Hot Engine: Low oil pressure light at idle and passenger side ticking

This is a combo of two issues I've been trying to resolve somewhat recently. I've come across threads about them indepenet of each other, but these two issues seem to be married to each other. When driving the car harder in canyon roads uphill, the oil temp needle will push past the 0 in 180. In normal driving it is on the 8 or left side of 0. When the temps are past the 0, and when I come to and idle, the oil pressure drops to nearly zero, and the oil pressure light comes on. Freaked out the first time, pulled over, let it cool a long while. Checked oil level (fine) and started it back up again. Oil pressure back to normal. Engine idles just fine at around 700 RPM solidly. Also note that I've noticed, and I can't say for sure this hasn't always been there, but the oil prssure sways greatly depending on how tight a turn I'm taking (left or right). It's quite dramatic from 2 to 4 and all over the place. Prior to this issue, I have been noticing a tick on the right side of the engine after coming to a stop after uphill high RPM driving. It's a very similar tick that I get for a few moments at cold start, but goes away. It also mostly goes away when a tiny amount of gas is applied, or just tuning on AC to boost revs. This SEEMS to coincide with an oil change I had done with an trusted indy but I can't 100% say with certainty that is the causation. I don't know what oil was in their prior, but it was most likely overfilled. New oil is standard 0w40. I just replaced my water pump along with an LN low temp thermostat and pink porsche coolant. I MAY still have an air bubble in there, less went in than I expected, but I've been topping up after heat cycles. So there's the back story. Theories I have taken away from reading about the tick, is "Noisy lifter". At low oil pressure (assuming bc high temp = thinning oil), there isn't enough pressure to feed the lifter and hence the tick. I can't say if this is logical or not, I've never opened the engine or know enough about the lifters. This sounds the least worrisome option. Low oil at high temp could be "sender unit". Perhaps it is bad and would cause the low pressure only when hot, and the weird pressures while in turns. This would not affect the tick. Spring is bad. Could be? I'd have to just take it out and replace it. Instead of throwing parts at it (I'm happy to do), just throwing out there in case any of these other threads over the years, that don't have conclusive conclusions, any one has had something similar. I was really hoping with the fresh coolant and low temp thermo the car would run cooler, going up hills at high rev, but I can't say I've noticed any difference (who knows how old green coolant and pump were).

First thing to do is to install a "real oil pressure gauge" to test the oil pressure of the engine... Specs :::.5 bar per 500 RPM @ 90C oil temperature ( 195F) also test at 4K RPM should be above 4 Bar @90C ( 194F) ... PS :: also since you mentioned the oil pressure dropping up to 2 bar during cornering, check the scavenge pump orientation to make sure they both are correct....

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Especially this, easy check to get out of the way that doesn't require any tools.

Ben8jam, I think you'll find the pressure sender is working as intended, going by the description of what it shows under the different driving conditions. If it shows 5 bar at first start of the cold engine in addition to all that, I am convinced it indeed is. Still, it is wise to check. Ask the indy which oil and which viscosity they put in there. You could consider going to a 10W50 or 60, the former being the viscosity of the Porsche classic oil suggested by them for use in the 996. In addition to checking the correct orientation of the scavenge pumps, you might want to drop the sump plate and check the integrity of the rubber oil flaps inside the oil trap. Do both cooling fans work at both stages? A normal thermostat is fully open at the temp shown and new coolant doesn't cool any better than old (to the contrary if the old has been diluted through topping up with water), so what you are seeing is to be expected. Consider fitting Coopduc's digital oil temperature gauge. It allows you to back-off from the gas when oil temps get too high (I'd ease-off at 230F). What mileage on the car/engine?

After verifying oil pressure and scavenge pump orientation I'd drop the oil pan to check for debris blocking the oil pickup tube screen and/or defoamers. Good opportunity to put oil with a verified weight back in. https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...-solution.html You still have the whine at 3500rpm?

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Yes, under normal conditions the pressure rises at cold, then reduces when hot. And increases what I assume is normally under straight line accelleration. And when engine is at normal opp temp, not after high revs in canyon, the oil pressure is fine at idle. It's Mobil1 0w40. I have spent all morning reading the 100000 opinions on oil weights, and I think i'm going to try Porsche Classic 5w50 next (i thought it was 5w not 10w?). Some claim this is only masking a bigger issue, and there are longer lasting impacts to not having the filming action of a 0w40 oil at cold start. I can't figure who's right. This is a little embarrassing but, no. I've had the car for 16 months and 3000 miles. And I only just found out the passenger low speed relay is not there. When I got the car the first thing I did was remove the bumper and clean out the radiators. And I know I checked that both fans worked, but they may have been in the high setting. In trying to fix my AC issue, I found that only the driver side fan runs on low. And low and behold the relay is not there for passenger side low. Getting one. And yes, makes sense about coolant and temps. I just thought maybe I would see a little lower 102,500 as of now!

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Yes I have that same link bookmarked to check. And funnily enough you ask that, i think it has subsided since I changed the pump and a new serpentine belt. At least I didn't notice it as much yseterday when i went for a short canyon drive to test temps/pressue. Going up the full angeles crest today and will pay more attention.

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Just FYI - changing from 5w40 to 5w50 brought my hot pressure up by about 0.25 bar. Little bit but not a huge amount. Before I fixed my low speed fans my coolant would sometimes get up to where it is in your photo, but the oil pressure was never lower than a tick below 1bar (5w40). So whether gauge or something else, I don�t think changing to 50 weight or fixing your fans will be the whole solution. i asked about the whine because I remember that was an issue for you, trying to think of unifying causes. I�ve noticed my car has more of a whine when hot. The �normal� whine on the .1 cars is caused by the chains and chain pads, if you had deterioration you could have more whine plus debris blocking your pickup and passages causing the pressure issue. But - If it�s solved with the water pump, I�m glad to hear it. what�s your oil filter situation?

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If my oil pressure was below 1 bar I would lose my $hit.

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i�ve had a couple German cars where it was normal to have the oil pressure light flicker at hot idle. Said in the owners manual it was normal. like PT3 said, the senders and gauges on these cars are not reliable and should not be trusted unless verified.

If I have the AC off and it�s �hot� outside I will get the low pressure warning after exiting the highway and coming to a stop. AC on it never happens since it holds the idle a little higher.

Forgot to mention this is using DT 40

Got the same problem here with my M96 engine. Changed the relief spring, checked the baffles in the sump, coolant fans working in both stages, coolant temps nominal, oil (5w-40) topped up full AND I GET VARIABLE PRESSURE CORNERING-usually rising to a more normal value. How do I check scavenger pump orientation as cited earlier in the post?

I just replaced my oil pressure sensor for the third time in 22 years. Seems they last ~7years.

The drivers side cylinder bank is 1-3, and the 1-3 mark on the scavenge pump should be toward the inside, or closer to the crankshaft. The passenger side cylinder bank is 4-6, and the matching 4-6 mark on the scavenge pump should be toward the inside of the car, or closer to the crankshaft.

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Spoiler great photos and info, thanks! I�ll post with results. 

