92 4runner 3L oil pressure low on gauge

[tbird3xx]

I have a 92 4runner Sr5 3L, and the oil pressure is siting at Low at idle but goes up to the first mark at about 3000 rpm's. does anyone know if this is normal or whats wrong?

 

[fourwd1]

Oil pressure does vary with rpms, and will be low at low rpms, but it's hard to say if your particular readings are abnormal. The gauges aren't extremely accurate.

 

[rustyrazor]

Run a heavy Synthetic

My 92 does the exact same thing when I run conventional oil 10w30. The gauge will actually read almost no pressure at idle when the engine is hot.

I find that using Mobil 1 15w50 full synthetic works well. My oil pressure is always dead middle, plus I can get it for $25 at walmart and I change the oil myself.

As for concerns to do with cold starts with the heavier oil you can read up on how much better the synthetic oil is than conventional oil.

 

[BigDog1992]

I've got a 95' 3L that has decent oil pressure when cold but drops down to not quite zero when warmed up. I've put 50 weight oil in it and it still did it but started leaking out the front main and went back to 10w30 and it's not leaked in about 9 years. I've run this 4runner hard for about 50k miles up and down the North Carolina Mnts. and she's still running good. I've wondered about the oil pressure myself for a while now. I also tried all different oils synthetic and conventional and it's the same.

 

[fishrod]

This has been asked a million times before and I think its just normal (either that or 99% of the 3vze's out there are faulty)

Thats funny, I just called to see if my car was ready (Head Gasket) and my mechanic just asked me if I wanted to add some stuff called 'Lucas Restorer' to try and fix up the low Oil pressure.

8)

 

[MHartley]

I had a similar concern, but after some reading I wasn't worried. In the owner's manual it says that normal operation is that the pressure be in the lowest segment during idle. It should move past the first mark when you are driving.

 

[fishrod]

Since getting my car repaired this issue has come up again for me. My Oil Pressure is lower now that it was before the rebuild. After driving it for 30 mins or so, even at 3000 rpms the gauge shows it at about 1/4. So about 2mm below the 1/3 line. Like the previous post, It would always sit spot on the 1/3 or maybe a little higher when I was driving along the highway (3000rpm)

Could this be caused by incorrect Oil? eg 5w30 being put in instead of 10w30? Or synthetic Oil as opposed to Conventional Oil?

Ive always used the high milage 10w30 stuff (Conventional)

I have also now noticed that with the lower oil pressure I do not have any oil leaks that I used to have and the Oil level also has not had to be topped up yet like it normally would after a long trip.

 

[Fredberg]

I have kind of the same problem. Just got 4runner back after having head gaskets done, along with every other gasket. Now while driving the check engine light comes on and oil pressure drops. It acts like I'm dogging it. I have no clue where to go from here or what it could be.

1992 4runner 3.0 SR5 5sp

 

[mholme]

I have kind of the same problem. Just got 4runner back after having head gaskets done, along with every other gasket. Now while driving the check engine light comes on and oil pressure drops. It acts like I'm dogging it. I have no clue where to go from here or what it could be.

1992 4runner 3.0 SR5 5sp

Start with the code for the CEL. Start your own thread as well. Your issue is probably not related to what’s going on with your oil pressure gauge.

 

[superex87]

The stock oil pressure gauge is a rough gestimate at best. The sensor functions through resistance. It grounds through the block. I would check and clean all grounding points. If your concerned something is up with the engine install a mechanical or aftermarket gauge to verify pressure.


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