Hey guys. I had a rebuild about a month ago. The oil pressure has since shown as close to zero. when i'm gunning it at 4000rpm or so, it does show up as 2 (psi I take it). Anyways, my question is, could this be a result of the apex seals not being worn into the grooves yet? I mean, i expected poor compression for a month or so... but the oil pressure has been like this ever since the rebuild. before the rebuild, the oil pressure would be 2 at idle, and 4 at regular cruising speed at 2500 rpm. What could this be? I don't think i have a leak... but within that month, the car did go through 1/4 quart of oil.
Thanks
-Ross

 

So you have checked the oil pressure with a mechanical gauge?

 

1/4 of a quart?????? Regular cars are kind of supposed to go through a quart a month....if yours is a rotary and going through that little I wouldn't worry to much.

 

Thanks Gefunk, i wanted to hear that lol
But yeah, i havent checked with a mechanical gauge... i'm relying on the stock gauge (because it worked fine last summer)... could very well be dead... maybe the sensor is f$%ked... either way... any suggestions?

 

1/4 quart is perfectly normal, if you haven't revved the car much since rebuild. Check the connection at the pressure sensor and then just swap it out with another used one to see the difference before you do any thing major.

 

well i've taken it racing once... meaning i took it to the redline only three times for very brief periods ... and that was bout 5000 miles after the rebuild

 

mines was doing the same... at high rpm it would go to 60 psi allways and over 2800 it would go to 60 psi but when i reached idle like at 1000 it would drop slowly from 45 to 30 to 15 to 10 to 1.... and it turned it out it was the pressure sensor unit.. so i got an air-fuel and oil pressure mechanical gauge... on the pillar and the mechanical gauge works perfectly.. stays at 45 and above

 

yeah, my gauge will drop from 30 psi very slowly at idle to about 10psi and then climb back a little to 20psi and then stay there and then fall again..........The moral of the story is it needs replaced.
Oh by the way, you should have a capacitor to which the sensor is connected. It sits on the tranny bellhousing. That is supposed to stabilize the readings.

 

it's not that it's unstable... its that it's low what possible problems could be associated with low oil pressure?

 

My car at idle reads about 30 PSI and at wot is reads just below 60. So that is good right????

 

very good

 

k, just making sure. Thanks

 

DANGER, you're possibly going to kill your motor due to oil starvation!
Get your oil pressure checked with a known, good mechanical oil pressure gauge fast!
There's a good chance the o-ring in the front cover has blown out.
Mazdatrix has good write-up on this:
http://www.mazdatrix.com/faq/oring.htm



-Ted

 

If the pressure sensor unit is not working properly, will this destroy your engine? I think that if you check your oil on a regular basis and it's not low, why worry about a sensor Why not just by a accurate gauge like 13B2QuIcKNy did or just check the dam oil level

 

Listen to Ted. The level of oil in the pan and the pressure in the system are two completely seperate things. You can have plenty of oil in the engine and none of it is getting where it is supposed to go because the o ring Ted refers to is blown out.

Immediately check the pressure with a mechanical gauge of good quality. If the pressure is indeed that low then you have serious mechanical problems.

 

My car reads 45 at idle, and between the 60 and 110(??) when wide open.....I think mine is healthy, oil pressure wise anyway.