Oil pressure and levels

After a bit of advice here if possible please... I've recently had the oil pressure failure indicator warning associated with immediate drop in pressure to zero followed by it instantly jumping back to 5 bars of pressure again on the cockpit display. At first was bit concerned but then it didn't happen again for a while. Popped on again a couple of times but always disappeared. Reading this forum and several others, this seems a reasonably common problem with these cars and I figured that I probably have a faulty pressure sensor that needs exchanging for a new one. However, the other day the warning pinged on and off about 4/5 times on my commute home and then I also got a single bar of oil on the digital display and when I checked the dipstick that was also at minimum. I've since topped up with 500ml of oil and now on 4/5 bars on the digital display and between min and max on the dipstick. Not getting the warning as often but did just pop up again on this evenings commute. With ignition on (engine turned off) the oil pressure is showing between 0.5 and 1 bar of pressure (not zero) therefore I think the sensor is most likely faulty. It typically runs at 5 bars once the car is fully warmed up which I also understand is not how it ought to function (have only had the car since November and wasn't sure how this gauge should behave and its always done this - just without the dash warnings). So, do I just change out the oil pressure sensor (£80 at my local OPC) and monitor the oil or does this indicate something more serious that I need to get checked out with my local indy ASAP?

A difficult one to answer im afraid .. If it's an actual oil pressure issue ( the relief valve spring can break ) then the car does indeed have low oil pressure and that's bad . You have already checked the oil sender unit though and that's obviously faulty .. from cold and between 4.5 - 5 bar reading .. Hot and about 1.5 .. i'm going to say ish here as these senders can give a slight over or under reading and as many people read these threads i don't want it to turn into .. my pressure is this etc . The oil level min to max on these is about 1.5 ltrs , you have added 0.5 .. that should not go from min to nearly max .. each segment is roughly 0.2 ltr . My guess .. it was close to the bottom and is now in the middle .. ish For info .. the car holds 10 litres of oil .. the min max is 1.5 so at min you have 8.5 litres .. thats plenty .. i've seen 4 ltrs with no engine damage in the past . oil lvl is checked when the car is at operating temp , 90.C oil temp , ignition on and wait for the countdown which should be 1 min if you have just switched the car off or 6 seconds if its been off for a few mins . Thats why its a difficult one to say .. the sender is obviously faulty and should be replaced asap to confirm .. its an easy diy job if needed .. Low oil pressure could also be an issue .. i don't think so as thats X2 separate faults but i can't say .

Thanks DeMort. Happy to tackle the sender unit. My local OPC have one in stock which I'll now pick up tomorrow and get that bit sorted. Can I confirm that the figs you quoted for oil pressure are what you would typically expect it to read (with a properly functioning sender unit)? Re the oil level the car (at operating temp on flat and level ground) now showing 4or 5 bars out of possible 8 on the digital display and roughly halfway on the dipstick following the 0.5litres that I added. Once I've replaced the sender unit and fingers crossed have been able to confirm oil pressure is normal, can I safely assume the two issues are not related?

Replace the sender unit .. i expect it's just this thats faulty .. but as i cant see the car i have to err on the side of caution as i can technically see it being more than one issue . The readings from a correct sensor are approx 5 bar cold dropping to 1.5 bar hot at idle . Sensor replaced .. let the car idle up to operating temp and see what reading you have at idle .. if at any point you get a warning message or a below reading of 1 bar on the gauge then turn off and get it recovered . I very much doubt this will happen .. i can count the number of times on 1 hand i've connected an oil pressure gauge to confirm the pressure in all my years .. but .. it's a slight possibility hence i mention it . oil level is fine where it is .. the oil at min lvl is still way above what the engine needs to " survive shall we say " Use the dipstick as i cant say if the gauge is correct but to be honest .. i expect it is .. i've not yet changed a oil level sensor shall we say .

Fantastic. Really appreciate the advice!

Got the stuff to this job and just had a go this evening but having a bit of difficulty. Going in from the top access is extremely tight and having to do it by feel which is rather tricky with wires and pipes getting in the way. I've now managed to somehow wedge my 19mm crows foot up against the chassis and now (with the limited leverage I have!) it is stuck! Any tips on tackling this job? Anything I can remove easily that might make the task a little easier? Have seen YouTube videos of others doing this entire job in a little over 10 mins so not quite sure what it is that I'm doing wrong?!!

Ok .. crap happens .. well .. it certainly does to me .. Try tightening it back up to see if the crows foot comes loose .. If not see if you have access from below using a long screwdriver to knock it back up wards . if neither of these works then get a trolly jack under the engine .. put this at the front or the rear of the sump .. don't put it smack in the middle .. undo the engine mount on the o/s/r and lower the engine a couple of inches .. your tool will be loose then .

Ok so decided to put my tools down and put the kids to bed. Had another think and decided to try approaching from underneath. Far, far easier IMHO. Could easily see what I was dealing with and managed to free the 'stuck" crows foot relatively easily (from the correct angle). Far from a 15 min job for me but happy to say that I've managed to replace the sensor and a quick check confirms that the old one was indeed at fault as with key in position one, the oil pressure gauge now reads zero. Getting a little late when I finished so decided not to fire her up this evening but will go for a quick drive tomorrow to confirm rest of the readings. I did notice a slight misting of oil below where the sending unit sits so don't know if it's possible it may have come from the old one (could this also have anything to do with the minor loss of oil)? I wasn't able to get the new sender unit super tight was trying not to over tighten but for about 10-15 mins every time I thought I'd tightened it with the crows foot when I double check I was easily able to loosen with my hands again. Another few tries and think I cracked it but might just get Indy to check when it goes in for service. Many thanks again for assistance deMort!

Taken out this morning to check the pressures and bang in line now with where deMort advised they should be. A solid zero with ignition on (engine not started), around 4.5-5 bar engine running cold, and settled at 1.5 bar once engine fully warmed up to temp. As soon as it hit temp on the thermostat was showing 2bar but after another 5 mins running has now settled at a solid 1.5 bar. So very happy this job is now sorted! I will now monitor oil levels. Intend to do an oil change shortly so I will know at that point precisely how much is in and then can accurately monitor the car's useage.

Normally i wouldn't reply as the job is done .. but .. please recheck the sender is tight enough .. hard to explain but push hard to lock it in place but don't use all your strength . Your comments got me a bit worried is all .

I reckon I got it. Just a little difficult with the lack of room below to get a solid purchase!