Hi there im obviously a new member with a question regarding low oil pressure after a rebuild. Following the rebuild the car started and ran fine however there is very little oil pressure. I am confident the short engine is correct and all components within spec the oil is reaching the oil filter and both relief valves are shut . When the engine is running the flexi hose from the pump to the rad is rock hard suggesting the oil pump is working fine. I have tested the sender unit and guage and both are working ok however when the engine is running the guage shows no reading. I confess that at this stage i have not put a pessure guage on the engine and am only going by the guage on the dash but something is obviously not right. Any advise would be appreciated.

 

If this is a series I vehicle, the oil pressure gauge cluster is not live data. It is merely moves to it's default position if you have pressure and as I understand will not move once a low threshold has been reached. Series II may be the same, but I am not sure. If it is somewhere in between, I would think their is a problem with the gauge. As we are talking a many $$$ with an engine however I would put a pressure gauge or tester on it to be sure it is a faulty gauge. I don't know how hot your letting the engine oil get, but on a hot summer day with oil temps pushing 190, at idle my oil pressure has been as low as 16 psi. Hope this helps.

 

Thanks for the reply i think a pressure test is the next step before i go any further.

 

Update on the low oil pressure the flexi hose from the rad to the engine had an obstruction . Made up of various gunk and slim it was blown out with an air line. Something to look out for on future rebuilds.

 

Glad it worked out...cheap fix. :-)