Low oil pressure indicator at low rpms (idle) '97 olds V8

CK FOR VACUUN LEAKS

What year is it? Your symtoms suggest oil contamination from bad fuel pressure regulator.

Raising the idle would only put undue wear on the transmission shortening it's life. If pressure is low, you may need to replace a worn oil pump. Or depending on the mileage and maintenance, you may need to rebuild the engine. I am driving a 97 5.2l with full tow package with 216,000 miles on it, and I service it faithfully. It still does't smoke or use oil. The pressure does drop to about 20 when idling ( On the dash gauge, who knows how accurate it is ) then goes up to 40 when accelerated to start out. Sounds to me that your problem may be oil pump. FYI if you have very bad gas mileage, I have found a trick that will increase it. replace the stock fuel injectors with 5 hole pontiff injectors from early 90's neons. They are a perfect fit & increased my mileage 25% +. Good luck

Hi. This issue has several causes, but the oil light indicator is a strong sign of low pressure in the engine. This will cause the engine lubrication rate to drop, thus, producing a illuminated oil light, and erratic Oil pressure readings. The necessary actions are to have a manual oil pressure test ran on this engine, asap. When running a manual oil pressure test, you will discover if the true oil pressure is low, or normal. If the test proves that the oil pressure is, indeed, low, this will confirm that the Oil pump is suspect.

Now, if the true readings given during the manual oil pressure test are indicating that the pressure is normal, this will be the result of a failed sending unit(oil pressure switch). Although the oil pressure is suspect, this is not your only issue here. There seems to be a abnormal compression rate, present. This is causing the rough idle, and erratic RPMs. I recommend to administer a engine block compression test, as well. This test will discover if , indeed, there are issues within the cylinder heads, and block structure, such as a worn head gasket, cylinder wall issues, and cracked block. Normally, these issue will send signs, like white, or gray smoke out the tail pipe, or discolored oil. It will, also, promote erratic RPM ratings, and a rough idle. Have the oil pressure test, and engine block compression test ran, asap.

Once the test are administered, you will be able to isolate the actual problem areas, more accurately. Check the spark plug wire sets, and ignition assembly for faults, also.

Your motor oil level is low.
The oil light indicates low oil pressure - at higher RPMs the oil sending unit (oil pump) can create
a little oil pressure, but at lower RPMs it fails to keep up.
If the oil level is good, then the oil sending unit itself is going bad.

I have a 99 blazer and ever since I have owned it, it reads lower in pressure when idling, but will go up too 40 while driving. This is normal for the vehicle. If the pressure gets real low, and stays low, it means its time for an oil change.

As long as the pressure goes up when you give it gas, it is fine.

Paul,
Here's a few things to check out. First, you need to know if the oil pressure is correct or not. You can figure this out by removing the sensor and replacing it with a manual oil pressure gauge for testing purposes. If you find that the manual gauge is showing higher pressures, you can breathe easy and start looking at your instrument cluster for the problem. If, however, your oil pressure is reading the same, you need to figure out why your oil pressure is so low. One thing to check out, is to change out your filter, especially if it's a brand other than GM's AC Delco. Some filters are TOO restrictive, and can cause low oil pressure issues. Secondly, the viscosity of oil that you use can make a difference as well. As engines get older, and acquire higher mileages, they wear down a little. This makes larger gaps for oil to pass through, thus allowing your oil pressure to lower. For higher mileage vehicles, it's recommended to go with a slightly thicker oil, which will combat this problem. If these don't bring your pressure up enough, you may have to consider replacing your oil pump. This is more involved, as you must take the pan off the engine, and that can be a pain sometimes. You may opt for a higher volume pump, which would compensate for your increased tolerances. Hope this helped you out!

check for the oil pressure sending unit. i'm not sure where on the engine this sensor is on your vehicle, but look for a single wire sensor somewhere on the side of the block. hopefully, there'll be a bit of oil dripping from it, because it's a fairly cheap part and easy to replace. otherwise, you may actually have low pressure from a clogged pump pick tube or bad pump.

Hi! The problem you are outlining is very similar to the Rover V8 (Buick engine). We Brit's are used to the low oil pressure when warm. I presume a complete oil change engine flushed with new replacement filter has been carried out? Maybe a top quality synthetic oil with additive may help. You may take it a little further and replace the oil pump with an after market performance up rated one. If you really are worried about low oil pressure damage whilst in low rev's try Molybnenum Disulphide an oil additive which really reduces friction metal to metal wear particulary in the situation you are describing.
That's the best I can suggest at this moment.
Good Luck! and Happy New Year!
Paul 'W'
Onyer~EDson(:0)~[><

Thicker oil is all you need. 5w30 is too thin when it warms up and the sensor cant pick up the flow going past. 10w40 should stop all the issues