Can Anyone Help Me? Advise?
 

Ok, well, I added on to my other thread (found HERE), but no one is responding, so Im starting a fresh one to catch your attention again :). Below is a copy of what I posted there. I need some advise, or something :). Thanks guys :).

Anyway, thats all for now. Thanks agian guys :).

I hope its normal, cause mines got the same things going on.

mines is the same way wont go barely past the 60:confused:

Yeah, I used to get like 80 PSI when I revved to like 5-6K, but now it wont go over 60 PSI, ever! Im kinda worried about it. I was thinking that I fried something, but if you guys are getting the same results, I guess I can live with it. Im just not gonna like it :(.

~T.J.

well if you do alot of spirited driving maybe i would be worried but considering i have an automatic you know i dont go past 4k if even that :)

Well, looks like my worries were justified. I was driving a friend home tonight, and all of a sudden my oil PSI gauge dropped to like 25 PSI while crusing down the road. I pulled over immediatly, and the with the clutch in at an idle, I had ZERO pressure. I shut her down and looked for an answer. No leaks, no loose connections, nothing out of the ordinary. I know the sender is good (well, was good) because I swapped it out just a little while ago for one that was in the junk yard. It worked fine and accurate until tonight, and I can only assume its telling the truth still, and I now have 0 pressure :(. Im seriously going to cry. I know the oil pump is just under the front cover and its the 4 bolts, but to get to it the engine has to come out, I need new gaskets, not to mention the damn pump. Im just so mad and sad at the same time, I dont know what the hell to do.

~T.J.

I doubt it's the pump. Those things rarely fail. It's likely the connections, or the sender. Add an aftermarket sender to your little Oil block to make sure.

Your whole oil system has increased in displacement, volume, size, and the oil pump will not be able to keep the same pressure over such a larger area than previously.

I think you're fine. Check it out to make sure, but relax, it;s not a big deal. Even if it is the oil pump, you can access it relatively easily by removing the radiator/fan combo. No need to remove the engine.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Well, Im glad to hear that the pumps rarely fail.

I was going to add another gauge to my block, but I dont fucking have one :(.

I realize its gotten bigger, but I think that suddenly showing 0 PSI at an idle, and 25 PSI at a cruise rather than the 30 PSI at an idle and the 60 PSI at a cruise it was showing earlier the same day is a little odd. Just the fact that it would suddenly drop off and get all weird on me...That just has me tweaking out.

Also, how the hell can you take the front over off to get to the pump without taking the engine out, or at least off of the front mount? And, as far as taking the radiator out, I just now got fresh coolant and water in my radiator today for the first time since its been on the road, I dont wanna just drain it all out after half a day :(.

Im just really mad cause I cant do shit without money. I need to have this working so I can get to my court assigned community service or Im in deep shit. I just dont know what Im gonna do.

~T.J.

FYI, the FSM lists the following reasons I might have low oil pressure. I plan on trying all these ideas first.

1. Oil Leakage
2. Insufficient Oil
3. Worn Or Damaged Oil Pump Gear
4. Malfunctioning Of Oil Pressure Regulator
5. Clogged Oil Strainer
6. Malfunction Of Oil Safty Valve (What the hell is this :confused: )
7. Clogged Oil Filter
8. Excessive Eccentric Shaft And Bearing Clearance

So there ya go. For anyone that wonders or searches. Luckily I have another oil filter Im gonna try and put on right now...

~T.J.

i hear that the stock sender they are a little screwy, they dont read right anyway. you should better get a autometer oil pressure gauge or put a regular oil pressure gauge in you car and start the car with it before you do anything else. and for removing the front cover with out taking the engine out, just jack the engine with a engine jack or use a floor jack witha piece of wood to hold the engine by the oil pan mean while you have the cover out.

Hence the reason for the oil block I put in :)...I just dont have any gauges or money for gauges yet :(.

~T.J.

yeah but you can rent a oil pressure gauge in autozone. and check the oil pressure with that.

Most likely only the sender.
Oil pressure can appear to "stick" at some value, then after a while return to a "normal" reading. Blame it on a dirty/worn regulator. This can show up when changing oil viscosity or other things that would change what the regulator usually sees. Check the oil pressure for real or find another sender before worring about the pump.
If it IS the pump, the motor needs to be raised a little (off the front mounts) to free the oil pan from the front cover. Once that has room, the front cover will come off, no need to pull the motor.

