Interesting sequence of events..

[gizzardio]

Hi

Just putting a recent experience with oil pressure on here in case anyone else has the same thing happen (albeit unlikely) and may find it useful.

I changed the oil a few weeks ago. Put in fully synth 15W50 as advised by our friendly opie oil man based on the fact I dont use the car much in winter and had a track day coming up. Previous oil was 20W50 mineral. This is not meant to start an oil type / choice thread off BTW so lets leave that there...

Started car and found cold idle showing about 65Psi when previously it was 50Psi. Not overly concerned. Then when driven and revved over 2500rmp + oil pressure shot up to 75Psi and would climb matching rev pattern. Weird I thought since new oil should not be much more viscous hot or cold (cold should be less). When hotter after being driven or so for 15mins it would be at 45Psi but it would still climb to 65-70Psi. I didnt go up to 5k rpm as was a bit concerned with this large increase in pressure with no obvious cause.

So I leave the car a few weeks as had it booked into a garage on Sat to get it checked with manual gauge and now when ran the pressure sits at about 55Psi cold idle and doesnt really go past 60Psi under revs with engine hot or cold. THEN my oil pressure gauge plummets to zero and stays there. SH8t. I kill the engine, look for a massive pool of oil but nothing there. Weird. Start the car again and back to 50Psi and steady. I nurse car home about half a mile with the gauge intermittently dropping to zero but when revved leaps back to 50Psi. Nice men at AA take car to garage on truck and manual gauge shows normal readings indicating a faulty sender. Interestingly the gauge shows 25Psi on hot idle and 60Psi on cold. Garage think all is fine to drive based on this. Take it home and gauge shows 25Psi all way home on idle and 55Psi max under any revs with needle intermittently flicking all over the place.

I dont normally believe in coincedences and to have a previously solid sender/gauge fail at the exact same time I change the oil and experience much higher pressures seems odd to me. But there we have it..


Rob

Ps

know of oil pressure sender that isnt as dear as ones on racetech or clevor trevor etc?

[v8s4me]

I had a similar problem on mine and, like you, cured it with a new sender. Got mine from TVR Car Parts but that door might still be closed at the moment (£44.94).

This one is in the classifieds but it may not work with our guages

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3724946.htm

Have you tried the local motor factors?

[Colin RedGriff]

Check the connector on the sender under the car. I had a similar thing happen on my Griff and spade terminal wasn't creating a good connection on the sender. You might have knocked it while under the car.

[gizzardio]

Cheers for that. I'll check out the wiring again. Could well have bashed it twisting oil filter off. If new sender required then that 21 quid one on the link looks like value.

Rob

[v8s4me]

gizzardio said:

....then that 21 quid one on the link looks like value.
Rob

But only if it's compatible. It looks like it has two terminals whereas the one I have on my V8S only has one.

Might be worth keeping an eye on the classifieds as I'm sure I've seen the single terminal ones crop up quite regularly.

[gizzardio]

Always good to finish a story I started esp with good news. Bought the sender advised on eBay, fitted it today, oil pressure a solid 55 psi on revs when hot. V pleased. Once again this forum proves how invaluable it is! Cheers for the assistance.

Rob