high oil presure

[triodeted]

Hi All,

I have just replaced the oil pressure sender on my 1.4 K series, The pressure has always been on the high side (6/7 bar) before the previous sender failure. With the new sender the pressure, seems high ish at cold (7/8 bar). The pressure reduces to ~4/5 bar when hot, if the car is not driven. However, if the car is driven the oil pressure goes full scale (>8 bar), and will stay their most of the time dropping to ~7.5 bar) This sounds very high to me, any thoughts. ( car has only done 2.6K miles.

Thanks for any advice

Pip 

[revilla]

If you're sure the gauge is now reliable, it sounds like a stuck Oil Pressure Relief Valve on the oil pump. However, given that you are getting a higher than normal pressure at idle (4/5 bar hot) (at idle you would normally get more like 1.5 to 2 bar which is below the opening pressure of the OPRV) this still sounds like a gauge error to me. I would honestly recommend switching to a mechanical gauge but if you don't want to, you may be able to borrow one and temporarily attach it in place of the electrical sender just to see if it reads the same. Or maybe a local garage would have a gauge they could use to check it?

[Jonathan Kay]

What Andrew says. 

Have a good look and wiggle at the wiring from the sender, especially where it's exposed.

And while you're sorting all that out, two more tests when it's in that over 7 bar mode:

1. Switch off the ignition: what happens to the indicated reading and how quickly?
2. Back into that mode, stall the engine without switching the ignition off, then what happens to the indicated reading and how quickly?

Jonathan