Hive mind: Oil pressure maxing the gauge on startup

https://www.toolots.com/wd-0004.html?cid=405360107&msclkid=b97e1d1d6a32126c02977c4a19c0dc76&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=%2B%20Automotive%20-%20Shopping%202&utm_term=4581802400775013&utm_content=Tester%20Kits

Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:

maj75 (Forum Supporter) said:

Opti said:

I've had good luck with seafood deluding engines, and a couple times stopping lifter tick.

WTF

This might Flounder the thread.  Still worth a shot for the Halibut.

Groan.

Oil pressure gauge works correctly now. 

It took me almost all day (with "don't get frustrated" breaks) to get the darn thing off.  It's easy to say the sensor is on the right hand side under the intake, but on the V6, it's also buried under the distributor and while it's on the right side, it's angled and points to the passenger side.  My hands are now cut to shreds, my back hurts from trying to stand on a step stool and lean over the engine bay to access it and my arms are killing me from having to hold myself up while working on it.  Time for a beer.

I must confess, however, that I didn't check it with a mechanical gauge. I was frustrated with how unbelievably difficult it was to get to and because of all of the stuff I had to remove just to access it.  Besides, the actual sensor was only $23, vs. $15 for a cheap gauge or $25 for a gauge kit.  So, I just swapped in a new sensor and now it reads correctly.  Makes me wonder if I had a low pressure problem from a few months ago or if it was the gauge.  Time will tell.

Still have a tick/clatter on startup.  Not sure if it's a lifter or what.  But I'll worry about that for another day.  I know the pressure is fine, so I'm less concerned.

To add insult to injury, while trying to crawl my fat rear into the engine bay, I bumped the a/c compressor switch connected to the dryer and snapped it.  So, I get to replace that tomorrow, but shouldn't take more than a few minutes.

Thanks, again, for all of the help.  Glad it was sensor related and not some major engine issue.

Here's to tomorrow being a less frustrating day.

-Rob

Glad it turned out to be a simple fix.

I've seen lifter noise on startup be caused by a poor quality oil filter letting the system drain back to the pan but a NAPA Gold filter is a good one and shouldn't cause that unless it's faulty or they gave you the wrong one and it doesn't have a check valve.