Why is my oil pressure fluctuating in a 91 eagle talon?

Question

I have a 91 eagle talon with over 150,000k miles on it that i just bought. The stock oil pressure gauge reads normal at 2000rpm plus but drops to about 1/4 at idle of around 800rpm. Is this normal for it to fluctuate and is it time to do something more to the motor? Any suggestions or opinions would be greatly appreciated. ( my engine is a 2.0l dohc non-turbo model)

Answer 1

Simple. The oil pump moves more oil when it's going faster. Your crank bearings and oil pump are both getting pretty old in that thing. It's nearing the end of it's lifespan. If you want to put a new engine in because you love the car, that's OK. But don't start pouring large amounts of money into fixing individual things on that motor. You'd never stop.
The worst thing you could do is to do what at least ten morons are going to tell you to do and use thicker oil to bring up the pressure. Thick oil brings up oil pressure because it's harder to pump. You get better pressure, but it's worse for your engine because you're actually getting less oil flow.

Answer 2

In most cars, this is normal for the oil pressure to do this. Here is why.
As the motor runs faster the oil pump will pump more faster. As it slows down it goes down. It can also be the oil pressure sending unit. It is a small controll that send a signal to the gage telling what the pressure is at any given speed .
It does get weak over time.
In any case as long as the gage shows pressure and does not drop to "0" it is ok. If it drops to low it is not supplying eneff pressure . Have it checked to be shure it is supplying eneff pressure at idle.

Answer 3

I don't know!