I have a 96 Chevy c2500 with 165k miles. When cold the oil gauge reads between 20-40 psi and between 40-60 when cruising. When the engine is warm at idle the gauge reads close to zero and cruising around 30-40psi. The gauge would bounce around quite a bit so I thought the sender was bad. I replaced the sender this afternoon and the gauge no longer bounces around but there was basically no change in reading. So Im stuck on what to do. The engine runs perfectly smooth and it does not burn oil. I know that the gauges on these late 90's trucks are known for going bad. So maybe the gauge is bad? Or maybe I need a new oil pump, possibly an engine rebuild?
Any advice would be appreciated!
Check the pressure with a manual gauge.
I put a manual gauge on it and it gets the same readings. When the truck runs at 2000rpm the oil pressure is at 40psi. Could this be a bad oil pump?
I put a manual gauge on it and it gets the same readings. When the truck runs at 2000rpm the oil pressure is at 40psi. Could this be a bad oil pump?
It could be a bad pump oil or worn engine.
Get a dry/wet compression test done. If it's good, drop the pan and get a new oil pump.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmR--EYH4TQ
When cold the oil gauge reads between 20-40 psi and between 40-60 when cruising. When the engine is warm at idle the gauge reads close to zero and cruising around 30-40psi.
sounds just fine for a 26yo engine with high miles.
Rule of thumb is 10 PSI for every 1,000 RPM.
