low oil pressure after warm up

[ian18206]

my car only has 90,000 miles and its hitting 1-3 psi of oil pressure at idle after warming up. on a cold start it will hit 75psi and then slowly go down.
its not the sensor because i installed a mechanical oil pressure gauge to get these readings. please help with any ideas. hoping its not the oil pump or bearings.

[JoeX]

[QUOTE=ian18206;611597]my car only has 90,000 miles and its hitting 1-3 psi of oil pressure at idle after warming up. on a cold start it will hit 75psi and then slowly go down.
its not the sensor because i installed a mechanical oil pressure gauge to get these readings. please help with any ideas. hoping its not the oil pump or bearings.[/QUOTE

Were there regular oil changes? Bearings and oil pump are all thats left. I think there is a relief spring in the pump,but if it were bad I doubt you would get 75lbs to start.
The bearings for the cams are part of the head casting. Run it low on oil and there is little to no oil going to the cam.

[Handy_Cruiser]

Originally Posted by ian18206

my car only has 90,000 miles and its hitting 1-3 psi of oil pressure at idle after warming up. on a cold start it will hit 75psi and then slowly go down.
its not the sensor because i installed a mechanical oil pressure gauge to get these readings. please help with any ideas. hoping its not the oil pump or bearings.

Where on the engine did you mount the hose for the mechanical gauge? Also, I believe you should be getting a check engine light around 4 psi at the sending unit on the back of the block. And what weight of oil are you using?

[NitroPT]

^^^^^ Every thing except the weight question. Unless it was for data information to add to a list of what PT Cruiser owners use for engine oil?

W=winter

[2step]

As I recall, the Cruiser does seem to have a slightly lower pressure than I'm normally comfortable with. I like to see 30psi +/- warmed up but not with Cruisers it seems, especially at the head. 1 to 3 psi is seriously low and needs to be addressed right away. A new gauge doesn't mean it's a good gauge. It's free or cheap to buy or borrow a proven one that's known to read accurately. The "borrowed" gauge can be laying in your lap. It doesn't need to be mounted anywhere. If you get conformation of the low pressure, there something wrong that needs attention before you toast the engine.

You sound like you have a bit of experience but a skilled mechanic, such as Nitro (posting above), is your best bet. Asking questions on a forum is a crap shoot.

[chuzz]

Maybe a can of Seafoam in the crankcase for a day or two, then an oil and filter change will help. You might just have some crap built up in the oil galleries and rings. Cheap enough to try.

[gschnu]

Originally Posted by NitroPT

^^^^^ Every thing except the weight question. Unless it was for data information to add to a list of what PT Cruiser owners use for engine oil?

W=winter

I use 0W-40 (Castrol Edge) since 80k miles .. and now have a similar Problem!
I have no pressure gauge istalled, but oil pressure light comes on at idle when the engine has warmed up. It goes out when the engine revs 1200rpm an higher and comes on again at idle.
I change engine oil and filter every 10000 kilometers (6000mls).

May be I have bought a "faked" engine oil or filter? Might be the oil pump is damaged?
Any ideas, please (and excuse my bad English)!

[chuzz]

gschnu, have you tried replacing the oil sending unit? They DO go bad sometimes. I'd start with that. If you don't hear any knocking or tapping from the engine, I doubt that it's the bearings or oil pump.

[gschnu]

Oil sending unit has already been changed as a verdict for the red light.... It once came on for a very short moment approx. 2000 miles ago. Then everything seemed to be ok but since 30 miles the warning light always lights when the engine is warm.
It first happened after the latest oil change.

[chuzz]

I don't know the climate where you are, but that sure seems like an awfully LIGHT weight oil. I have an 03 GT Turbo that I run 10W-40 weight oil in. Of course, here in Florida where I am, the temperature rarely gets below 45 degrees F (not Celcius) and is usually in the mid 90's in the summer. I'd suggest a heavier oil and see what happens.