Quick update: A) put the missing low speed fan relay in (borrowed from fog lights) B) instead of running oil at low end of Mid on stick, added enough to push level up to just over 3/4 on stick (and matching digital level). It was actually at the 1/4 level which means i do have some oil loss somewhere (no smoke/soot/etc). Did an 80 mile round trip canyon run today ( see pic). First 40 miles is mostly uphill. Unfortunately, I didn't get to really push as hard to elevate temps. but gauge did read a steady right edge of 0. (had some one new join on our canyon run, so was going slow) At the top, no ticking. In the turns some oil pressure away but mostly on downhill twinsties, where not pushing the gas that much. I'll have to test again when I can really maintain high revs and more G's but I wonder if oil level is a culprit? I don't know enough about HOW oil is distributed and pressure maintained, but when I received the car oil was at max level, and i didn't know any better. When indy did oil change he filled to mid level.

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I can't seem to find the driver side one from look under without the car up on lift. The passenger side one seems to be orientated the right way. This is shot looking forward, so wheel on right side.

The hottest my coolant temp gauge ever got was when I was going up Palomar mountain in second gear. I think that's the only time I ever saw it at the last tick mark. When my engine gets hot my oil pressure can get very close to the 1 bar mark. When the coolant temp is on the right side of the 0 the oil pressure is about 1.4 bar. I've checked and re-checked my fans. The engine was rebuilt ~2 years ago which included a low temp thermostat and water pump so I know all that's sound. Oil pressure sender is original as far as I know. So your temperatures and pressures are in line with what I see on my car. I haven't seen my oil pressure fluctuate in turns but I'm pretty bad at looking at the gauge to check for that.

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Yeh, I can't say I ever looked at the oil pressure gauge in turns prior to getting that low oil pressure light the first time. For all I know it's always been fluctuating while cornering hard.

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Agree. With these cars, cooling comes down to airflow across the front radiators. That�s the only way to get coolant (and because the oil cooler is a water to oil heat exchanger), and oil temps, down.

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It�s a common issue with these cars, and the UDIS is one way to solve it.

Well, found that the scavenge pump for cylinders 1-3 (mounted facing the front of car, drivers side) seems to be correct in that the faceplate shows “1-3” inboards toward the crankshaft. However the pump for 4-6 (mounted facing the rear of the car pax side) is mounted with the “1-3” inboard toward the crank. Can someone confirm this is indeed incorrect? This pump would be the easiest to access, can I just loosen the 4 bolts and rotate the pump?

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Assuming both front radiator fans turn on low speed with the AC button depressed (on), try driving with the AC on the whole time and see if that helps keep your coolant temps a bit lower, and therefore, oil pressure will be a bit higher. It�s also a cheat because the RPMs are 800 with the AC on, which also boosts pressure. I would still check everything that Porschetech3 mentioned. All engines are different for oil pressure, and your engine could just be looser than others. Mine happens to be tight. There is no right or wrong, just different. If everything else checks out, switching to 5w-50 will gain you another 0.25 bar.

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This is wrong pump orientation for passenger side pump. Remove the 4 bolts and spin the pump to face the proper orientation of 4-6 facing crank

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Yes, just loosen the 4 bolts and rotate the pump 180* . Do it ASAP !! How long has it been running like this? I have seen an M96 run for over 10k miles like this with no indicated damage but I have also seen them fail straight away when driven to the extremes....Lots of M96 have failed due to this simple mistake and is the reason on the M97 one bolt hole is "offset " in the head and one bolt hole in the pump is "slotted" on the revised m97 scavenge pumps so this mistake cannot happen.. Good Luck !!

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Surprised they didn't do this from the start of the m96. Bean counters were probably so happy 1 pump fits both sides they didn't want to spring for more machining on the 1 head fits all banks... Thats 1 difference from Japanese engines. They always make every system more or less failsafe assembly if possible, from the start of production. Everything more or less fits only one way, the right way. They know there are way to many non master mechanics around that can fug up a car wash. But that type of fool proof engineering does make for a boring/mindless engine build. jmo

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Bingo. I might have been tempted to say, no, it�s because the 996 was mostly-new, but mostly-new 911s have happened well before and well after the 996. And BTW, I�m sure you know this, but the IMSB debacle was for a similar reason (sharing of parts led to an oil passage that existed on one side of the engine and not the other due to a single part number shared between sides).

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I do think the pressure from the Bean Counters interfered with the engineers reasoning, but I think it was a "brain fart" on the engineers mainly... The revised m97 scavenge pumps ( with the slotted hole ) can be used on the m96 and is the replacement pump now ...( but can still be installed wrong on the M96 )... the only difference is the threaded hole on the M97 head is moved offest by 4mm which makes it impossible to install the revised M97 pump incorrectly on the m97 head, but can be still be installed incorrectly on the M96... So the only real cost in manufacturing is the 1 bolt hole per head moved over 4mm...I would think that would even have been passed by the bean counters since it could not have cost very much ( if anything ) to have done this on the M96.. There is no replacement for knowledge/experience...and hindsight is usually 20-20 ...

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Curious, can a scavenge pump be damaged from improper orientation..?

Hi all, I�m in the middle of a road trip through the alps and have notice a similar issue. Going up mountains passes, the coolant temp will get within 1/8th in of the second mark, and stay there. Oil pressure never goes under 0.8-0.9 bar at idle, and is typically above 1 bar, but I�m seeing drops in turns, by as much as 2.5 bar (4 -> 1.5 at 4K is the most I�ve seen), even though I�m taking thing slow. Some of it is due to the revs dropping down as the turns are quite tight, but some is definitely linked to the cars lateral movement. Also, the oil pressure seems to top at around 3-3.5 bars even past 4K in a straight line. If I stop the car and test the oil pressure in neutral, it�s fine and shows normal progression through the rev range. Going downhill, oil pressure is solid in straights and in the turns. I�m running 5w40, and the fans work fine at low and high speeds. The coolant level is a smidge below min when cold and a little above when hot. OP, you are not alone! bonus: Italian alps pics.

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The answer is a little complicated , but YES, it CAN be damaged, but let me explain the circumstances.... The scavenge pumps are just positive displacements pumps that pump oil and uses the oil for lubrication of itself... .. When the pumps are oriented correctly they pump oil from the heads to the Sump ( on the opposite side of the Sump ie. bank 1 pump delivers oil to the bank 2 side of the Sump and vice versa) and every thing is fine... If the pump is oriented 180* out of position, the pump will pump from the Sump back to the head ( although the passage size will keep it from pumping as much volume/pressure) but will get lubrication and not be damaged.. If the pump is oriented 90* out of position, the pump will not pump any oil in either direction, and also will not be getting any oil for lubrication and can get damaged in prolonged running.. So, the answer is, IF the pump is 180* out it will NOT be damaged, but IF the pump is 90* out it CAN be damaged...

Well I seem to have found at least part of my issue. Here are pictures of both scavenge pumps. The drivers side is mounted the wrong way around Passenger side: Driver�s side: I can�t spin it here as I don�t have the tools so I�ll just head home via the motorway to avoid higher g turns. The question is how much damage can running the engine this way have done� I�ve taken things slow and haven�t pushed the car much once we noticed the issue but we did drive a good 100 miles through mountain passes with lower oil pressure in turns.

