Nifty Posted June 2, 2002 Share Posted June 2, 2002 Having had the previous problem of broken dipstick and noisey tappets I have got a replacement dipstick from Caterham and found the oil to be a little low, so topped it up a bit so it now has around 5 litres of oil.(Tappets not so noisey anymore) Was heading down to The Goat in Hertford when I noticed that the pressure guage was reading low. Usually it sits at 4 bar but now it appears to want to sit around 3.25 to 3.5 bar. Further to this I noticed that when I idled it slipped a little below its normal 2 bar. In other words the pressure has dropped across the rev range. Decided to turn around and nurse/trundle it back home. Constant observation of the gauge has highlighted that the oil pressure seems to dip when under power and then rise on lift off. I've never seen that before and can't explain it - it may be normal but I've never watched the gauge as hard as that before. Can anyone help explain what may be the cause of this? What are the likely problems if too much oil is placed in the engine? Please helpsad.gif, I'm missing valuable blatting time. Nifty by name, far from nifty on my way home!.gif P.S. No idea what grade of oil came out because would have been previous owner but I assume Mobil 1 (0W40). Fresh oil is 5W40. Edited by - Nifty on 2 Jun 2002 15:02:49 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Carmichael Posted June 2, 2002 Share Posted June 2, 2002 Before you panic any more, check the sender wiring and/or change the sender. Usually it is the sender that is wrong. If it is the start of run bearings it becomes the end of run bearings very quickly ~3 seconds under power, so chances are it is the sender. Peterid=blue> eek.gifSecond loser, Class 5, Curborough May 2002id=red> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mav Posted June 3, 2002 Share Posted June 3, 2002 Nifty - Similar problem here, except my guage will show anything between 6 and 0 bar. Going in to Cat Mids next week to be sorted. Suspected faulty sender unit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nifty Posted June 3, 2002 Author Share Posted June 3, 2002 Thanks Peter. Would you expect the pressure to move under power and lift off? Cheers, Nifty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nifty Posted June 3, 2002 Author Share Posted June 3, 2002 Mav, Problem has coincided with oil change and sump baffle replacement and sender still seems to be reporting consistently, however, consistently lower than pre oil change. Plus, never noticed the gauge moving under power and lift off like it is. needle is wandering far more than used to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Carmichael Posted June 3, 2002 Share Posted June 3, 2002 Nifty, Considering you have been in the sump, it might be worth dropping the sump to have a little look. Make sure the pickup is seated properly in the cylindrical hole in the corner. Its shoulder should be square with the flat face of the engine casting. Make sure the pickup is tight. These symptoms could occur if the pickup was too close to the bottom of the sump. Peterid=teal> 253 BHP K-seriesteeth.gif, no gearboxbum.gifid=red> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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