Anthony Micallef Posted March 11, 2002 Share Posted March 11, 2002 I have had my car 2 weeks now and while its been fabulous i'm a bit concerned with the oil pressure. When the engine is warm and the car is idling it points to the red, but when i'm driving along it only goes up to the 2. Do I have a problem? Apologies in advance if this is a dumb question but I am a mechanically illiterate. At last I own one teeth.gifteeth.gifteeth.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oilyhands Posted March 11, 2002 Share Posted March 11, 2002 Sounds ominously low to me, I would check the gauge first since they seem to be notoriously unreliable. If the pressure is substantiated then you have a problem which could have any number of contributing factors, most of them bad. Oily Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Micallef Posted March 11, 2002 Author Share Posted March 11, 2002 What sort of bad things could it be? I can't imagine it to be too much of a problem because before I picked the car up Caterham gave it a 24k mile service. I think I'll get them to take a look at it before the 3 months warranty runs out. At last I own one teeth.gifteeth.gifteeth.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyR Posted March 11, 2002 Share Posted March 11, 2002 Anthony, Change the sender unit NOW. If no improvement contact Caterham ASAP before serious damage occurs. TonyR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Micallef Posted March 11, 2002 Author Share Posted March 11, 2002 Sorry for the ignorance but do I just need to change the dial thats physically on the dash or is it everything thats attached to it as well? What is the oil pressure supposed to be on one of these cars? At last I own one teeth.gifteeth.gifteeth.gif Edited by - anthony micallef on 11 Mar 2002 14:24:21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Tipp Posted March 11, 2002 Share Posted March 11, 2002 Have you checked the oil level? Are you running with an Apollo unit? Give us a bit more info and we might be able to suggest some more things to check. T 1 PPB - Superlight "Well yes officer I'm not arguing, it's just that [insert excuse here]..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Micallef Posted March 11, 2002 Author Share Posted March 11, 2002 Barry, I have checked the oil level and it all seems ok. The car is running an Apollo tank. At last I own one teeth.gifteeth.gifteeth.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Green Posted March 11, 2002 Share Posted March 11, 2002 Anthony, the sender fits into the housing to which the filter attaches. Should be easy enough to spot. I changed mine last year, as the pressure started to waver a bit in steady-state driving. I gained a bar of pressure. The electrical oil pressure system is really for guidance only; don't take the numbers too literally. ISTR others saying that you lose a few pounds of oil pressure when an Apollo tank is in the oil system anyway. Didn't you buy the car from Caterham ? Presumably there'll be some form of guarantee. Get them to re-assure you... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mav Posted March 11, 2002 Share Posted March 11, 2002 4k in my 1.6SS from new. Appollo fiteed and always ticks over with oil pressure ~2bar when warm or 4bar when cold. anything over 3krpm and sits at 4bar. 'Spose i'll be chamging all sorts over the next couple of weeks now I've cursed it!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Tipp Posted March 11, 2002 Share Posted March 11, 2002 How did you check the oil level? Did you have the car running and up to temp? If not that is the way to do it. If you did it this way then it could be the sender as previosly offered T 1 PPB - Superlight "Well yes officer I'm not arguing, it's just that [insert excuse here]..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F355GTS Posted March 11, 2002 Share Posted March 11, 2002 Mine kind of seems about the same, 1.6SS with Apollo fitted, 4 bar at 3k revs when cold, 2 - 3 bar when hot, think I'll change the sender after reading this post!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mav Posted March 11, 2002 Share Posted March 11, 2002 So what do you think is wrong with yours the F355??? That is the 'normal' ranges for the engine you and I have Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F355GTS Posted March 11, 2002 Share Posted March 11, 2002 Mav Did'nt read the post properly, can't get used this Bar thing the 355's in psi! so I'm used to seeing big numbers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snapper Posted March 12, 2002 Share Posted March 12, 2002 Anthony You have mail, Its about time I had your phone number, because I am wearing out my keyboard and getting rsi in me fingers. wink.gif I will be able to answer most of your question better on the phone and if there is any thing you don't understand I can hopefully cover these item quicker, I don't mind talking to you and making the odd call . Edited by - Snapper on 12 Mar 2002 00:48:25 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterS Posted March 12, 2002 Share Posted March 12, 2002 I was told that the correct way to check the oil level when you have an Apollo is to run the engine for 2 minutes, switch off and wait for 30 seconds, then use the dip stick. Is this still the procedure? Did Anthony do this when he checked? Certainly our 1600 K is sensitive to oil level. If the oil level drops, through inattention or a track day, the pressure goes down too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Micallef Posted March 12, 2002 Author Share Posted March 12, 2002 Panic over. I have spoken to the previous owner (Snapper,L7 Club photographer) and basically the pressure has been thoroughly checked out in the past with a change of pressure guage also. There is also a big orange light on the dash which is an oil pressure warning light (wondered what that was for, thanks Snapper) so I shouldn't have anything to worry about. At last I own one teeth.gifteeth.gifteeth.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F355GTS Posted March 12, 2002 Share Posted March 12, 2002 PeterS My 1.6SS with Apollo has a sticker on it advising to check oil when hot with engine running as per Brad Tipp's post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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