Quick update - I�ve managed to rotate the pump the right way around. It is possible without moving the engine but is a pita. Will drive the car a bit aggressively this pm and see what happens. It�s got good pressure an idle and sounds ok though. Sorry for hijacking the thread

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Another update: rotating the scavenge pump 180 degrees did the trick. Oil pressure stopped dipping in right (or left) hand turns anymore, and became steadier when going uphill in a straight line.

Saved a couple more M96's from catastrophic failure ....

First off, that is crazy that two people found their covers the wrong way. That's a really high rate considering how many people have probably never even checked those covers. But following up here on issue: I put my oil level at 3/4 and did a short but aggressive run through a canyon today. High revs and thus high coolant temps but no ticking when I came to a stop. The pressures also did not give me any trouble at idle when the temps were super high. I am still getting pressure big sways/drops in the twisties though sometimes down to one on the pressure indicator. Though, this was a different canyon than normal and a much shorter drive so I'll have to test on the longer Angeles crest one next. When I came back I wanted to try to get the last of the air out of my coolant flush so I sat with the rear end of the car elevated on the driveway and revved the engine for a bit. Temp gauge went up clear past the zero and the two fans kicked on high, as expected. The odd thing though is at idle the revs were bouncing up and down and the oil light was triggering every time it hit a low . Turning on the AC boosted the revs and they were fine but why would the high-speed fans caused the engine idle to fluctuate so crazily. Normally it's very solid. Why would the fans on high cause the revs to sway like this? You can see it settle when I turn on the AC: You Tube

The moment the fans kick-in, they put strain on/load the electric system that in turn has the generator providing (charge) current. Compared to the power required to keep the engine turning at idle rpm, the generator charging is a significant increase in load that results in a dip in rpm and subsequent idle rpm control. On a cable throttle like yours, the idle control valve is slow compared to dbw-throttle idle control. With A/C on the engine load is already higher through both the A/C compressor as well as the fact that both radiator fans are (should be) already running at low speed. When switching to high speed the fans increase the load on the engine to a lesser amount and idle rpm drop is smaller.

With all due respect, you can't diagnose moderate inconsistencies in a 20+ year old car by committee , you need very accurate testing , and in your case accurate testing of ALL the systems that are related ... I would suggest accurate testing of oil pressure, oil temperature and coolant temperature, fuel trims and fuel controls , and a full Vehicle Analysis Log to looks for other Systems that may be out of spec... The 996 holds up very very well to age, but due to it's sophistication takes more attention to careful testing... A 20+ year old $80k dollar car ( 996) will require more carefull testing than a 20+ year old $20k car ( Ford ) ....All parts/systems of car have a natural degradation progression as the parts wear or age-out , but some parts/systems can degrade much faster than others and the carefull testing can determine which ones need the most attention/repair/upgrading or is causing the inconsistencies...

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So the high so the high speed fans cause the engine to lack charge and that causes the ICV to falter? I have the higher amperage 997 alternator I guess that doesn't have an effect? Just very curious situation. But back to tick and low oil light. so far the extra oil (vs changing the oil weight) seems to have helped both issues. Will do a long 40 mile one way canyon drive this week and see if the symptoms really do get solved with the extra oil. I'd been vigilant about keeping it at lower end of 1/2.

Your high coolant temps aren�t helping, either. I would be panicking if my coolant temp needle went past the center of the �0� in �180�. I apologize if you�ve covered this already, but have you performed the fan mod? It�s a switch that activates the radiator fan relays to kick on at your whim. (I personally jumped the high speed fan relays to activate when the low speed fan relays are activated, and keep the AC constantly running to activate the fans. But I�m gonna redo it later to turn on the fans without necessitating the usage of AC.) also, have you installed the low temperature thermostat from LN Engineering? I find the thermostat alone can help keep my oil temps cool enough to raise the pressure by about 0.5 bar (observed via the OEM dash gauge).

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You might have a vacuum leak or something is amiss with the idle control system.

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Would that only occur when engine fans are on high only? Seems odd right?

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From what i've read, right side of 0 (i don't remember the exact number but have checked via odbii dongle) is acceptable operating temp. I think it depends on where and how you drive. I drive the canyons at 5-7k rpm uphill for 30-40 miles. It's at right edge of 0 on the way up, edge of 8/left of 0 on way down. Freeway driving closer to 8. Cars that don't get pushed I think stay much cooler. Rest of country don't have mountains to climb yes added Ln's low thermo a few weeks ago.

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If you mean OP goes to 1 bar at high rpm, on the op gauge, in the twisties,? stop doing that immediately. You are causing engine damage on extremely expensive m96 internal parts. A new crank is $6k Ben8jam, As you know, I've been following your problems and trying to help out when I can. So, imo This ^ (PT3's) is the best advice you could possibly get from anyone.

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It does seem odd, but that system is having a tough time keeping the idle smooth, and that�s its purpose. Going back to what Porschetech3 said, I think you need to have someone take a look at your car, pull codes, take some measurements, etc. Seems like there are too many variable items at play.

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No I think it's mostly when coasting through turns, if I'm high rev pushing through a turn, there is no way I can pay attention to the pressure gauge. As said, I'll do a full canyon run and report back (maybe video the gauges or at least make mental notes of "pushing" "coasting" pressure etc) -- especially as pertains to just simply adding more oil seems to settle things.... I'm still shocked two people's covers were backwards and only found out b/c of this thread. And yes to getting all the more detailed specs/readings...

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It doesn't shock me, after about 50 years professionally in this bussenes , it takes a LOT to shock me... This makes about 5 of these cases of incorrectly installed scavenge pumps I have discovered in the last 6 months..People send me private questions about my upgraded products, and are asking questions and sometimes tell me about their problems they are experiencing...The last thing I want to do is sell them a product that doesn't cure thier problem, so when I suspect something else is going on, I tell them to do some testing/checking and this has came to the case several times...It is getting more prevalent... The upgraded products are to "enhance " the performance of the 996 above the factory design, not to fix a problem of a degraded system.... but it can do BOTH in some cases when the root cause is actually "pinpointed " to be the causal part..and the upgraded part is the same part that had degraded below specs// Unfortunately sometimes the incorrectly installed scavenge pump is found on a forensic analysis "post mortem" as is the case of a former active Rennlister that contacted me about his catastrophic failure after a recent repair to the vario cam pads...

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Okay, glad to hear about the thermostat. Unless you�re averaging 60mph+ on your canyon runs, you�re not getting optimum air flow through your radiators. (I read it here, on rennlist). I�d recommend adding a switch to activate your radiator fans. I think it ought to help to lower coolant temps, as well as oil temps, and therefore improving hot oil pressure. If it doesn�t, and you don�t like it, just remove it later. Also, have you tried clearing any debris from your radiators?

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Ehh well... not sure I should respond to that publicly...

Haha, I suppose the fan mod won�t be necessary, then!