Thanks, but once again, "rent" implys needing money :(.

~T.J.

Ok, I just went and tinkered on it some cause I cant sleep and Im pissed...

1. No leaks that I can find.
2. Oil is full
3. This is what Im worried of.
4. How do I check this?
5. This is possible I guess...
6. Like I said before, what the hell is this?
7. Tried a different new filter, same pressure readings
8. This doesnt sound good.

Also, I put a second stock sender unit I had laying around in one of the extra ports on the block, its showing the EXACT same pressure readings :(. Im really getting worried now. That coupled with the weird noise I had first though to be an odd resonating of the oil cooler has me worried. I noticed that although the sound seems to be coming from the cooler, if I grab the lines they vibrate with the noise. The vibrations feel stronger right by the front cover than the cooler. I would think that the vibrations would be stronger towards the source of the noise, right? Its almost as if the lines are carrying the noise to the cooler where its resonating out. Does that sound possible? If this noise is the pump, that could explain some stuff, like the low oil pressure. I dont know, I guess I need to just get a mechanical gauge on there and check it. I dont really trust the stock electrical gauge. And everyone was telling me to get electrical gauges for my A pillar...Fuck that.

~T.J.

1. If it isn't leaking externally then this can't be your problem unless you some how blew out your o-ring that is between the front plate and your front cover (highly doubtful).
2. check
3. I'd be really surprised if your oil pump is shot. They don't go bad unless you either A) run contamination through them or B) have a clogged suction strainer.
4. This could be a possibility. If your cooler had a little piece of junk in it that you didn't get out it could have found it's way to the rear oil pressure relief causing it to not close completly.
5. Pretty doubtful, it would take a lot of junk to clog your suction strainer that fast.
6. I'm assuming they are refering to the pressure relief that is in your front cover. It's there to relieve pressure that is too high if your cooler gets clogged. I doubt this also as the problem.
7. check
8. if this is the problem you got big worries, but another unlikely.

out of all the suggestions I'd go with either a stuck relief or a dirty cooler. Just my .02

yeah but you dont have any friend that you can borow one? dont get mad at me, im just helping :D

Ok, well I kinda fixed it. Its a long story, but Ill just tell you now that its at least driving and moving :).

~T.J.

I 'm with DF, you now have a whole 'new' oil/cooling
system.now how much do you think the cooler and lines
hold. i'd say about a quart. get a oil dipstick from a car that came with an air/oil cooler.My cooler does not get 'hot' warm, thats it. it's also a brand new cooler from mazdatrix. try another sender, add oil, and you don't want the cooler up higher then the center of the engine. in other words going up hill.. get it ? even more work on the oil system. You'll get it, man . no over engineering and keep an eye and ear peeled, like your doing.

Ok, first of all, Autozone will loan you the gauge, you only have to put down a deposit so they know you'll return it. If you need to remove the cover, you have to support the engine, remove the brace, and un bolt it. FYI read this first so you know about the pitfalls of this.

http://www.mazdatrix.com/faq/pulley.htm

It sounds to me like your oil cooler is causing the porblem. Are you sure you got that thing clean b4 you installed it? It might have a clog. Or your filter may be clogged with trash. replace your filter and see if it helps.

If you need to drain the coolant, use a clean bucket so you can pour it back in. :)

If your desperate, I can send you a good hardline and you can restore it to stock beehive for now till you figure out whats up? I can also put a test gauge in the box and you can send it back when your done. PM me if you need help. :)

Having the oil cooler up higher then the center of the engine isn't going to make any difference at all, maybe add 1 or 2 psi but thats about it.

The oil pump isn't going to know that he has increased the total volume of the oiling system. Oil doesn't compress so it's not like adding more volume to a air system in which case the pump woulden't keep the same pressure.

Right, the only difference is going to be the added capacity.

Well, as I said before, its working now. My oil pressure is restored, I borrowed a gauge from my uncle. Im getting 35 PSI at an idle (25 on the stock gague), and 65 PSI at 3,000 RPMs (55 on the stock gauge). Anything over 3,000 RPMs the oil pressure still increases as usual on the mechanical gauge I added, even thought the stock gauge wont go over 60 PSI :confused:. Oh well, at least I have good oil pressure. I will type the "whole story" when I get home and can upload pictures and everything. Im at a friends right now (I drove here in my car :D), but Ill update you all later :).

~T.J.

i told you those stock oil sender unid are screwy. i dont trust them for nothing.