Low oil pressure (I think) - GT-R Register - Official Nissan Skyline and GTR Owners Club forum

BLZBUBB · 30th July 2005, 12:15 AM

My R32 seems to suddenly have very low oil pressure. The needle is actually on 0 at startup but the warning light is not on. If i blip the throttle it doesn't really move .... then suddenly it jumps up to 2 where it will then happily sit a idle and where it stays regardless of what revs the car is doing.

Now if I’m to believe what the gauge is telling me I’m fairly sure i should be very worried.

There are two things that make me think that the gauge may be telling porkies:

1: Having just fitted Apexi power intake induction kit I’m wondering if i have got a dodgy connection to the sensor which i have disturbed somehow???

2: The other possibility is that another problem i have at the moment with a dodgy alternator which is causing me to have really dim lights when i first start the car, is somehow effecting the power supply to the gauge. Is that a possibility or is that just wishful thinking on my part?

How reliable are the standard oil pressure gauges in an R32?

Any ideas on things I can eliminate before panicking more than i am now and resigning myself to a possibly large bill??

Peter · 30th July 2005, 12:56 AM

More than likely the oil pressure sender is faulty. There are 10 zillion threads about this known weakness on here, hit the search button mate...

Daz · 30th July 2005, 09:51 AM

BLZBUBB - probably a faulty Oil Pressure Sender Unit and / or a faulty gauge.

I had my sender unit changed while my car was in having the turbo's done. I think my gauge is also faulty (going off what it displays anyway).

If you are worried about it, take it to a specialist and ask them to check it out.

BLZBUBB · 30th July 2005, 11:00 AM

Cheers guys.
I did do a search but this is one of those things where I see a possibly large bill heading my way so thought it was best to ask

I'm just about to order some Defi gauges including a Oil pressure gauge... do these come with a sender?

vennuth · 30th July 2005, 12:54 PM

Mine had exactly the same symptoms and the sender was broken... along with the oil pump, resulting in a full bottom end rebuild. Be very gentle (or preferably don't drive it at all) untill you know what pressure it's making. Good luck, fingers crossed it's just the sender.

BLZBUBB · 30th July 2005, 02:46 PM

Ok thats a little worrying!

I have just started it up and have been trying to diagnose the problem.

When it first started the pressure went straight up to just below 6. I let the car run and as the water temperature reached its normal place the pressure was around 4. I left it running to see what effect the oil temperature would have. As the oil temp got to 75-80ish (which is about as high as it will go without driving it) the pressure read around 2 until I blipped the throttle and it dropped to just between 0 and 2! I turned the car off and let it sit for a minute then turned it on again. This time the reading was 0! until i blipped the throttle again and the alternator kicked in and it went up slightly to about 1/4 of the way between 0 and 2.

Now assuming for the moment that the gauge is ok, to me this would point to a knackered pump

stealth · 30th July 2005, 03:05 PM

A mate of mines GTR 33 had this problem a few months back ,changed the pump as it was bugg*rd and then changed the bottom end shells as a precaution .The shells were just showing a slight sign of wear and cost about 90 quid ,he did it himself as he is a Mechanic ,all has been fine since

vennuth · 30th July 2005, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BLZBUBB

Ok thats a little worrying!

I have just started it up and have been trying to diagnose the problem.

When it first started the pressure went straight up to just below 6. I let the car run and as the water temperature reached its normal place the pressure was around 4. I left it running to see what effect the oil temperature would have. As the oil temp got to 75-80ish (which is about as high as it will go without driving it) the pressure read around 2 until I blipped the throttle and it dropped to just between 0 and 2! I turned the car off and let it sit for a minute then turned it on again. This time the reading was 0! until i blipped the throttle again and the alternator kicked in and it went up slightly to about 1/4 of the way between 0 and 2.

Now assuming for the moment that the gauge is ok, to me this would point to a knackered pump

I'm not entirely sure - if it does read 6 bar from cold at some point then then pump can't be completely shot... mine only ever went to 2 bar max after I had the sender changed.

Stealth - my shells were completely and utterly worn... i.e. down to the copper

Pikey · 30th July 2005, 04:14 PM

That sounds like a knackered sender / wiring / gauge to me

Get a garage to remove the oil pressure switch and replace it with a proper mechanical oil pressure gauge. Then you really will know what's what.

Its no more than about 15 minutes work, so shouldnt cost you a packet.

vennuth · 30th July 2005, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pikey

That sounds like a knackered sender / wiring / gauge to me

Get a garage to remove the oil pressure switch and replace it with a proper mechanical oil pressure gauge. Then you really will know what's what.

Its no more than about 15 minutes work, so shouldnt cost you a packet.

Good advice.

How's your car going?

BLZBUBB · 30th July 2005, 04:53 PM

Cheers guys. I'm going to try and get a mechanical gauge on it and see what’s going on. Is the another more accessible point where i can get a reading from? If I’m reading the engine manual correctly the pressure switch is right down by the filter which will be a pain to get to. Again thanks for the help.

Pikey · 30th July 2005, 05:04 PM

It really isnt that bad, nowhere near as bad as getting to the filter. Its a big gold cylinder thing. 17mm thread IIRC

vennuth - car isnt going anywhere for the moment, just up on ramps while we sort this damn gearbox mount out. It should be ready to roll sometime next week

vennuth · 30th July 2005, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pikey

It really isnt that bad, nowhere near as bad as getting to the filter. Its a big gold cylinder thing. 17mm thread IIRC

vennuth - car isnt going anywhere for the moment, just up on ramps while we sort this damn gearbox mount out. It should be ready to roll sometime next week

Bet you can't wait

BLZBUBB · 30th July 2005, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pikey

It really isnt that bad, nowhere near as bad as getting to the filter. Its a big gold cylinder thing. 17mm thread IIRC

Hmm I cant even get my hand to it? I'm going to try and get my hands on a gauge tomorrow and give it a go. The problem is it's my daily driver so I really need it. If I manage to get the pressure test done and it does show a knackered pump I cant really drive it to a garage.