Update: Not a perfect test as half the drive up was covered in super thick fog, but once got to top of first climb, broke through to sun. Tried to drive and film my dash one handed, so was being a lot more careful, and i can say the flux in oil pressure in turns is very much there, but it stays around the 2 in the worst of them. It happens on both directions, but seemingly much more on right hand turns. Accelerating in the turn keeps the pressure higher. Temps go up to the 0 in 180, but never past it. Even with the last half of the drive where I put the phone down and kept it high rev. I got to the end point, and came to stop, and I did see the oil pressure light come on for a brief second then go off. I then drove another half mile and stopped again, and this time light came on. Pressure indicator at .25. But a little tap of gas and it went away. From that point it was all back down hill so temps dropped and no issues. I still need a warm day to properly test, but it seems adding that extra oil has smoothed a lot of the issues, does that make sense? But NOW what about these swaying pressures? It's all gotta be related somehow. It's hard to draw a conclusion, the indicator just kind goes smoothly up and down throughout different maneuvers. And yes, I need all the extra more detailed tools to test, but I'm working with the limited time I have available right now

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Combined the removal/reseal/install of the pax side (LHD) scavenge pump with a bunch of other projects with her feet off the ground. After clocking the pump properly, I can confirm that the oil pressure is at least .5bar higher throughout the rpm range for normal operating temperature. Additionally, there is minimal to no drop in oil pressure associated with lateral G�s! From looking at the pump while removed I can see that you are definitely reducing the port size for pick up by having it misclocked, and as has been already mentioned you would be in serious trouble if the pump was installed at either of the 90�s.

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Drop the sump. You need a visual on the pick up tube and baffles. Check your oil pressure relief spring too.

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That sounds like something a 5W-50 oil might help with.

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Like I already said 1-2 bar op is not enough when hard cornering at anything over an idle speed rpm. You need 1 bar per 1000rpm. 4bar @ 4000rpm minimum is what m996 experts recommend. And thats not intermittently thru a corner, thats a continuous steady pressure reading that does not drop. When it drops even a little, some bearing is getting starved from its film of protective oil. I'd rather see a continuous slightly lower full time pressure, than a sudden drop/fluctuation. This type op drop causes a cumulative type damage that compounds the problem by wearing more and more on bearings making them less able to hold their protective oil film and keep up oil pressure. What I'm saying is, every incident of op drop at speed/especially under load, all adds up till eventually.... When your op goes from 4 bar to 2 bar in a hard corner without a big rpm change, you are oil starving main/rod/all/ bearings. This will take its toll eventually maybe with a catastrophic ending. Don't drive your car so it goes to lower oil pressure in corners or be ready for the wor$t...

Well sadly, I finally got some time to get the car out, and did the run up the crest on a now warm day. Temps held steady to top at right side of 0 in 180, but when I came to stop the oil dropped to .5, the light came on, and the tick is back. It ticks even with some gas in neutral till pressure goes up then it stops. Pressure in turns continues to flux greatly in either direction. The drops occur right at the turn entry and start to stabalize in the turn, then go back up as existing the turn. So confusing.... The only difference is I replaced the oil sensor spring and gasket last week, and in process maybe left out an 1/8th cup of oil. So it's possible that tiny extra oil was doing something.... The internal sensor shows near full with top two bars missing, and stick shows 3/4 - after many days sitting. I've got the loctite, so when I'm back next week will drop the sump. (Yes AllCool, I know you said not to drive it, but i gotta start making some attempts at fixing it before handing it over to mechanic who likely will start poking in dark too)

Didn’t scroll through all your posts, but my car was exhibiting the same problem with lateral G oil pressure fluctuations and I found that the scavenge pump on one bank had been put in 180 out when a local shop replaced the vario cam.

I would stop doing all these canyon runs and start systematically checking items, such as dropping the sump (unless that was already done)? If you keep running the engine this way you might be starving your engine of precious oil - and doing irreversible damage. Skip said to put a real pressure gauge on the engine - were you able to do that? Did you check the orientation of the scavenge pumps?

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Yes checked the both scavenger pumps. They are in correct orientation. No, I haven't added an oil pressure gauge into the system. I'm terribly busy and haven't had a chance to look into what that would take to even do that. I was hoping to try single elimination tests at first. Sump is next. The loctite arrived. I'm not killing it in the canyons with super high revs it's just a "safe" place to get some high Gs, which is the only thing that causes the pressure to sway. AND going up the canyon gets the engine at it's highest heat level to diagonise the high heat low pressure. That's all.

Let us know your findings, having had the scavenge pump issue at the same time as your current issue, I'm really curious what's the cause of your issue. I'm hoping it's something trivial and you can get back to enjoying your car for low $$. Also, I would be wary of even low-load driving until you sort your problem out. M96s don't love oil starvation any more than the next engine, and they're very expensive to fix.

Maybe a stupid question but is your AC on? Mine will show the low pressure light coming off a highway in hot weather, but only when the AC is off which drops the idle low enough to trigger the low oil pressure.

Ben, Dont know what the ticking is but it looks like you adressed the oil pump misalignment and the water cooling switches. I have an 02 as well. I have found them to be very durable engines on the street and track. But you have to do a couple of things to make them durable. 1. If you are canyon carving as aggressively as it sounds, you gotta get more oil in the 3.6 for all the reasons the guys stated. Pretty good chance you are running the "new" version of the oil dipstick that "lowers" the amount of oil so you aren't smoking up a storm. Its a failed solution to the real problem which is an inefficient and brittle oem AOS. So the first thing I would do is get the UAOS w/ track drain on your car. This will allow you to run 1 qt over full which will not only help the oil starvation issues, but it will also help with oil pressure and keeping your oil "cooler" for longer due to more volume. You may be able to run 2 qts over full with the UAOST if you do a blow by test and pass with flying colors. 2. In addition, I would order a 996.1 oil dipstick to get back to the "proper" measurement and measure your oil when cold, on a flat surface with the new 996.1 dipstick. To put things into perspective. I have 12 quarts of oil sitting in my 996.2. Two extra quarts from a deep sump and a little over one quart extra from the UAOS. havent done a blow by test yet, but expect to pass and run 2 qts extra. For sure, i will be moving to the UIDS as well later this year. Given your interest in canyon carving, If I were you, I would either get the UIDS or find a deep sump. 3. Run 50 weight oil. 4. Replace your oil sender unit. If it's original, it's old. As I mentioned on a previous post, I have 64k miles on my 996.2 and I just replaced mine 4x in 22 years. Think I posted 3x but just looked at my records. They go. Why temp fate when you don't have to with bad or inconsistent readings. It's a cheap part and very easy to replace. 5. Our cars do not cool as well at low speeds as they do at high speeds for a simple reason of just not enough airflow. You either have to keep the speeds up or adjust your gears and rpms depending on speed. Or, you can add a cockpit controlled fan swith, and/or a center radiator for more water cooling and add the 997S oil cooler which fits our engines. It's 20% larger. 6. Find @Coopduc thread on his digital oil temp gauge and get one. This will allow you to keep an eye on oil temps. Bottom line is this, the 3.6 is durable as he'll if you do the right things to it. If not. It's like any other engine. They go boom when pushed hard. If you are a last minute Louie when it comes to upgrading parts, and unless you are a well conditioned athelte, you will hate the 50 mile jog home from the hills around LA. Good luck with figuring this stuff out.

