first off: car is a 03 wrx with a stage 2 tune only mods are a turboback and a intake silencer delete. using mobile 1 fully synth. 5w30 (unfortunately) i drive the car like a grandma, not gonna lie. never redline, never really crank on it. story is... i started my car this morning and noticed my oil light was on but it wasnt fully lit it was dim. i checked my oil and it was low, i added the correct amount according to the dip stick and the level looked great. started it up and no light. the car sat for a few hours then i started it up to go to work, still no light. sat at work then after work i go out and start my car and the light it back on i shut it off and check my oil level. its right on. i start it up again thinking it might be off...nope still on. so i go back into work and show another tech at my work to get his opinion and when i started it with him watching roughly 15-20 minutes later the light is off. i didnt drive the car home cause i wasnt sure if its a good idea, i left it at my shop overnight and ill look into it more tomorrow. i wondering if anyone has any ideas on what could be causing this. MY INITIAL GUESS is a bad oil pressure switch???? anyone have any input, anything is greatly appreciated. any questions or if anything didnt make sense please let me know and i will clarify. THANKS!!!
no abnormal noises from the engine??? Subaru oil press sensors usually never go bad. If someone has a spare you can replace and see if it fixes the issue. IF NOT then it's leaking out or something is loose and making you lose oil pressure. Worse case is it could be the start of a failing oil pick up.
no abnormal noises. im going to try to get a hold of a oil pressure tester today and look into it further.
Its probably water on the connector for the OPS, or its loose, pull it, clean it, and re-install. This happens sometimes when pressure washing engines. Its quite wet out!
well i hooked up a oil pressure tester today to see what i was at and i seem to be WAY to high. according to alldata at 800 rpm's i should have roughly 14psi of pressure. when i was at 800 rpms i had 98psi of oil pressure!! once the car was warm it settled around 85-90 which still seems very high. does anyone know what the pressure is supposed to be at.?? and about the oil pressure switch im just going to replace it.
I don't know about Subaru engines specifically, but most seem to run anywhere from 40-100 when cold, 15-40 when warm and idling and rise steadily as engine speed/load increases. That's pretty general, but not a terrible rule. 85-90 seems quite high once warm.
When I first bought my WRX a year ago I noticed the light came on when it was slightly cold or damp out. I immediately installed an oil press. gauge. I read on NASIOC that the lights will COMMONLY turn on until the car warms up. My oil pressure has always been 100% fine, so its likely just the sensor/light. Interestingly this last few months my oil pressure is SKYROCKETING! No matter if its hot or cold the pressure is usually pegged at 90+ psi. After installing the press gauge (for the first 8 months) it was at about 50 usually when cruising and 90+ when running hard or when warming up. hope this helps. ...and my light still is on when cold/damp.
this all helps. im just trying to figure out if i should be worried with this high of oil pressure. im going to be replacing the oil pressure sensor, but whether or not to look into it any further is what im stuck on...!, im going to be going into subaru here soon and taking a look at the service manual for my car and see what subaru says the spec is for oil press.
from everything im seeing my numbers are a bit higher then others. it seems common for wrx's to be at 30psi at a warm idle mine it roguhly 80psi. hopefully i dont need a new oil pressure relief spring! any other ideas where it could be clogged causing such high readings.
what do u consider warm idle...as in how long? Have you driven it around a block or two then check the psi at idle? Mine really takes awhile when just stationed from 90-40psi in prolly 20 minutes or more because it slowly drops with time and this is before driving.
Yes. Here are typical oil pressures for most Subarus: Cold Start - 90-100 PSI Driving - 80-100 PSI Warm Idle - 20-30 PSI Warm idle will take at least 10 minutes of steady driving, and in this weather, more like 20. Sounds to me like your numbers are fine. PS: Aftermarket oil pressure gauges are great. If you're worried, I'd suggest getting one.
yeah i may have to get one. cause in order to hook up the gauge i was using i had to remove the alternator and belt. any good suggestions for aftermarket gauges?