Anyone know what pressure levels i should be expecting cold and warm??? (assuming i manage to get a gauge and manage to actually dislocate all my fingers and get to the pressure switch).

vennuth · 31st July 2005, 10:54 AM

Starting from cold you should see at least 5 bar at idle, preferably close on 6 - once warm you should see over 4 bar on boost past ~4k rpm.

30th July 2005, 12:15 AM	#1 (permalink)
BLZBUBB GTR Register Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Surrey Posts: 101	Low oil pressure (I think) My R32 seems to suddenly have very low oil pressure. The needle is actually on 0 at startup but the warning light is not on. If i blip the throttle it doesn't really move .... then suddenly it jumps up to 2 where it will then happily sit a idle and where it stays regardless of what revs the car is doing. Now if I’m to believe what the gauge is telling me I’m fairly sure i should be very worried. There are two things that make me think that the gauge may be telling porkies: 1: Having just fitted Apexi power intake induction kit I’m wondering if i have got a dodgy connection to the sensor which i have disturbed somehow??? 2: The other possibility is that another problem i have at the moment with a dodgy alternator which is causing me to have really dim lights when i first start the car, is somehow effecting the power supply to the gauge. Is that a possibility or is that just wishful thinking on my part? How reliable are the standard oil pressure gauges in an R32? Any ideas on things I can eliminate before panicking more than i am now and resigning myself to a possibly large bill?? Last edited by BLZBUBB; 30th July 2005 at 12:18 AM.

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30th July 2005, 12:56 AM	#2 (permalink)
Peter GTR Register Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: East Sussex. Posts: 9,029	More than likely the oil pressure sender is faulty. There are 10 zillion threads about this known weakness on here, hit the search button mate...

30th July 2005, 09:51 AM	#3 (permalink)
Daz GTR Register Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: In the South Posts: 6,017	BLZBUBB - probably a faulty Oil Pressure Sender Unit and / or a faulty gauge. I had my sender unit changed while my car was in having the turbo's done. I think my gauge is also faulty (going off what it displays anyway). If you are worried about it, take it to a specialist and ask them to check it out.

30th July 2005, 11:00 AM	#4 (permalink)
BLZBUBB GTR Register Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Surrey Posts: 101	Cheers guys. I did do a search but this is one of those things where I see a possibly large bill heading my way so thought it was best to ask I'm just about to order some Defi gauges including a Oil pressure gauge... do these come with a sender?

30th July 2005, 12:54 PM	#5 (permalink)
vennuth GTR Register Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Coventry Posts: 2,215	Mine had exactly the same symptoms and the sender was broken... along with the oil pump, resulting in a full bottom end rebuild. Be very gentle (or preferably don't drive it at all) untill you know what pressure it's making. Good luck, fingers crossed it's just the sender.

30th July 2005, 02:46 PM	#6 (permalink)
BLZBUBB GTR Register Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Surrey Posts: 101	Ok thats a little worrying! I have just started it up and have been trying to diagnose the problem. When it first started the pressure went straight up to just below 6. I let the car run and as the water temperature reached its normal place the pressure was around 4. I left it running to see what effect the oil temperature would have. As the oil temp got to 75-80ish (which is about as high as it will go without driving it) the pressure read around 2 until I blipped the throttle and it dropped to just between 0 and 2! I turned the car off and let it sit for a minute then turned it on again. This time the reading was 0! until i blipped the throttle again and the alternator kicked in and it went up slightly to about 1/4 of the way between 0 and 2. Now assuming for the moment that the gauge is ok, to me this would point to a knackered pump

30th July 2005, 03:05 PM	#7 (permalink)
stealth New Users Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: somewhere over the rainbow ( not far from Jeff ) Posts: 3,293	A mate of mines GTR 33 had this problem a few months back ,changed the pump as it was bugg*rd and then changed the bottom end shells as a precaution .The shells were just showing a slight sign of wear and cost about 90 quid ,he did it himself as he is a Mechanic ,all has been fine since

30th July 2005, 04:14 PM	#9 (permalink)
Pikey GTR Register Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Cheltenham Posts: 4,151	That sounds like a knackered sender / wiring / gauge to me Get a garage to remove the oil pressure switch and replace it with a proper mechanical oil pressure gauge. Then you really will know what's what. Its no more than about 15 minutes work, so shouldnt cost you a packet.

30th July 2005, 04:53 PM	#11 (permalink)
BLZBUBB GTR Register Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Surrey Posts: 101	Cheers guys. I'm going to try and get a mechanical gauge on it and see what’s going on. Is the another more accessible point where i can get a reading from? If I’m reading the engine manual correctly the pressure switch is right down by the filter which will be a pain to get to. Again thanks for the help.

30th July 2005, 05:04 PM	#12 (permalink)
Pikey GTR Register Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Cheltenham Posts: 4,151	It really isnt that bad, nowhere near as bad as getting to the filter. Its a big gold cylinder thing. 17mm thread IIRC vennuth - car isnt going anywhere for the moment, just up on ramps while we sort this damn gearbox mount out. It should be ready to roll sometime next week

31st July 2005, 10:54 AM	#15 (permalink)
vennuth GTR Register Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Coventry Posts: 2,215	Starting from cold you should see at least 5 bar at idle, preferably close on 6 - once warm you should see over 4 bar on boost past ~4k rpm.