Normal. If ticks disappear with slight throttle from idle, and if you aren't getting sooty tailpipes or excessive oil consumption, you are fine. Could run thicker oil or just turn the AC on. You can disconnect A/c and hit interior button to raise revs. I always thought the car sounded a little happier with an extra 100-200rpm at idle. I ran LM 5w-40 synthoil premium.

Quotes source posts: 19488923, 19489573

Thanks, but I have a 1999, so original stick and 3.4. But yes I do plan on UAOS as i think I am going to start to track it (not before I sort this pressure issue out though). Will do sender unit as well as it's cheap. But regardless, no more driving till I get the sump off. Yup, zero smoke. No soot. No tick unless engine is at max temp. The indy said sticky valve and to try heavier oil, which I think I'll do. Porsche now says the 996 should use 5W50. I just wish I could solve the issue, before trying a heavier oil.

Quotes source post: 19489573

Agree 100%

Quotes source post: 19489573

I dunno, I would not be 100% sure a hot tick isn�t bore scoring. I mean, I agree that an engine starved of oil may very well tick, and really, it should and does tick, but an engine with bore scoring can have imperceptible oil consumption, right? Either way, a ticking sound is metal to metal contact unless it�s a noisy injector or an exhaust leak.

Finally got a chance to drop oil plate and take a look inside. Long story short, didn't find much of anything. I thought maybe the oil uptake would have been blocked or something, but everything looks fine (I think). I found some small pieces of plastic which I think are the timing chain guides (from what I could find on here, and someone posted that). They are brown, not black. The oil was changed about a year ago so it's also possible there were more bits and they drained out. The cover looks in fine condition too. The plastic baffle covers seem to be in good order. The only minor DIY thing I could do now is replace the oil sender but can anyone say that it would be affected by rotational forces? Does it have movable parts inside? Other than that, (I don't want to splice in a mechanically oil pressure gauge), I'm going to have to give up and take it to a specialist. Here are pics of the sump and bits (the only odd piece I found was a tiny little metal brass looking disc with a small hole in center.

While you got the Sump off you should remove the swirl pots and check to make sure they are clear... The Swirl pots can and do get stopped up with the bits of plastic from the chain guides...( this can cause serious lubrication issues) Also the drilled 6mm passages from the return scavenge pumps down to the swirl pots need to be verified they are clear also, but this probably well over your experience/skillset...

Quotes source post: 19546308

Oh crap. I literally read tons of threads and everything pointed to checking to make sure the screen wasn't blocked. I've already sealed everything back up.

With that small amount of debris your swirl pots are probably OK. I had a similar amount of debris when I dropped my pan, swirl pots were clear. There is one horror story about the swirl pots clogging on the forum but in that person's case there was a known catastrophic failure of a variocam pad sending a large amount of debris into the oil pan. JMO but I wouldn't pull the pan again. The piece of brass is interesting.

The brass is a piece of machining swarf produced when a drill bit breaks through. I do not think there is any brass in the engine so I have no idea how it got in there.

Well this is probably the last post I'll make before taking it in to a shop. I've rechecked the scavenger pumps one last time. The only things left I can do are: 1) take the oil pan plate off again and check the swirl pots, though i'm going to take the path of least resistance answer above because i don't want to do that all over again 2) replace oil sender - though can anyone attest to that causing low pressure in turns? is there even anything mechanical in there that would be affected? I don't want to splice an actual oil pressure gauge into the system. As much as I appreciate those who highly suggest I do. I guess I can also drain and refill oil with Classic 5x50 and see what that does. And I change the filter while i'm at it, maybe it's bad or something. Other than that i'm at a loss, and it sucks because while i can drive around town just fine, stupid corners are everywhere on the mountain roads, and that's my weekly zen!

Quotes source post: 19549887

You can do it the quick and dirty (impermanent) way. There�s a threaded port on the driver�s side of the engine that allows for an oil pressure sensor to be screwed in. Stick in an aftermarket sensor and wire it to an aftermarket gauge and mount it in the cabin within eyesight while driving. Mount the gauge using a cell phone holder and run the wiring out the engine bay and through your window. With this method you�ll be able to get a confirmation of your oil pressure while driving. Easily removable, too. The 5w-50 isn�t a bad idea, either.

Quotes source post: 19549944

Oh... hmmm. Somehow I had read it required splicing into a line. Well... okay maybe I'll go a bit further looking into it.

Good lord. I love 996s but this reminds me how little I miss the M96. This is something I never knew about before this thread. Just out of curiosity on a bonestock engine that has never been opened up... how on earth does the scavenge pump get installed incorrectly? To clarify the scavenge pump arrows should be pointing up on both sides?

Quotes source post: 19550104

Everything I read the drivers side should have the 1-3 facing the inside of the engine (arrows pointing down) and the passenger side should have the 4-6 facing the inside (arrows pointing up). Driver side Passenger Just did a transmission oil change so did a short drive. Even at 40mph i can sway the gauge big time with quick turns. Just so odd.

Quotes source post: 19549887

Sorry! I skipped over this part earlier. There�s a little spring and rheostat inside the oil pressure sender. If the spring is weak, I think it would react to the tiniest of provocations. https://rennlist.com/forums/996-turb...l#post17180131 Be warned, I just replaced my oil pressure sender twice this week. The first sender would only register a max pressure of 4 bar at cold start. The second one registered 4.8/4.9 bar. Both senders were Porsche branded units. I�m considering permanently mounting an aftermarket oil pressure gauge in the cabin, for peace of mind.

Quotes source post: 19549887

Short answer: no. Loss of oil pressure in the turns affects a lot of folks. It�s simply due to the oil pump sucking in air for various reasons. It has nothing really to do with low oil pressure at hot idle. If you want that fixed immediately, buy a UIDS. To solve your other problem, install a switch that turns on your high speed fans manually for better cooling and run 5w/50 oil. That will both lower your oil temps and increase viscosity and you probably won�t have the oil light flicker any more. The fans are key. Driving the 911 hard and building up heat requires a lot of airflow through the front radiators. Driving 45mph average speed (30 for tighter turns, 60 for sweepers) won�t cut it - not enough airflow.

Quotes source posts: 19550657, 19550657

Yeh, I should have started a new thread, the oil pressure drop in turns is a different issue. Well apparently I drive too fast in the canyons if that's the basis 😉 Took it out yesterday on a slow test after replacing tranny fluid, and its just crazy how much the oil pressure gauge fluctuates even in slow turns as long as I push some g force. 40 mph at 4000 rpm constant gas, and take a turn and the gauge just plummets. There's gotta be something behind that. ordering the new sender today and 5w50. but i'm super frustrated. i looked up adding a mechanic gauge and i don't think i'm finding the quick and easy instructions.

Assuming your engine and parts are in good working order, do yourself a favor and get the UAOS Track on your car asap. You can run an extra 1-2 quarts of oil over full. 2 quarts if your blow-by test is good. Its a no brainer in helping to mitigate oil pressure drops. UiDS would be the icing on the cake.

