My 1990 Z24 3.1, seems to have really low oil pressure once it's warmed up..
Last year I ran 20w50 valvoline.. seemed to help a lil but not that much. I have a friend with a 1988 2.8 and he said his sits about the same at idle. Which is barely above the indicator line... is this normal ? Is my oil pressure switch or pump shot ? Any imput would be great ... thanks

could it be possible your sending unit isn't working properly or is it more obvious than just at the guage?



Originality and Creativity surpasses Popularity

Thats the prob, I put a profile 3 cam in and i can hear lifter chatter at idle. It probably is just the pressure switch, but looking at a gauge that low is scary ...

could be a weak oil pump or exsessive bearing clearances due to wear.

it's funny half the time we're fixing guages and not the problems they maintain. ok not funny but ironic.



Originality and Creativity surpasses Popularity

just change the oil pump. i had the same problem with my 3.1 and the pump finally went on me and destroyed my crank and bearings. be on the safe side and replace it and the sending unit.

if you do replace the pump, look into an aftermarket pump. im getting a mellings high volume pump for $95 canadian for my built up motor, but id use that to replace a stock pump in a stock motor. may cost a little more, but its worth the extra insurance.

If its got high miles on it, its most likely the bearings.


Replace the sending unit first and see if that was the issue. I've had one go bad on me before, and it felt 100X better to know that I was lucky. Should be $20 or so.

If its not the switch, at least you'll have a new one when you replace the oil pump and / or rebuild the bottom end.

Good luck!


-Daryl Scott
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