Does anyone know if the oil pressure sensor acts like a switch or is variable? Last night my light turned on but it's very dim, and seems to raise with RPM (which seems contradictory to typical behavior). It also sometimes goes away completely at cruising speed but tends to return on a restart of the car. This is on a '90 SOHC KA24e. Oil is clean, coolant is good, compression is fine.
I've been told that the pressure sensor acts as a switch that either displays low pressure or not (full bright / off completely).
Hoping for a second opinion, and thinking this is just an electrical issue.
thanks a lot-mike
Oil pressure light question (SOHC)
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nismofan14
- Posts: 579
- Joined: Fri Nov 22, 2002 5:55 am
Thanks for the reply... This quirk is a little annoying 
The oil level is on the dot. I fiddled with the pressure sensor today with a buddy in the car and the light remained :\
OK how about this... I only have an 89 FSM which is good enough for 99% of things, but one thing it shows is that I can hook up a portable mechanical oil pressure gauge. When I looked on my '90 today, the sensor seemed electronic... Does anyone know if there's support for a mechanical gauge on the '90 from the factory?
The oil level is on the dot. I fiddled with the pressure sensor today with a buddy in the car and the light remained :\
OK how about this... I only have an 89 FSM which is good enough for 99% of things, but one thing it shows is that I can hook up a portable mechanical oil pressure gauge. When I looked on my '90 today, the sensor seemed electronic... Does anyone know if there's support for a mechanical gauge on the '90 from the factory?
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nismofan14
- Posts: 579
- Joined: Fri Nov 22, 2002 5:55 am
You're correct on it being electronical. When the pressure becomes too low(10 psi or less) it kicks on the light. I can tell you how to check the sensor:
1. Disconnect the harness2. Using an ohmmeter, check continuity between the sending unit terminals 3. with the engine stopped, continuity should exist4. With engine running, continuity should not exist5. If continuity doesn't exist as stated the sensor is bad.
Hope this helps.
1. Disconnect the harness2. Using an ohmmeter, check continuity between the sending unit terminals 3. with the engine stopped, continuity should exist4. With engine running, continuity should not exist5. If continuity doesn't exist as stated the sensor is bad.
Hope this helps.
Re: (nismofan14)
hey eveyone, sorry to bring this thread back from the dead...
I've got the same issue with my oil light. the light goes on, but dimly, and it flickers a lot while driving. While hard cornering, it goes off, under hard braking it goes off, while randomly cruising, it goes off. It is rarely at full brightness and it flickers a lot and goes from dim to brighter while driving. Does this sound like an electrical issue between the harness and the light? I replaced the sensor at work yesterday and the light did not change its behavior habits at all. There is no grinding, knocking, or tapping (apart from the lifters, but they've been doing that for 60,000 km's at least now..) Oil is full too btw.. I checked that first.
The car runs fine, and I just took it on a 2-hour each way trip to visit my Grandma. Car purrs like a kitten in the driveway and is smooth as anything on the highway.
PLEASE tell me this is electrical and NOT a shot engine/oil pump.
I've got the same issue with my oil light. the light goes on, but dimly, and it flickers a lot while driving. While hard cornering, it goes off, under hard braking it goes off, while randomly cruising, it goes off. It is rarely at full brightness and it flickers a lot and goes from dim to brighter while driving. Does this sound like an electrical issue between the harness and the light? I replaced the sensor at work yesterday and the light did not change its behavior habits at all. There is no grinding, knocking, or tapping (apart from the lifters, but they've been doing that for 60,000 km's at least now..) Oil is full too btw.. I checked that first.
The car runs fine, and I just took it on a 2-hour each way trip to visit my Grandma. Car purrs like a kitten in the driveway and is smooth as anything on the highway.
PLEASE tell me this is electrical and NOT a shot engine/oil pump.