oil presure

[phayze]

how do you know when you dont have enough oil presure or if your oil presure thing not working properly

[accordmaniac]

Oil pressure warning light will indicate problem with oil pressure.

warning light off: Normal
warning light on: you have problem!

[johnl]

how do you know

What exactly prompts you to ask this question?

when you dont have enough oil presure

The engine stops working accompanied by a lot of clattering noises (maybe even a loud 'bang' or two).

Or (/and...), the oil pressure light fails to go out, or flickers. This assumes the OP light is working. To be certain you can fit an aftermarket OP guage.

You may get clattering or knocking noises (as above), if so then stop and do not restart the engine.

or if your oil presure thing not working properly

The 'idiot light'? (aka the OP light). Have it checked by someone who knows how to check it.

[nostringz]

FYI: oil pressure light doesn't necessarily come on during low oil level...

[batever]

how do you know when you dont have enough oil presure or if your oil presure thing not working properly

the only way to really tell if you have faulty oil pressure is to thread an oil pressure guage onto into the outlet for the oil pressure sending unit and do an oil pressure test at idle speed and at 3000 rpms. (Alternatively, you can install a t junction there and put an oil pressure gauge in the car and put the sending unit on the other part of the 'T'; then you'll always know the story about your oil pressure.) At idle, with a warmed up engine, you should have 10 psi once the engine is started up; at 3000 rpms, 50psi. With a cold engine the oil pressure will start off much higher, until the oil thins as it warms up to near 195- 200F.

If the pressure is off significantly from that, there is a problem with the oil pump.

The oil pressure warning light is intended to flicker if it detects oil pressure intermittently less than 2.5 lbs psi. It will stay on solid if oil pressure is below 2.5 psi continuously. Either one of these is bad news.

It will also go on if the oil pressure sending unit itself is becomes defective (this is common) or if the electrical connection to the oil pressure sending unit is loose.

You can have low oil level and still have adequate oil pressure, they are two different, but related, things. Also you can have perfect oil level and *no* oil pressure if the oil pump is not circulating oil, such as when the timing belt snaps-- But of course the engine stops anyways in that case. Or you can have low oil pressure if the oil pump impeller rotors are excessively worn.

[dano28]

Low oil pressure does not necessarily indicate a bad oil pump. It can also indicate bearing wear. This is especially true for engines with 200,000 miles on the clock. Sounds like you don't understand what oil pressure actually is.

This is like the knee jerk reaction of blaming overheating on the water pump.

Duhh

[phayze]

What exactly prompts you to ask this questio


i ask this because im trying to firgure out why my vtec is hittin late so just try to rule stuff out