run 20/50 because of what I've seen from some trusted people on here but the machinist said he would know if I ran thicker than 10/30 and not to run anything thicker so I haven't and I've had great luck. My clearances at the crank and I think the rods are the same but they are all .0025".

 

[Archer Fabrications]

My engine builder recomended nothing but 20w50 for makin power and so does fp for thurst bearing safe ess, i never drive without being fully warm, i see 60-75 psi idle when cold. When warm at idke about 28-30psi. Warm on decel is uually a constant 60 and when im boosting at 15 psi right now i see 80-90psi no more though, i have balance shafts removed and my ofh is ported, not sure if my oul squirters were deleted or not though. i also feed my turbo from the head