Covious Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 I was driving to work yesterday when I noticed on my oil pressure gauge, it was reading 8-9 psi (warmed up, sender for gauge in a sandwich plate adapter) at idle, going back up to 55ish cruising at 60mph in 5th gear. That seems a bit low, and I might just say its the sender, but previously, it seemed to stay more in the 80 psi range when cruising and 25psi at idle. It was a little low on oil ( just a tiny bit under F, but last time I checked , it was above) so I added some more , and to no effect. Haven't looked behind the bottom cover, but its not leaving any oil on the ground. Is this a likely symptom of a broken oil pick-up? Car is a 05 LGT with a build date of Sep. 2004 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 What is idle rpm ? If there's no external leak, the next guess is a cracked oil pick up tube. Whats the build date on the car ? its inside the drivers door jam in the plate. Later 05-mid 06 had a issues with cracking oil pick up tubes. 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
compsurge Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 How do ambient temperatures compare? Is the oil you added the same as what was in there previously? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTBwrench Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 Would I be wrong in saying that 25psi at a warm (normal rpm) idle is a little high? My brand new longblock idles at ~14psi when warm, after 2000miles. But, maybe we shouldn't open up that can of worms I cheap way to check this, costing maybe $30, is to install a mechanical gauge in the oil galley plug under the TMIC, or in place of the oil pressure sender for the dash. Start it and let it warm up, and you'll get another reference for oil pressure. Since it's mechanical, its easy to remove when you're done. I had a setup like that for my first 1000 miles, just to keep an eye on things. Had the gauge zip-tied to the hood release cable housing. MTBwrench's Stage 3 5EAT #racewagon 266awhp/255awtq @17.5psi, Tuned By Graham of Boosted Performance Everyone knows what I taste like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Covious Posted July 10, 2015 Author Share Posted July 10, 2015 What is idle rpm ? If there's no external leak, the next guess is a cracked oil pick up tube. Whats the build date on the car ? its inside the drivers door jam in the plate. Later 05-mid 06 had a issues with cracking oil pick up tubes. Idle is normal, right about 600 when warmed up Build Date is 09/04 and yes that is what I've read about the pickup being an issue. How do ambient temperatures compare? Is the oil you added the same as what was in there previously? Ambient temps are the same , ~80F Oil is the same as well, Rotella 5w-40 Would I be wrong in saying that 25psi at a warm (normal rpm) idle is a little high? My brand new longblock idles at ~14psi when warm, after 2000miles. But, maybe we shouldn't open up that can of worms I cheap way to check this, costing maybe $30, is to install a mechanical gauge in the oil galley plug under the TMIC, or in place of the oil pressure sender for the dash. Start it and let it warm up, and you'll get another reference for oil pressure. Since it's mechanical, its easy to remove when you're done. I had a setup like that for my first 1000 miles, just to keep an eye on things. Had the gauge zip-tied to the hood release cable housing. Perhaps? I was under the impression that overpressure wasn't as serious as underpressure, and I knew that it was going to read higher simply because I had filled the oil a bit higher than F. I have an update as well, it seems to be getting worse, I drove 5 minutes at a constant 60 and watched as the psi started at 60, then crept down to 40 without changing anything, only to come to a stop, whereas it reads 5-7psi, ,but if i sit there stopped for 20 seconds, when i start to go again it jumps there right back up to 60, and will repeat the proccess of creeping down again.Is that because the stopped position allows more oil to drain down in the pan? Not driving the car anymore Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 600rpm. turn up the idle. is it a 5mt or 5eat ? By your first post I'm guessing its a 5mt, TURN up the idle 850 would be fine. My Tuner has increased the idle in both my cars. 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Covious Posted July 10, 2015 Author Share Posted July 10, 2015 600rpm. turn up the idle. is it a 5mt or 5eat ? Okay I lied, I was eyeballing the tach. RomRaider says 750rpm when it was more warmed up. It was just sitting in my driveway idling and by the time it warmed up, the pressure gauge was going between 6-9psi. I turn the car off, let it sit for 15 seconds, start it again, and it starts to read 55-60psi Car is a 5mt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quick4dr Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 i monitor my oil pressure regularly. warm idle sits low 20's cold idle 90, warm cruising 60-70s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Covious Posted July 11, 2015 Author Share Posted July 11, 2015 Went ahead and got the Killer B pickup tube , but upon removing the old one, I inspected it and couldn't find any leaks or cracks in the tube, which worries me even more because if that isn't broken , I don't know what else could be causing this condition Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holla Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 i monitor my oil pressure regularly. warm idle sits low 20's cold idle 90, warm cruising 60-70s This is what mine always is as well, using the oem Sti gauge set. 6-7 psi is very low. What gauge setup are you using? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Covious Posted July 12, 2015 Author Share Posted July 12, 2015 This is what mine always is as well, using the oem Sti gauge set. 6-7 psi is very low. What gauge setup are you using? Innovate Motorsports dual function oil temp/presure It was reading "normally" only a few days ago, so when I noticed it was reading this crazy low, I became worried, would rather not have to replace a short block at this time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quick4dr Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 Get an analog gauge on one of the galley plugs and check it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 Being old school, I only trust direct reading gauges, get a copper line kit for the direct oil pressure gauge and mount it under the dash or where ever. 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoyceWare Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 Went ahead and got the Killer B pickup tube , but upon removing the old one, I inspected it and couldn't find any leaks or cracks in the tube, which worries me even more because if that isn't broken , I don't know what else could be causing this condition Sorry, hope you figure it out. See my thread below, this was one of the first times I was excited to see something broken in my car. At least it solved my problem. http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/oil-light-flicker-startup-cracked-oil-pickup-tube-232877.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Covious Posted July 14, 2015 Author Share Posted July 14, 2015 Get an analog gauge on one of the galley plugs and check it out. Being old school, I only trust direct reading gauges, get a copper line kit for the direct oil pressure gauge and mount it under the dash or where ever. any particular brand or style of gauge or copper line? Don't want to cheap out or overspend . which galley is the best ? both the one under the alternator and under the IC look like a pain to hook a gauge up to. I replaced the pickup, old oil looked good, new filter and oil. Didn't help any. I really do think its the sender now, I started it up today, and it cold started at 100psi, only to descend quickly down to 40 within 10 seconds.It seems really dumb though, as I've only had the gauge for a few months maybe,thought stuff like that would last longer. I plan on finding someone that has an oil pressure tester gauge to hook it up and find out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome-psyapi2&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8&q=direct%20reading%20oil%20pressure%20gauge&oq=direct%20reading%20oil%20pressure%20&aqs=chrome.0.0j69i57.16737j1j8 Stewart-Warner is the brand that used to good back in the 1970's. They could be Stewart USA now. 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Covious Posted July 29, 2015 Author Share Posted July 29, 2015 Just to add an update, I weighed the costs, and instead of buying a gauge, line, adapters and labor, I just ended up buying a new sender for 20 bucks and installing it, and was in fact a bad sender that was causing low readings, the gauge reads much better now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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