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Loss of oil pressure after change

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o0oeternalo0o

Probationary Member
17
0
Feb 6, 2012
shenandoah junc, West_Virginia
Hey everyone I'm new here . I just bought a 96 eclipse gst spyder at an auto auction . I noticed bringing it home the oil pressure seemd a tad low ( just above the first line on the oem guage). I took it a few hours ago and got the oil changed now at idle it takes 2-3 minutes after start up to show any pressure at all even then its low enough to throw the warning light upon acelertion it gradually climbs and levels out just about at the first line . Anyone have a guess at what causes this?

What I know of the car
Valve cover deffinately leaks
Mechanic said there was a very small leak at the oil pan
oil and filter used unknown . I believe quakerstate oil maybe and pennzoil filter ( seen the filter was bright yellow mostly pennzoil filters on there shelves )
Not much else known as I've only had it 2 days and my yard is to swampy to lift the car so i can get under it and check things out
 
I'd consider getting an aftermarket oil pressure gauge to at least see if you are in fact having oil pressure problems. Mine did the same as what you're describing but an aftermarket gauge proved otherwise.
 
Stock gauges are useless. Get an aftermarket gauge to get a good reading.

Oil level, weight, can all have some effect on pressure. It is also possible since it was at an auction, depending how long it sat, sludge could have built up in the pickup tube and be restricting flow.

Also could be an oil pump on the way out as well.
 
l have a shot to look it over myself hopefully tomarrow unless we get the snow they are calling for I checked the oil and well its empty so im wondering if the shop didnt use the wrong filter or maybe even didnt put the drain plug in I know they put oil in since I watched them do it and I know it didnt have any major leaks before I took it in . I do know its leaking some around the oil pan and valve cover but nothing that would comepletely drain the engine in just a few minutes

Thanks for the input so far guys . I also have another question here that I know will make me sound like a retard but what exactly does dsm mean ?
 
l have a shot to look it over myself hopefully tomarrow unless we get the snow they are calling for I checked the oil and well its empty so im wondering if the shop didnt use the wrong filter or maybe even didnt put the drain plug in I know they put oil in since I watched them do it and I know it didnt have any major leaks before I took it in . I do know its leaking some around the oil pan and valve cover but nothing that would comepletely drain the engine in just a few minutes

Thanks for the input so far guys . I also have another question here that I know will make me sound like a retard but what exactly does dsm mean ?

I wouldn't do anything more then run it for a few minutes to troubleshoot at a time if your loosing that much oil. Sounds like you could be playing with a rebuild soon if you don't track down the source asap.
 
If the light is flickering on for low oil pressure you have a problem. Your getting 5psi and under for that light to come on.

Get a cheap mechanical oil pressure gauge, remove the factory sender and install it there and start it. Post the results.
 
definetly check out the oil pressure sending unit. that one is probably obvious but worth mentioning
 
mine does the same it could be your bearings wearing out or just a false readin mine was just a false reading but mine also didnt throw any lights when it got low
 
The factory oil pressure gauge is nothing more than an indication of whether or not oil pressure is present. There's no tick marks or numbers to indicate an actual value, and the sending units are always sporadic on their output.

I have the factory one and a mechaical Autometer in my car. I've watched oil pressure drop 30 psi on the Autometer gauge while the factory one didn't budge. And there's times at idle when I have 15 psi oil pressure, and the factory one is riding right at the middle. Like I said, the factory one is only good to tell you if there's pressure or not. It's useless for determining 'how much'.

Get a good aftermarket gauge and see where you're really at. As long as you have at least 10 psi at idle and no more than 70-80 psi at redline, then you're OK.
 
My first concern would be to find out where all the oil went. If both the gauge and light are showing low pressure, there is definitely an issue. They use 2 separate sending units so its unlikely for them to both fail at the same time.
 
Alright got to check it out some today . I was infact wrong about the oil loss I'm not sure how but when I checked it a couple days ago it showed empty checked after the car sat for 3 days it was actually 2 quarts over filled . Drained out the excess stock guage was showing same pressure it had before the change .Took it for a drive to pick up a new valve cover and oil pan gasket . After about 30 minutes driving dummy light started coming on whenever I pushed in the clutch or sat at idle went back off and pressure climbed once rpms went over the 1k mark . Drove it about 30 more minutes no signs of problems aside from dummy light no chatty lifters or anything like that . Planning to try and install an aftermarket guage probly tomarrow so should have more info soon
 
I dont plan to on a regular basis only to try it out as I try various things
 
Havent really had time to try anything yet but a few mechanics have described my problem to seem to think its my main seal and bearings and will require a rebuild or new engine plan to drop the oil pan when i get a chance and check clearences and look for any signs of wear before i take there word for it . I just find it hard to believe as strong and smooth as this car runs
 
I finally got a chance to work on this thing I found the wires to the sensors were pretty much thrashed . So I rewired them and took it for a drive after about 30 minutes the guage read low but no dummy light . After getting home I revved the engine a few times just to see how far it would drop and the next thing I know I'm surrounded in steam . So I immediately shut it down and popped the hood to find antifreeze spewing from the drivers side front of the engine so now I'm thinking most likely the head gasket needs replaced . Planning to get all new gaskets hoses belts basicly everything for a basic rebuild since I have found several oil leaks and the car does have almost 180,000 miles on it so I'm sure fresh gaskets will help it alot
 
Damn I'm sorry to hear that. Welcome to DSM's haha jk. Maybe the o-ring on the water pipe to pump blew? Just double check everything to make sure that's what's wrong. I've replaced a few things that weren't broke LOL oh well live and learn. Also when you say basic rebuild were you referring to the cylinder head or entire motor? Keep us posted
 
Basicly what I ment is I'm planning to replace every gasket/seal on the engine along with belts and hoses as well also think I'm gonna go ahead and have the bottom end internals checked out and turn it into a full rebuild if needed . I'd love to just flat out completely rebuild the engine but seeing as I dont have the workspace to do so or the experience working inside the block gonna leave some aspects to a pro
 
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