low oil pressure = new engine??!!
 

I took my car to the shop to get it looked at. My oil pressure light came on a couple of times when first starting up, and it need an oil change also. So I take it in and they say "low oil pressure, needs a new motor". Is that the only fix to low oil pressure? What about an oil pump? I just want to make sure they are not jumping the gun and trying to get one in me. Surely there are other items that could go wrong to cause this.

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated....

When the oil pressure light comes on it means that it's low on oil. Put in a quart and it'll go off.

Re: low oil pressure = new engine??!!
 

The light means that you are WAY low on oil. Check your oil everytime you get gas, especially if you've been driving hard. Our motors have oil injectors that inject oil into the combustion chamber to lube the apex seals. The more you get on the car the more it should inject. So oil level SHOULD go down over time.

FYI, I drove my car for a long time with low oil pressure, my oil press. gauge had gone bad for a long time. The last time my motor got rebuilt some o-ring or other got pinched during assembly of the front cover is what we found out afterwards. Anyway, I didn't realize I in fact had low oil press. until I'd installed an Autometer oil press. gauge.

In short, my engine is still running strong.

Thanks for the heads up on the oil. I had checked it about a month ago and noticed it could have used a little and didn't think it would have dropped that quickly. I know better for the future now....

Let me ask this now, if my oil pressure at idle is hovering around 10 psi, can that be an idication of something bigger going on? I know it is supposed to fluctuate with RPM's but I thought at idle around 30 is normal. ??

I haven't had anything done under the hood so let's assume the lines are not tampered or impaired in any way. The oil pump could just be the culprit couldn't it? The lack of oil isn't going to affect the oil pressure, right?

Red '94 PEP
57,700 miles
original motor

Oil pressure senders on our cars are POS..I've went though 3 or them already...getting very old...quick This is most likely the problem then actual low oil pressure

Thanks Johnny-

I'll have them look at it with a legit oil pressure gauge and see what it looks like.

The three that you have gone through so quick, what type are they? Factory or something else? Is it the actual gauge or in between the gauge and motor?

Thanks-

Yes factory.. I guess I should state I have had 2 3rd gens...for about a total of 8 years now....mine current one is reading 10 again :doh:

Other than the factory gauge do you have anything else monitoring oil pressure? Makes me nervous to have a gauge reading 10 and just faith that it is really ok. I guess I don't have my finger on the pulse of my car just yet....