Very high oil pressure

[mach1 mark]

Very high oil pressure; This engine is a relatively new build. About 6,000 miles on it. I have changed the oil 3 or 4 times already though its 6000 miles and never had a problem. I noticed just after the rebuild that the oil pressure was a little higher then the oil pressure on the old engine. Seemed reasonable to me: new engine, higher oil pressure.

But, recently I've noticed the oil pressure getting very high. Pegging the H on my idiot gauge in the car. The pressure drops down to about the middle of the gauge when I stop and ideal for a few minutes, then way back up to almost High when I punch the pedal.

The question is "what's the problem"; is there a bolt loose on the oil pump? Is the oil pump clogged? Is the relief valve in the pump stuck? Please chime in with any opinion. It would be appreciated. Thank you in advance.

 

[Mustang_Geezer]

Hook a mechanical gauge up to it and see what the actual pressure is and go from there.

Never trust a stock gauge!

Later,

 

[CobraSix]

Doug is right.

Always check the dash gauges with a mechanical gauge. It could be that a new gauge has a sligthly different voltage read out for the correct pressure.

Slade

 

[mach1 mark]

I'm actually hoping it is the gauge. But sense the gauge in the car is original and I've been driving the car the last 3 or 4 years and it always seem to be correct: Even with the rebuilt engine and new oil pressure sensor (two years old now), I'm kind-of doubting its the gauge. Although I really hope that's the problem.

Now that being said where can I get a "test oil pressure gauge"? Can I borrow one from auto zone?

I guess I put the first question about the oil pressure being high to see if anyone out there has had that problem. All I could find on the search is subjects about low oil pressure. So lets say the gauge is fine, What else do you think it could be? Or do you guys really think it is the gauge?

 

[Junk-Falcon]

i had these cheep oil filters i got from ebay and they would spike the oil psi ,, i went back to napa gold or ford and its right now ,, it would go to 60psi with the other filters and with napa its 45psi ,, just a thout

 

[mach1 mark]

Junk-falcon, I would never think that, but thanks for the info. I might change the oil and see what happens.

 

[The Plankster Prankster]

all i can think of that hasn't been mentioned is the viscosity of the oil you're running. if you're pumping 20w50 through it, that'd cause it!

my experience with oil pump problems (i had one whose shuttle valve would stick), it caused irradic oil pressure readings - it would spike to like 80 and drop sometimes to zero, doesn't sound like your problem,

and when you buy an aftermarket gage, they come in electric and mechanical, go mechanical!! i put an electric in the truck and its a bit weird (jumps 25psi if the lights are on). the mechanical one in my car works flawlessly.

and the other thing to think about, when your oil is cold it will have higher readings than when it's hot. when my car's cold it runs at 65psi regardless of rpm, takes about 15 minutes to warm the oil up, then cruises around 35psi and idles around 15, if i really rev it it'll get up to about 60psi.
i don't know your driving habits, but if it never runs for more than about 15 minutes at a time, you'll never see the warmed-up readings.

 

[flatford6]

If your fuel guage and water temp read high also the guage voltage regulator could be going away.

 

[CobraSix]

Prankster,

If you are having that kind of variation, your oil pump may be dieing. I have that variaton on my truck (except after it warms up at idle it drops to 0 and is 35PSI at 2000 RPM).

 

[mach1 mark]

Prankster , that reading does seem a little odd. I never had that type of fluctuation in my oil pressure gauge until now. Although I only have the stock gauge, it usually stays in the middle of the gauge. Now it goes from pegged on the high at 3000 rpm to just above the middle of the gauge at idle, 700 rpm. Maybe Prankster your having the same problem I'm having. Has this been normal for you?

I thought about the electrical spiking the gauge, but nothing else is erratic.

Anyway, I purchased a mechanical oil pressure gauge today, I'll try to install it this weekend. If anyone has any other thoughts chime in.

 

[The Plankster Prankster]

do my pressure reading seem weird because the cold readings are so high, or because there's such a wide variation? i run conventional 10w40 oil, usually shell or chevron brand. and the car i'm speaking of is my LTD with the 3.8v6. readings have been as described since i installed the gages shortly after i bought the car.
i've always been under the impression that if i have sufficent pressure and it's consistent, all is well.
Mark, it would appear that we are running similar pressures, just your gage reads a step too high. i would say it's normal to have a lower reading at idle and a higher one at higher revs, up to the point where the pump's shuttle valve relieves the pressure.
i would like to know what readings your car produces on a "real" gage.

 

[franko66]

Change the oil sending unit if an electrical gauge first.

 

[rbohm]

8) mark, before you change the sending unit, the oil filter(unless you are using an off brand filter, you fool if you are), change the IVR(instrument voltage regulator) especially if the temp gauge and/or the fuel level gauge are also showing signs of erratic readings as well. the IVR is located on the back of the instrument panel.

 

[gtm1086]

Make sure that you don't have to much oil in the motor. trust me it will peg your oil pressure

 

[The Plankster Prankster]

Make sure that you don't have to much oil in the motor. trust me it will peg your oil pressure

never seen that cause it - and we used to run a jeep 2 quarts high in the mornings (and 2 quarts low on the way home) with steady oil pressure the whole time.

not to say that you should run with an improper amount of oil - you should check to ensure it's correct.

 

[mach1 mark]

OK fixed the problem. I changed the oil and filter; This did not help. I also noticed that the temp gauge was running really high also, but I thought that was because I installed a large tans cooler in front of the radiator. I didn't think the gauge was wrong.

So, the bottom line, I did research (on this great site mostly) and figured because of everyone's advice that it must be the gauges. Found out that it was the Instrument Voltage Regulator (IVR) on the back of the instrument cluster panel.

I bought a new IVR before I opened the panel just in case, sure enough the IVR was not grounded to the panel. I installed the new IVR anyway. I checked all the readings with a mechanical gauge and they seem to be spot on. So, problem solved thanks for your help.