Has anyone ever had broken scavenge pump shafts? What's weird about your issue is that you have several issues that don't seem (to an inexperienced owner like me) to be coming from a single issue: -scavenge pumps issue will cause drops in turns, but that doesn't explain your low idle pressure -bad sending units would have no reason to only send bad signals during turns Plus your engine seems really clean. I agree that an external sending unit is probably the right call at this point. I really hope you can get this solved. Please keep updating this topic with your findings. EDIT: regarding UIDS/UOAS, while they're good products, I wouldn't make them my priority. With your use case, you shouldn't need them. You need to find the root cause of your problem.

Quotes source post: 19550699

My car does the exact same thing. The UIDS solves this problem. People on the track report this issue most often, but a 270-degree on-ramp does the same thing on my car.

Quotes source post: 19550699

That�s fine, I�m sure you are driving the correct speed. I�m just saying that if your temp gauge is moving up past the zero, that�s approaching 100C, which is different than 83-87C when the gauge is straight up the middle. And so oil temps being 15C higher will just be thinner oil and therefore less pressure. Some people install a 3rd radiator and swear by that, but that doesn�t work in stop and go traffic (there is no fan and no airflow). If you are driving fast enough, a 3rd radiator might really help too. But I would try the fans trick first. It�s easiest, cheapest, and will likely reduce temps, even at speed because it will still increase airflow

Quotes source post: 19550709

+1

Quotes source post: 19550946

Agreed. This is were an indy thats an expert on the m96 can find the root cause first. Once it's identified and fixed, I would then go with 5/50 oil and the UAOS Track since you are canyon carving. First things first.

You need an electrical sensor oil pressure gauge with the sender having the correct thread for the port. I don't know what the port thread is. Screw in the sender with a bit of sealant on the threads or a copper washer. Run longer wire(s) from the sender out the engine lid and in through the passenger window. Duct tape the gauge onto the steering column. Wire the sender to the gauge. Get a cigarette lighter plug and wire the gauge power/ground to the cigarette lighter plug. I do think at this point the oil pressure drops are real, and are probably due to general wear on the engine. Running it with more oil will mask the problem. Keeping the engine cool will help. Thicker oil may help. It is possible new scavenge pumps would help, although probably not.

Time to get the car to an expert.

Quotes source post: 19550946

Yes. scavenge pumps do fail. Yes it does. They are related in an indirect way. This is a distinct possibility. As the oil pressure drops critically down in corners, again and again, wear takes place. The longer pressure is down the more wear. The wear adds up cumulatively. The oil clearance between bearing and shaft increases thus lowing overall oil pressure all the time, not just in corners. When bearings/bushings/etc, are worn, then at idle the main oil pump can't keep up pressure/volume supply to bearings that are leaking excessively their oil film from out of spec oil clearance. This shows up as very low oil pressure at idle... jmo

Ok guys, I'm giving up DIY at this point, getting too freaked out. Not changing the oil, not replacing the sender. Going to take it in and hope indy doesn't just come back and say "use heavier oil".

I had 2 engines last year that had failed because of backwards scavenge pumps. One was still running, and the other I bought off Kris Murphy for a spare crank. The one that was still running had wiped the main journals on the crank and oil pressure was all over the place. It got the crank from the donor and went back together and is somewhere in the high country driving around now. If someone installed the scavenge pump backwards there's a chance they could have also removed the pump from the cover and installed that backwards as well. Wishing you the best of luck and that your local indy can help get you sorted. --Aaron

Quotes source post: 19551039

At this point though, I would expect the engine to show much more catastrophic damage than was apparent in OP's sump?

Quotes source post: 19551332

If there was catastrophic damage, you'd be right in expecting more in the sump. But at this point its thankfully not yet catastrophic,,, yet. And at this point its probably the best time for a rebuild that doesn't need ALL the expensive parts. Unfortunately on the m96 even the best case scenario refresh/rebuild involves expen$ive re-engineering the cylinder blocks... The babbit coating on bearings is usually around .005" thick. The oil clearance is somewhere around .001-.002". So, if only 1-2 thousands wore off the bearing babbit coating, the oil clearance is out of spec causing constant lower oil pressure thats more obvious at low idle rpm. Thats not a lot of babbit to see in the sump. A good oil test might show some tin alloy and or copper from the babbit, maybe. . Eventually in one of those corners that oil pressure dips way low, a bearing will spin, or a bushing will gall, or a shaft will score. With repeated huge dips in OP at load/rpm, sooner or later something has to give with an insufficient oil film on critical reciprocating parts. Then you will see more in the sump Above is just an educated guess that no one can absolutely claim without a total engine tear down... jmo

So to I guess wrap up this thread's main point (low pressure light and ticking), I had the oil changed to 5W50 but didn't see much difference. the tech dropped the sump and inspected it, also used another matching sump plate he knew worked, and hooked up a mechanical oil pressure sensor to confirm the pressure is dropping. He could find anything else wrong to cause it. New water pump. LN low stat. Cleaned rads. Fans work. It seems it maybe helped a bit as when i did a test run on hot day, and engine is at top temp after a drive UP the canyon, I still have the low pressure light come on and the right side ticking when coming to a stop. I tried running AC whole time to keeps fans on but they just can't cool enough on a hot day. At Idle Turning on AC does boost revs a little and no more low pressure light, tick is still there. It only takes a little cooling of the engine for both problems to resolve. I don't know why this seems to have come out of no where, but it seems to be here for now. The other issue of low pressure in turns "may" be related or not, but deserves its own thread.

I wonder if 15W-50 may work better�

Ben, did you replace the oil pressure sending unit? Its a cheap part and easy to replace. I have replaced mine many times over the last 22 years. In fact, I just replaced it again because it wasn't functioning properly. They last 5-10 years at best.

Quotes source post: 19659610

Sorry forgot to add, the tech hooked up a an actual oil pressure sensor and confirmed he saw the pressure drops. Granted i can't compare his readings to mine too easily, and maybe the sensor is over exaggerating them, but in a straight line it works perfectly.

You Tube

Did you ever fix your problem? I have a 99 C2 and also have low oil pressure when the car is hot. Put in a new spring and check valve, run 50W oil, checked the fans. Not sure what the problem is...Runs fine just low oil pressure when hot. No ticking. Oil filter is new and the old one had no debris in it. Has anyone ever solved this problem?

Quotes source post: 19693272

I have gone all over the place trying to figure this one out (I'm the original poster). I got the car in Nov 2022. Ran it over the summer of 2023 in the high heat, and high rev. No ticking. Had the oil changed (Mobile 1 0w40) in July 2024 and almost positive that is when the low oil light and ticking at high engine temp started. I have since tried changing the oil to 5w50 (just last month), but it hasn't done anything to stop the ticking or low pressure light at idle. But again, the temp gauge has to be at pretty close it's maximum spot (no issues with overheating). The rest of this thread got derailed when I mixed in the issue of pressure fluctuations in turns, and while that might be related to the oil thinnes at high temp, it's probably not related to why it ticks and low pressure light. My indy does think the ticking is just a lifter that is sticking, and since the pressure is low (for whatever reason) it's causing the lifter to stick. The only thing I haven't done, is reach out to the seller and see if he remembers what oil he used back in Nov 2022 when he did the oil change in prep for sale. Maybe he used 15W50 and that kept it quiet, that's the only thing that would make sense at this point.

