Hey, i am looking into buying an 87 camaro with a 305tpi. I dont know how much horsepower it has and it also has 105000 miles on it. The oil pressure guage was hopping down (not bouncing irradically) every now and then but always stayed above 30 psi. It wasn't warmed up before i seen it so the engine was still kind of cold.

Our motorhome's pressure guage had bounced up and down irradically and then grew chicken legs (the connecting rods nailed the oil pan) and buddy who is a mechanic said that the reason the guage was bouncing could be because it had a bad bearing.

My dad is worried that the camaro is beginning to have this problem of getting a bad bearing, but could it be something different that the oil pressure guage has a tic?

 

probably just a bad sender,possibly a bad connection
on the instrument cluster "printed circuit" does not
sound like an actual engine problem

 

I talked to an engine builder in town here and he said that it definitely sounded like a main bearing was going.

 

i still say it's most likely just a gauge problem-bad main
bearings are very rare,usually the rods are long gone by
the time the mains fail.If the mains are indeed worn,
you will feel(and probably hear)a heavy thudding in the
engine that will change with the load on the engine-
might thud at idle,then stop thudding when put in gear
or clutch let out.Also oil pressure will be very low (and
thudding worse)when oil warms up

 

Just a thought... Stock gauges or does it have one of those reverse glow kits or something on top? I was killing myself trying to solve a low pressure and bouncing pressure problem. I decided to remove the reverse glow gauges one day and finally found that an air bubble had formed in the reverse glow gauge kit and was obstructing the needle. Sometimes it wouldn't make it over the bubble and other times it would or go back and forth. Now with the kit removed the oil pressure is always right on.

 

i picked my car up with 79k original, i now have 149k, and my oil gauge has always bounced. actualy while driving 1500rpm + it says it goes to 60 psi.

its getting oil, and holding it, im happy, and it still rips

if it is the bearing, well if it aint broken dont fix it, and when you fix it, fix it right if you know what i mean lol