akc Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 My subarus oil pressure the other day sat at 0 and then after a few minutes went up to the normal range then it went back down to almost 0 and it seems to bounce around as long as the rpm are around 3 or 4 the oil presssure stays at a decent level but when the rpms go to 0 so does the oil pressure. It is not overheating. I has plenty of oil. also after the oil issue started it started to make a slight pinging noise. Any clues the pump seems to work but??? could it be going bad? We drained the oil and put in a new filter and then tried cleaning it out. Bad valves? rod knock? would those have strange oil pressure along with them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Bad sending unit or partially shorted wire. But you may also need a new pump anyway. Subaru's are often neglected and the oil pumps take the hit first when people fail to change the oil and it bypasses the filter for prolonged periods. GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akc Posted February 26, 2009 Author Share Posted February 26, 2009 We are currently trying to find one it is a 86 and the shop we normally get parts out of it having a real tough time finding us one. right before this we had trouble with the fuel system replaced the pump filters and cleaned the carb and then found out it was probably a loose conection somewhere. DO all subarus seem to have trouble with wiring/ connections? We have had this about a month and already my spouse is wanting it gone. How might I check the sending unit ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 DO all subarus seem to have trouble with wiring/ connections? What year and model? As a rule you have to understand that this IS (probably) a 20+ year old car. You are likely to have similar problems with anything of that vintage. Generally Subaru's are known for their mechanical reliablility even in the face of strange electrical gremlins and other nuisance oddities. They are generally prized for their ability to withstand the the rigors of idiots and regardless of what the gauges say, they very, very rarely fly apart without warning and often will continue to make it home even in the face of severely, outstandingly, retarded owners. We have had this about a month and already my spouse is wanting it gone. How might I check the sending unit ? The sending unit's are diaphram based and when they fail they are often found to leak out the bottom where the wire attaches. It's directly under the pump to the left of the filter if you are looking from the front of the car. The wire that runs to them gets cooked by it's proximity to the engine and can become freyed around the last 12 inches or so the run to the pump. Just follow it and check it out. If it disconnects periodically the gauge will read zero. If you ground the wire to the block the gauge should peg out. Note that it is not uncommon for the gauge to read 0 (zero) at a warm idle. This is normal according to the owners manual. The pressure is not zero, but it is lower than the gauge can effectively read. From a mechanical or replacement electrical aftermarket gauge I like to see 25 psi at a hot idle, and at least 40 to 50 psi at cruising RPM. Best place to obtain an oil pump is from your local dealership parts deparment. GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akc Posted February 26, 2009 Author Share Posted February 26, 2009 I will have to check that out. yes you are right it is over 20 years and I should expect some wiring problems and little things going is fine. I still really like subarus but we bought a lemon years ago and my spouse is having a real hard time especially since this one keeps having one thing going after another ( I really like it though and it has only stranded me once)This year we have really went though cars but hey they all did have high milage this is a 86 gl with about 180,000 miles. True the issues this one has had are fairly cheap to fix but they have been a headache finding what is wrong. (our lemon we bought we were unexperianced and young and the previous owner put sawdust in with the oil to make it run smooth he disconnected the heater core (we bought it in the summer and the heater seemed to work) within 3 months it needed a starter (cheap ) a alternator new cv boots (it was leaking gear oil like crazy leaking motor oil like crazy when you poured it in it came out the other side.the windsheild wipers did not work and it overheated. I KNOW MOST SUBARUS ARE NOT LIKE THIS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrentr Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 I just bought a new oil sending unit at NAPA for $24, mine has the gauge also and it is pretty intermittent. I've only got 48K of old lady miles on my '91 and I don't think it would continue to run as cool and as well as it does w/o oil pressure. I'm waiting to change the oil and install the sending unit at the same time. Thought about replacing the pump, but trying this first, after 19 years, it's probably tuckered out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akc Posted March 1, 2009 Author Share Posted March 1, 2009 We put in a new oil pump and that seemed to fix most of the problem now we just have a the engine noise. Unfortunatly we had a really hard time finding a pump it took us about 10 parts stores to find one and then it was 250. now we actually have oil pressure wow. I guesss we have a oil pump that is connected with the timing chain and that is why we had pressure when we had higher RPM's and not when we were stopped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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