304 Oil pressure issues

[stocky]

I have the oil pressure light coming up on my dash and cant work out why. I just installed new timing gears, and now that its running, this light comes on once the engine gets warm and doesnt go off. It comes on after about 10 minutes of driving. What could cause it?

 

[88GreenVN]

The only thing that did it to my V8 was when the oil pick up was clogged so on start up bloob bloob bloob for a few seconds until pressure was up. Several flushes later the problem has not come back.

Is the engine note changing at all - as in very low oil?

 

[stocky]

nah it all sounds fine. no light on startup or anything. just driving down the road and the light comes on randomly

 

[383 hatch]

Oil too thin mabye? Holden V8's are renowned for having low oil pressure. Is it only at idle, or stays on even if you hold the revs up? If it's got thin oil in it, change the oil, if that doesn't cure it get a master oil pressure gauge and see what it does. Could just be a faulty sensor.

EDIT: You washed the engine recently?

 

[stocky]

from memory i might have washed it a few weeks ago, but the car hasnt moved for two weeks. was thinking it could be a dodgy sender or something? its running penrite HPR15 at the moment. light stays on all the time, at any revs, once the engine warms up

 

[Boonz]

if the lights on solid all the time then its the sender, same as the V6's ones so if you ahve one laying around whack it in and it should go away

 

[383 hatch]

I'd say it's got water in the sender. As Benny said, replace it.

 

[stocky]

cool. was hoping that was the issue. will get onto it soon. it drove fine for another 10 minutes after the light came on. no weird oil noises or anything. jsut the usual noisy lifters on cold start, and still kinda noisy when running

 

[ari666]

couple of q's;

hrp15= 15-50w yes? cos i had oiling issues with 15-50 but a cheap arse brand, so am now 25-50w.

the ticking from your lifters on startup (from a previous thread) still around?

did you replace that little gasket on your oil pick-up and make sure those two bolts are tight-tight.

 

[383 hatch]

If it drove for 10 minutes with the oil light on with no noises, it's definately the sender. It would have seized driving for that long if it had no oil pressure.