Hey guys,

Car is an EF II ghia (with the tickford engine)

Ever since I got my car I have noticed the oil pressure on the gauge seems a bit high... its in the lower half of the red zone closest to the 7... then it would drop down to about 3/4 after the car warmed up.. so I assumed it was normal, thinking its the oil heating up and becoming thinner or something.. didn't really think much of it.

But now the oil pressure is staying up high, on the higher side of the red section next to 7 and doesn't look like it can get any higher... and when I turn the engine off, but on the reds... the gauge reads half way? and the oil light lights up... oil light should light up I think, but the oil reading half way isn't right is it?

I can't remember for sure, but I really don't think there was any oil pressure when the engine is shut off... there shouldn't be any pressure should there?


Anyone got any ideas? can the oil pressure sender break and need replacing? is my engine about to die?

there cant be any real oil pressure when the engine isnt running assuming your not running a dry sump setup

Id say the gauge is f**k or the sensor

I dont know wether you can on that model but if its possible to get the dash in diagnostic mode you can see the readings coming from the sensor and narrow the problem from there.

id check your oil pressure sender first, if i remember correctly, they like to play up and cause symptoms lke yours.

Mine does it. Goes all the way high for a while on cold start, then normalizes down to 1/2 way after a while.

If I'm in slow traffic, and need to idle for a while, the needle goes right down on the low side too.

It's a s**t guage.

The grade and quantity of oil will affect the pressure, also. Are you running 10w 40 at the correct sump capacity?

penrite 15w 40 non-synthetic oil is what I put in it 2000km ago...

5 liters after I drained the car, that includes filling the filter 3/4...

it filled it to the very top of the full mark... so its not over filled




I'll just mention my engine is leaking out the front a bit, its not heaps its just leaving the k-frame damp... there isn't any drips under the car from it....... if thats got anything to do with it :\



I think i'll go for a new sensor first... where exactly are they though? My elearys book doesn't say (probably does, but I cant find it!)

I'll let you know if fixing my gasket next week eliminates this problem too. I'm guessing it won't. It's been doing it for years no matter what oil I use.

Check the connection at the sender before replacing (although it's probably due for replacement anyway).
I can't remember where they are on the 4L exactly, will be on the intake side of the motor, more then likely close to the oil filter.
It does sound alot like an issue with the sender and not a 'real' oil pressure issue, but it's always good practice to get a manual pressure gauge and confirm.

It will either be a poor connection on the spade terminal on the sender or a faulty sender. If its unplugged the guage should go to max. Mine played up years ago and was in the red max and i just removed the terminal and cleaned it, no problems since. My brothers EL XR6 did it last week and was the same problem with a dirty terminal. It can be found under the intake manifold in the centre of the block. Will be easier to remove the air box to gain access.

Thanks for the help / suggestions everyone.

99.9% sure its the sensor, so I'll be getting a new one soon.

Tried cleaning the spade connectors today, didn't help at all + they looked clean enough to start with... so that should rule a bad connection out.