TOYOTA T100 Oil Pressure low?

Question

HI, I HAVE A TOYOTA T100, AND I AM A LITTLE BIT CONFUSED BECAUSE THE OIL PRESSURE INDICATOR READS NORMAL PRESSURE WHEN COLD BUT ALMOST ZERO WHEN THE ENGINE IS AT NORMAL WORKING TEMPERATURE, I'D LIKE TO KNOW IF I NEED TO REPLACE THE PRESSURE SENDER UNIT, OR IF THE PROBLEM IS OTHER.

THANKS IN ADVANCE.

Answer 1

I have a couple of questions.
1) How many miles is on this engine?
2) What weight oil do you use? 5w-30?
3) When was the last oil change?
4) What is the pressure when the engine is cold? And at what RPM?
5) The reading when the engine is warm is it taken at idle?


Now....
It isn't unusual for the oil pressure to be 4-6 lbs,psi in an old engine at idle.
If you have a lot of miles on the engine consider using a more viscous oil perhaps a 10-40, or a viscosity improver like Bardol.


$0.02
Yours: Grumpy

Answer 2

OSC Grumpy is right...give him the ten. Oil pressures vary depending upon the motors age, as well as operating conditions, how old the oil is, etc. Even in brand-new motors, the oil pressure can vary between 20 and 60 PSI (just an example, different engines use different sets of pressures). Lots of folk start putting higher-viscosity oil in motors as they age to accomodate the increased clearances between the moving parts of the engine. I'm not saying you have to run 20W-50 in your Toyota, but something a step up from what you normally run would probably help. Lucas Oil Stabilizer is a good is a pretty good additive for older motors, as well.

One final note: Car manufacturers have gotten wise about varying oil pressures. Nowadays, many vehicles use electrically damped gauges, where the needle points to the middle as long as the pressure is in a specified range, and only moves up or down if the reading is really high or really low. This came about to prevent niggling warranty complaints, like, "So-and-so has the same car as I do and their oil pressure is higher than mine is".

Answer 3

normal on a hot day at idle to have low pressure at idle all cars do it i installed a high volume pump and it still does it
if you understand oil ans the different weights try 15 w 40 or 30w for summer and 10 30 in winter

the ware in engines doesn't happen at idle anyway

Answer 4

you can buy one of those cheap mechanical oil gages that are meant for the dash board and use it as a tool to make sure of your readings. I wouldn't laugh about changing the oil!

Answer 5

are you sure that you just dont need to change the oil....lol.....could be a sensor.....