Oil pressure problem!
 

A day ago i started noticing the my oil pressure under acceleration will drop off alittle regardless of what rpm i may be in. also when the boost kicks in hard it drops nearly to zero i saw that so i let off quickly. as soon as i let off my oil pressure wold come back up to a normal lvl. checked my oil and it was retartedly low. put more oil in it dusint do it quite as bad as befor but still drops under any kina acceleration. the more acceleration the more it drops off. now the wearied part is that when reving the motor in neutral the oil pressure will clime properly.

i have looked around some ppl say that if the oil is low the little oil u have can flow to the rear of the pan creating a drop in pressure do to the oil sending unit is in the front of the pan. so they said run alittle over normal amount of oil should fix this.

another i have hear is the oil pressure switch may have gone bad and or gauge as well.

im really hoping that its not oil pump. also the car seams to run and perform as if there are no problems at all its just the gauge reading.

ok update after adding about .5Q over recommended the oil pressure is now back to were it needs to be.

Everything you are saying is typical of either a loose or broken oil pickup in the pan. Need to look into that - if it fails it will terminate the engine.

ok whats the best way to inspect the pic up.

About the easiest way is to drain the oil and put a scope into the pan through the drain bung. The best is to remove the pan.

Pull the oil pan off :( not very fun, brings back memories of my time resealing it and adding my oil pan brace.

From what I remember when I did the job, doesn't the oil pan have enough baffles in it to block the view of the pick-up attachment point? Maybe you could poke the sump screen with something and see if it is loose?

years ago I pulled apart an engine recently rebuilt by a shop out in TX.... the pair of 10mm head bolts weren't tightened on the pickup tube, and the internals of the motor were fragged. Both rotors smacked all three irons, the bearings were fused onto the e-shaft. It was pretty ugly.

damn from the sound of it i might as well save for the street ported complete block i was linking into.

Are you referring to the factory oil pressure gauge? Those things are never accurate and typically do not work correctly, even for a "dummy gauge".

Just a thought

I agree, first thing to do is back up that oil pressure reading with a gauge or something. Oil pressure is just dependant on RPM, not load, so revving the car in the driveway will tell you what you need to know.

Should be around 30psi at idle, 60psi at 3000 RPM and going up from there. Double-check the shop manual on these figures.

Oil pressure problems are uncommon on rotaries. If you are still having problems, do an oil/filter change and see how you are after that.

Next step would be removing the oil pan, which is a pain in the ass. As stated, a messed up oil pickup or a clogged oil pickup could be the problem. If that's not it, pull the motor. Something weird is going on. But, again, be SURE it's an oil pressure problem with a gauge, the stock sender/gauge is not reliable.

Dale

I also would suspect the the oil pressure sender first.
On the 3rd gen this is probably the most unreliable part on the entire car.
I always have a new one on the shelf as they can work for years or maybe just a few months before they start to give "flakey" readings.
The other thing with a 3rd gen that effects readings is fuel dilution of the oil.
Unless the engine has been recently apart I would not focus on the oil pickup being loose.
Get a new sender (yes they are overpriced) and change your oil. If you still have a pressure problem then take it to someone with a bore scope to check the pickup.

oil dilution i know is not the prob bc when i first started geting funny readings i put new oil in her any how after bringin the oil levels to proper lvl and everything the readings seam fine under load and everything but as soon as i get into high boost the needle starts to quiver and fall wall its quivering. the moter has not been apart. ive been trying to track down an oil leak. it was originaly coming from the return line stoped that but still seams there is a small leak somewhere on the passenger side.

oil pressure sender
 

I agree completely. I have replaced the oil pressure sender twice now. Problem went away after each. Mazda should redesign or recall the darn things, or a replacement/aftermarket one should be found...

Turbos leaking? Mine do since the rebuilts were put in. Need a big pan in the garage.

Replace the oil sending unit first and tell us what happens.

120,000 miles and I'm on my 4th sender. Still hoping to find a replacement that works with stock components. Also, be sure to check the wire connection to the sender. This frequently gets loose, dirty, etc.