1991 Camaro rs - The oil gauge is pegged to over 80+. The motor only has 31K in miles. What should I look for to correct this issue? The gauge does move from 50 to over 80, very strange---
Thanks

 

I guess you primary concern should be whether or not your oil pressure is OK. Others will be able to help with this issue more than me.

However I can tell you that often times it is the oil pressure sending unit that is malfunctioning. Very rarely is there a problem with the guage in the dash.

I also have a '91 RS and have a bad sensor. Apparently this is very common. I haven't yet changed mine though so I can't really say how hard it is to do. If you crawl under the car and look right above the oil filter you should be able to see the sensor.

 

So what is the going price to have the 'sender' unit replaced? Anyone already do this? Is this a 'do it yourself' project?
Thanks

 

I paid 10.95 for my oil pressure sending unit. This is a do it your self if you know what you are doing. The oil press sending unit is located right above the oil filter. All you have to do is disconect the wires that connect to the top of the sending unit.Loosen the unit and put in the new. Also make sure the new sending unit has the right kind of threads, I cant remember if it uses metric or standard.

 

To make life a little easier you can pick up a special socket to pull and replace you sending unit. The socket cost like $3 or $4. I would sugest getting, you may need it latter on down the road. All in all it is an easy job. No oil should come out either. So it's a pretty clean job to.

 

TOO MUCH OIL.........I took my new '91 RS to a 'quick service' oil and lube and the 'tech' put in too much oil, looks to be about 1 quart too much. So the question is, can too much oil cause the oil gauge to read high numbers?

Thanks

 

Yes! Drain about 1 quart. Then drive it around and see if the problem continues. To much oil can cause blown seals.

 

Yeah im havign thsi same problem. My oil pressure is skyrocketing everytime i start the car. My friends thinks it may be my oil pump but i would liek a second opinion

 

Crovax,

If you give us a little more info I'm sure we can help you out. Like was any thing changed right before this began, or did it just start to happen.

 

Well I got the car used. The onyl thign my friend and I did to it was change the oil and and change the oil filter. And thats all we did. I actually didnt notice if it was at that point before we changed it cause the battery and the alternator were dead. But the first time we started the car after we put in the new Battery and oil and oil filter it started doing it. All the other guages seem to be reading fine if that means any thing.

 

Is this when you start the car in the morning or everytime you start it?

When the engine is cold, oil pressure will be high and stay high until the motor warms up. Then, when warm, pressure should be around 25-40 psi at idle and it will be around 60-75 psi off idle.

 

If it is happening all the time replace the oil sending unit. It cost me like a couple dollars and $2.00 for the socket. I did have this hapen to me once. It just started reading high presure all the time. So before I went and spent a bunch of money on other things that it could have been I replaced the sending unit. This was about 40,000 miles ago and the problem has never come back.

 

BitchinRS is right. Mine would do the same thing you discribed and the only problem was my oil sending unit. It atomatically reads max pressure when the oil sending unit is not reading--whether by a defective unit or a disconnection. Be sure to check the wires leading to the unit as well.

It costs around $12-$17 dollars to replace the oil sending unit plus you need a special socket ($2-$4).

Its as simple as unplugging the wires at the end of the unit and twisting the unit out. Be cautious not to break the plastic clip on the end of the wires when removing the wires from the oil sending unit. I broke mine and the only place I could find a replacement was the salvage or overpriced OE mail order.

 

OK thanx ill try that.