Ok...here is the deal.
I have heard that most thirdgen oil pressure gauges are inaccurate to say the best. Well since i got my IROC in March the gauge normally stays around 30, but about every five minutes or whenever i came to a stop, thew gauge would startbouncing up and down (sometimes so much that the needle would get stuck against the side of the tach housing) Well.. about 2 weekends agao i saw that no instead of bouncing up, the neddle bounces down, sometimes to zero. Now, is that cause my oil pressure is actually falling, or as i susspect, the gauge is just whacked out. Any help in fixing this thing would be greatly appreciated. I dont want to run my ROC with low pressure.

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1988 IROC-Z 350 TPI
(its an original 350 car)
License Plate: STG KLR 1
Engine Mods:
Edlebrock TES Headers
Hypertech Chip
Flowmaster Muffler
Intake Airfoil
Removed MAF Screens
bored .030 over
Other minor mods
Trans Mods:
2,500 stall converter
Redline clutches
Heavy Duty Steels
Trans-Go reprograming kit
Heavy Duty 2-4 band
Corvette Servo
B&M Mega Shifter w/ Carbon Fiber Handle (looks sweet in a black car!)

Best Time So far: 14.104 Told you id go faster
"If you can put it on your car, its fair" Quote By Guido

 

I think it's just retarded. My '86 IROC has been doing the same thing ever since I bought it.

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Pimpin' ain't easy.

 

Start by replacing the sending unit. They go bad and give inacurrate readings.

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"I used to have a handle on life, but then I used it as a plunger and broke it" -The Wave

ASE Master Tech + L1
Savannah, GA
'87 Trans Am-K&N,Cold air induction, SSM SFC, Flowmaster, 16" GTA rims.
'97 Bonneville SSE
About Me

 

Check your oil level. Mine did the same thing, turned out I was 2 quarts low--once filled problem solved.

 

Also check the connection to your sending unit. If you dont have a good tight connection it can make the needle go crazy as the connector gets bounced around.

 

The oil level is ok. I will check the connection to the sending unit. One question, where is the sending unit at?

I have another quick weird question. When i check my oil, oil is only on the right side of the dipstick. The oil is at the right level, but the left side normally doesn't have any oil on it. Is the oil maybe getting rubbed off in the dipstick tube or what. I find this one extreamly weird.

[This message has been edited by 88blkiroc (edited July 30, 2000).]

 

i had a problem when i was on the gas my needle would go down then when i stopped it would go up. mostly after i ran that junk to clean out the motor before the oil change. dont run that. anyway, i was about 3 quarts low and it was still being goofy until i changed the unit. its really fun to change. its back by the distributor. kinda looks like a bell. 1 wire hooked to it. took a wrench and a deep well socket.

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87 Iroc-z and a 77 camaro currently being restored
http://satanzchild.isonfire.com

 

My oil pressure sensor was right above the oil cooler and filter on my 89 formula 350.

My guage was reading constant 0 - 15 psi of oil at all times(yes, even at higher RPM's), it happened when I was in a funeral procession, scared the crap out of me....

It wound up be a clogged oil pressure sensor...

I just removed the sending unit and cleaned out the inside where it reads the oil pressure...

You wont imagine the kind of build up it gets in 100,000 miles or so....

It is an easy fix, and didn't take that long to do, and now I have a very accurate reading....

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Sportsman II 72 CC heads, Edelbrock 1 5/8" headers and Edelbrock cat back exhaust, hi-flow cats, Trans-go shift kit, SLP cold air induction, SLP roller camshaft, 24lb ADS injectors, AFPR, 3.45 rear end gears, and other goodies...

 

It could be that your pickup tube came off
your oil pump. To check- the next time you
change your oil hit your empty oil pan with a
rubber malet and see if you can hear it ratteling. Or you could add an extra quart of
oil to see if the problem stops or the bouncing at least slows up a little. Running
your car with extra oil will be fine as long
as you don't horse it alot. Don't just blame oil pressure problems on the sending unit or gauge it could be telling the truth, letting
you know you have a serious problem. Pickup
tubes falling off the oil pump is a common problem because the are pressed in and heating + cooling of the engine cause them to come loose. If you do need to replace the oil pump I would recomend using Summit's PN SES-3-60-08-001 it comes with the pickup tack-welded on for you. It may be a lot of work to install but it beats having to install a new crank + bearings. Good Luck!