Thanks for the information! I think the next things I will try is changing the oil to DT40, switching out the sending unit, and then do the items listed here --> You Tube

Except for the valve piston and spring, that is already done...

Quotes source post: 19693854

I just watched that now. Haven't taken the oil pump plate off, but I not sure the pump is bad. Unless it's only bad at high temps... We did try a brand new filter before switching to 5W50, and still low-pressue/ticketing. The sending unit that others reference above I think is more related to the low pressure in turns issue that I also have, which this thread got side tracked on. I don't think the sending unit would cause the pressure to be low and the ticking, but maybe it's reading it incorrectly? I reached out to the original seller, maybe he was using 15W50.. will update when he replies.

Quotes source post: 19693693

It�s possible the seller put something in the oil to hide the noise and/or pressure issue. Was the M1 0W-40 your very first oil change?

Quotes source post: 19693978

I don't think so. He's a dealer (small time flipper really) and the issue only occurs when the engine is very hot. The chance of him pushing the car to the limit and hearing the tick/light is slim. Since he was just flipping the car from one used car lot to his own inventory. Besides a super thick oil, what additive even would boost oil pressure to climate the idle issue? My only thought is he used a heavy oil. Yes M1 0W40 was the first oil change. He wrote back and said he thinks it would have been 5W40, so that doesn't really help anything... Only thing I can think of is trying a different oil filter completely? Grasping at straws...

Quotes source post: 19693854

I would be cautious listening to his guys recommendations. I watched a bunch of his videos in the past and there was a bunch of incorrect info shared and some other absurd claims.

I second that plpete84, I wouldn't let him touch my car after viewing that video.

Good to know. I've only watched a couple of his videos when stumbling on this one.

Quotes source posts: 19694059, 19694088

Thirded. The guy is loonytunes. He also weighs in on bore scoring and that's hilariously bad.

Quotes source post: 19693991

I�m just saying, people do this all the time. It�s one of the reason why anyone would get rid of any car. Not saying it happened. I�m just saying it does. I�m guessing the dealer you used has very good reviews?

I was wondering if installing a third radiator would fix this low oil pressure at idle issue. Has anyone tried to install the center radiator to fix this problem?

Quotes source post: 19708530

Forget it, it won't. Whether you have 20 or 22 liters of water at 20C less than coming out of a hot engine doesn't make an iota of difference to the engine/oil temp.

I installed a center radiator but not necessarily to combat your issue. While it does probably provide some extra cooling capacity, radiators do best when you're in motion and there is air hitting the radiator helping it do its job. Sitting at idle, in traffic, especially on a hot day, you probably won't see much difference. I think the suggestions to try 5w-50 or even 15w-50 would be my next move.

I do use 5W-50. I'm actually thinking about going to Driven DT40 and see if that helps.

I'd hazard a guess and say your conrod and perhaps main bearing shells are on the way out and the increased bearing clearance results in low oil pressure at idle when hot. No oil is going to alleviate that.

Yes, that could be, but I see zero metal debris in the oil filter and don't hear any knocking sounds which I would think would accompany worn bearings or rods. Sometimes there is a tick when I first start it up, but that goes away once it is warm and I've been driving for ten minutes or so. Under high load I don't hear anything abnormal. When I drive it, I drive it pretty hard, but it only has about 76K miles on it. Don't really want to rebuild the engine. Without tearing down the engine is there any other way to diagnosis worn connecting rods or the main bearing?

The bearings have worn prior to your ownership. Previous owner could have observed the same as you, after for instance having had some fun on the track. Then checked the filter and dropped the pan, only to find debris. He subsequently replaced both with new, drove it some but saw no improvement when oil hot. Did another change to make sure no more debris was in the oil and then put it up for sale. Bearings have stopped wearing as oil supply and pressure are good enough driving on public street but take it onto the track and they will quickly fail. Just a possible scenario that would result in exactly what you are experiencing. A used oil analysis is the only way apart from full teardown.

I do know the previous owner changed the thermostat and oil a month or two before selling it to me. I've been meaning to do an oil analysis and have the kit here, just need to send it over. I'll go ahead and do that and see what happens.

OP here, another follow up: The issue that I am having is 100% temp related. There is a certain temp point where the ticking and the low pressure at idle occur and a temp where they do not. To get the engine up to that point, i really have to push it, and ideally while climbing. This is easily done as I live at the base of Angeles Crest Highway (if you know, you know). A hot day helps too. Yesterday, I drove the ~30 miles to Newcombs Ranch pushing moderately the whole way, (5-7K). The engine temp peaks when the gauge is at the right edge of the 0 in 180 and doesn't go beyond that (I know this is peak, because I drove it in 95F weather at Willowsprings a few weeks ago, and if anything was going to push the temps higher than that, that track was). When I got to Newcombs, the tick was audible, at any RPM, and the low pressure light was flickering (probably because the cooler weather so I'm not totally maxing the temps). After a 10 minute cool down, everything bad to normal. Today, I went up again and took it a tad easier at the end and when I got to Newcombs the gauge only read in the middle of the 0 in 180. No tick. And the oil pressure was fine (low, but the light only popped on for a second). This is repeatable, over and over again. Hot engine at a certain point equates thiner oil and lower pressure so the lifter (best guess here) can't maintain pressure, and it sticks. Same with pressure gauge reading overall. The only thing left to try is 15W50, and see if that can withstand the engine temps. The thing I don't get is why this only occurred after I did the first oil change. Some have said the dealer did something tricky to cover the sound of the tick, but I 100% doubt he drove it hard enough to get it to peak temp to even hear the tick to begin with, especially in the fall on the east coast. I guess the other thing I can try is replace the lifters, but man, I don't want to do that in my driveway

Could it be that the model year 1999 had some differences that cause this low oil pressure issues? I see that most people that have this problem also have a 1999. There were some known changes to the engine, the dual row IMS being the one everyone knows about, but were there other changes that could cause these issues? The 1999 was the first liquid cooled 911, so maybe they learned something in that year and made a change. Are there any known changes to the cooling system or engine from 1999 to later 996.1 models?

Quotes source post: 19710336

Fable is the "early build" 1999s engine was made in the old plant before it burned down and subsequent engines were made in a new plant and some cost cutting methods were implement on the non-early 1999s and onward. Though i have no clue what they are (besides a different bore coating that is more resistant to scoring), or if that's a fable or not. I can't remember where i read that. So i guess it's possible something was changed, but i'm surprised no one has ever mentioned it. The low pressure in corners issue might be related to that, but low pressure at high heat i think is just an old engine plus 100k miles issue at this point .

@Ben8jam - thanks for the update! That drive to Newcombs is a ripper so I get it. It sounds like you identified that temps can be the trigger for the ticking. With that, have you considered adding a center radiator, if you haven't yet? I feel like that and a low-temp thermostat will help with the cooling efficiency and help keep the temps down. Another thing I'd suggest is adding the digital oil temp gauge that one of the members here has designed. It's an easy install and it should give you an idea where the oil temps really are.

