Oil light on and off - Good oil pressure (I think) & new pressure sensor

[SWRT]

Not sure what the oil pressure is supposed to be at idle, but without the car
super warmed up (around 850 rpm) it read 26 psi on the oil pressure gauge.
At 3000 RPM it was at 57psi. I believe this second number is in the right area
at least. No clue what it's supposed to be at idle. The gauge was one I bought
from Harbor Freight.

This one:

http://www.harborfreight.com/engine-oil-pressure-test-kit-98949.html

I just changed the sensor about a week ago because the oil light was flashing
occasionally on and off. It seems after it warms up it wants to be more present.

Could it be a faulty wire going to the sensor? Possibly a bad section of the gauge
cluster setting the light off? If anyone has any ideas I'd appreciate it.

[FestYboy]

The oil pressure switch is set at 6 psi... maybe the gauge isn't accurate?

[TominMO]

Start it up with a cold motor and tell us the reading at whatever it's idling at (high idle), then what it is when the motor is fully warmed and idling. I'm betting you will have ~15 psi when warmed up, which is fine.

[bravekozak]

Test the oil pressure with a mechanical gauge instead of an idiot light.
Then troubleshoot the electrical gauge if everything is in spec.

[TominMO]

Test the oil pressure with a mechanical gauge instead of an idiot light.
Then troubleshoot the electrical gauge if everything is in spec.

Brave, his HF kit is a mechanical gauge.

[ryanprins13]

Oil light on and off - Good oil pressure (I think) & new pressure sensor

What engine do you have? Cold pressure on my B3 goes up to 60psi at 3000rpm, about 45 ish at idle. Once hot its about 48psi at 3k rpm and 10psi idle. Depends what your idle is set at and what viscosity of oil your using as well as what engine probably. Sounds like its the wiring is at fault but drive it a bit more with the mechanical gauge. Was the new sensor new or just off another car?


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[SWRT]

I drove the car to church (about 40 minutes away) and back and let it sit for a good 20 minutes or so before getting
that reading. The idle on this car needs to be adjusted a bit. It's on the low end. Warmed up it idles about 600-650
I believe.

Normally I'd never drive with the oil light on, but it was off for a good week after I changed out the sensor, then turned
on a bit into driving and I figured if it's gonna die it's gonna die. Seemed fine though. No noises from the engine so it would
be hard for me to believe that it's experiencing oil starvation.

I'll have to test it another day, unfortunately. I have really bad shoulders so I have to be careful with how much I
do and the 22mm socket (or whatever it was) is over at a friends house.

It's whatever the stock Festiva engine is.

The mechanical gauge isn't one I'd feel comfortable running into the cockpit. The hose for it is it pretty
large so it wouldn't fit through well and I hate those little Sunpro gauges. The sensor was new from
RockAuto. AC Delco, I believe.

[tooldude]

If you have the stock push-on connector, check whether it's clean and has good tension, and for wire breaking at the crimp. If that's good, check that the bulb is making a tight connection to avoid chasing non-existant wiring problems.

[SWRT]

Not a bad idea. Hard as crap to see down there...stupid car and its need for air.
I'll give it a shot though.