Oil pressure warning gauge install problems?

[krisma]

I posted this earlier in another thread, but I am make a specific one for this issue and I hope if there are any honda mechanics out there they come up with something for the following. Here are my two posts from the other thread.

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but I have an oil pressure issue that I would like to piggy back on this:

I recently did a head gasket/timing belt/water pump change. A day and half after completing the work and driving about 110 miles my oil pressure light came on while going about 65-70 mph/2800-3000 rpm. I quickly pulled off on the highway verified good oil quantity and nothing visually loose in the engine compartment.

After my checks I started the car and no light came on except for the startup light check. I proceeded home normally about another 28-30 miles and then the light started to flicker like crazy, shut off, flicker intermittently, then stayed on for the next 5-8 miles until I got home. Again, I shut the car off quantity still good. I had someone run the car while I wiggles all the wire harnesses then had them take it up to 3000 rpm ad did the same thing, but could not get the light to come on.

So... I went out and bought an analog direct read oil pressure gauge and installed it today 5-11-09, completely bypassing the pressure switch. I turned the car on and the gauge reads 75 psi at idle?!!!

Any thoughts on this high psi reading? Bad gauge from stock?

Car has 190,000 miles 1995 LX 1.5 ltr.

Thank you all!!

and.....

well I learned something new! It turns out it's a viscosity issue. On a cold engine or one that has been shut down for a while these type of direct read analog gauges stay on the high side until the engine warms up.

It turns out that after a little while of running the engine the psi drops down to normal range on the gauge. After about 5 minutes idle was reading about 10 psi, 3k was about 58-62 psi (gauge doesn't give a lot of accurate increments). I did a series of quick on/off's after the engine was warm and it went to reading what manual specs call for. I then did about 3 on/off's giving the car about 30-45 minutes in between and I got the same high psi issue every time, but every time it also came down after a while.

Cheap gauge maybe, but more than like viscosity was the culprit. Hope this info helps others.
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Since my second quoted post above I have noticed the following. As stated initially my oil pressure reads high at about 75 psi at idle, but comes down after a while, but what I'm noticing now is that at highway speeds about 2800-3000 I'm reading about 37-42 psi according to the iequus 6000 series direct read gauge.

The funny thing is that this take a long while to happen. It doesn't fluctuate at all it just VERY slowly drops to about 37-42 and at idle I think it reads 10 psi (analog gauge and not many lines of reference.. 0, 25, 50, 75, 100; with one line in between each one



Mine is even more basic with no kpa readings.


SO........... any thoughts on what highway psi readings should be after warmup? Could I have a bad gauage or install? Has anyone out there installed one of this direct read gauges? What are the warning light 'trip' points in a '95 lx oil pressure switch. Sorry for the long read, I'm just trying to be detailed.


THANKS YOU ALL!!

 

[krisma]

::bump::

any takers?