Quotes source post: 19710625

I added the LN low temp thermo a few months ago with new water pump. The low temp thermo only opens sooner, but it doesn't cool the engine more. So once it's hot and therm is open it's just going to keep getting hotter. I haven't added the center rad, but have looked at it. I think the best mod will be the override switch to turn the rads on earlier so they don't wait to kick on at the max temp point. Though again not sure what diff that'll make, speeds are well above average so airflow is not a problem, BUT that's an easy one to implement. I could add an external oil temp I guess, but I don't think the gauge is broken. I've had a sensor reader plugged in and it matches the gauge.

Quotes source post: 19709830

I'll ignore your swipe at the east coast for the moment. Did you get a UOA of the oil that was in the car before that first oil change?

Quotes source post: 19710625

+1 And get a new Oil Pressure Sender Unit. They are inexpensive and easy put on in your garage. Not to mention, they go bad pretty frequently. In 22 years I have replaced mine 3x. Here is the oil temp gauge from @Coopduc . IMHO, this gauge is a must for all 996 owners. This is the car in my garage after a 1 hour drive on streets and highway. Mainly between 4-6k rpm as I exercise the car.

Quotes source posts: 19710659, 19710662

No, never occurred to get oil tested. Comment any fall on east coast is it is cooler than our 100f fall in socal (I'm from Baltimore, so no swipe). I wouldn't think the sender causes low pressure and thus the tick. Unless your saying you think it does?

Quotes source post: 19710675

It measures the oil pressure. When it goes bad, and it eventually will, you will get wonky readings and then no reading which means its conpletely failed and the red warning light "no oil pressure" appears on your dash and your heart stops. Here is the point. You got a problem. We are trying to help. It may be a little problem such as a bad oil pressure sending unit, or a big problem that requires a rebuild. Or something in between. Don't gloss over what we are all saying to help you out. Research it and understand it. The more you canyon carve and track your car without addressing the cause if the issue, the more expensive it will be. These are easy cars to keep on the road. But you have to do the right things.

Quotes source post: 19710675

Okay, so if the previous owner or dealer had already been using a higher viscosity oil that might explain why the symptoms appeared after your oil change.

Quotes source post: 19710686

Thanks, appreciate the help I just wasn't sure if you were saying the sender was somehow related to the tick. Perhaps it is measuring a lower pressure when hot than is real, and needs replacing, but still doesn't explain a mechanical sound like a tick. Im pretty sure now after talking to some others the tick really is just a noisy sticky lifter and the low pressure from the hot oil causes it. Especially since it is related to engine temp only. There was some other post i found where someone explained it well but i can't find it again. At some point i'll get them replaced. But thanks all for your input!

Quotes source post: 19710712

Yeh if you read further up I did look into this. He said likely 5w40, but he didn't have a log. And who knows if he really did change it or not. We'll never know. I will do 15w50 next change to see

Quotes source post: 19710723

For sure, they are independent issues. but you have been discussing low oil pressure for a long time. It may be as simple as your OPSU is going bad or worst case you have internal engine issues. As many have suggested, do an oil test to gain some clues as to the condition of your engine and drop your sump to see what's in it. In the meantime, assuming your OPSU is fine and you want to improve oil pressure, go to higher weight oil and add the UAOS Track which will allow you to run more oil quantity which will improve oil pressure. Two quick solutions that will add incremental improvement.

I have a pretty early build, Feb 1998. What about you?

Here you go. Best $120 you will ever spend on your car. https://www.speediagnostix.com/shop/...-sampling-pump

Quotes source post: 19710723

Ben, try a bottle of Techron Complete Fuel System Cleaner in your gas tank when you fill up next time. May help with a little carbon cleaning. Many of us use this, or the equivalent Redline or Driven products as well. Somewhere on RL is a thread discussing the use of these 3 products and the benefits. May help to solve the tick. Certainly won't hurt to clean the fuel system and engine.

@Ben8jam You mentioned that you changed the water pump and put in the LN tstat. Did you use an airlift to refill the cooling system? I had issues with low oil pressures on my stock engine (pre rebuild) where after 45 minutes of freeway driving or any mildly spirited shenanigans, I could only get 3bar at 4k rpm. And I was losing pressure in around town turns. Looking back, and after looking at the mains, it appears my oil temps were rather high. I too changed the water pump and tstat early in ownership. I only noticed the problem after that point. I believe I had a bubble in the cooling system at the oil cooler. This reduced the effectiveness of the cooler and my oil always ran warm. I did not use an airlift to fill the cooling system. This is speculation on my part. However, my new engine (4.0) does not exhibit any of these symptoms. Not exactly apples to apples comparison and no scientific method was employed to come up with my theory. But it may be worth looking into.

Quotes source post: 19711757

I did use an airlift. But anything is possible since first time doing it. Though i would hope by now any air pockets would have worked themselves out (i do leave the overflow tank gasket open).

Quotes source post: 19710781

Yup mine is an early build as well.

Quotes source post: 19710725

Maybe he was using something more viscous than 5w-50, like 10w-60 or something� Can you remind me how many miles are on your car?

Quotes source post: 19711988

I switched from 0w40 to 5w50, no diff. Next will be 15w50. 103k!

Quotes source post: 19712032

Skip the 15w-50 and go straight to 10w-60....with all the things you have mentioned your engine is obviously showing signs of general overall wear... When the engine is cold the main oil pump goes into by-pass as soon as the engine starts.....as the engine warms the oil thins, the aluminum expands and the main oil pump will only go into by-pass at higher RPM's... but if the engine is worn the oil leakage on the main and rod bearings, PLUS the leakage on all cam bearings and all 24 lifters, means the main oil pump will never go into by-pass and you will flood the heads with oil and will lower the oil in the Sump to a dangerous level... Race Engine are deliberately built loose on the main and rod bearings to increase cooling ,BUT are not built loose on the cam bearings and lifter carriers that are made from aluminum and will expand during high temps......An engine that is generally worn will have loose main and rod bearings which is good, but will have loose cam and lifter carriers that is bad and will flood the heads with oil while starving the Sump for oil supply to the main oil pump...

Quotes source post: 19712117

Don't scare me man! But I get it, high mile, so of course things will be wearing. But she sounds SO smooth under normal conditions. I never considered 60 weight. Are there any drawbacks to running such heavier oils? I live in SoCal, so temps are rarely below 45F, and I'm not usually driving in those temps. The heaviest oil Mobile 1 makes is 15W-50.

Quotes source post: 19711981

It�s a stretch, for sure, that an air bubble is the culprit. And only wild *** guess to my own symptoms. I had considerable wear on the connecting rod big end bearings. I am sure this was a bigger contributor to the oil pressure issues than a cooling issue. But my oil pressure at idle was fine. I installed a 998 3.8 oil cooler in the new engine and temps are closer to coolant temp than with the stock oil cooler.

Quotes source post: 19712335

I'm not trying to scare you man just keeping it real.....I see you talking about the engine low pressures indicating general wear, and also doing Track Events without a lot of preventative hardware, ....so just giving advice on the most robust oil that will give you the best chance without the necessary hardware... If I were going to do this on high mileage /generally worn engine without preventative hardware, I would at least instrument it with pressure and temperature and log them to document the scenarios for latter forensics...