oil pressure gauge

bustmysack

New Member
im trying to install a oil pressure gauge on a 94 integra ls and i need to splice a wire into an oil pressure sensor. Anyone know where an easily accessable sensor is to splice into?
 

mirrorimg

Well-Known Member
Not sure if you ever figured this out, but im going to bring it back up.

Depending on what type of gauge you have, mechanical or electronic, will determine your route. Since you want to know about splicing wires, I take it you have electronic gauge.

I dont know of any gauges that just need a "wire spliced." Electronic oil pressure gauges have an oil pressure sending unit that attaches with an oil line to the oil pressure switch location on the block (Or a sandwich plate, or oil filter relocation, whatever have you).

The sender gets hooked up to the oil passage, the sensor is grounded and has a wire that connects to one of the gauge wires, and the gauge wire has a ground and a wire that goes to a power source.
 

bustmysack

New Member
i figured it out thanks i have an autometer gauge and i was missing the oil pressure sensor sending unit but got one works great now.
 


Adara

Banned
An oil pressure gauge can give you an excellent indication of the health of various systems in your engine. The key is to establish baseline readings when your engine is healthy, and then be aware of any changes you see over time. The Lubrication System. The oil pump takes in oil from the sump (oil pan), and forces it through the engine under pressure. Since the oil pump is driven (indirectly) by the crankshaft, oil pressure is to some extent determined by engine RPM. Pressure is kept from rising too high by a relief valve. Typically, this is a spring-loaded ball, where a predetermined amount of pressure lifts the ball off its seat to allow oil to return to the oil pan without circulating through the engine. The oil is pumped through drillings in the block and head, lubricating the bearings and also helping cool the engine. After it emerges from the drillings in the crankshaft and other parts, it drains back (with virtually no pressure) into the sump to be re-circulated. A filter in the circuit keeps dirt and metal filings from scratching the bearings or damaging the oil pump. At lower engine speeds, oil pressure is limited by the clearances between the various bearings and journals. For example, as the space between the crankshaft bearing journals and its bearings increases through wear, oil pressure will be lower because oil can flow out of the space more easily. The same is true for the journals on the big ends of the connecting rods. Thus, everything else being equal, low oil pressure can indicate worn bearings.
There are other factors that affect oil pressure, though. When the oil is colder, it has a higher viscosity (it's thicker), which means it cannot slip through the bearing clearances as easily. You'll notice that oil pressure at idle is quite a bit higher when the engine is first started up. On some cars (Fiats, for example), low oil pressure at idle when the engine is hot is quite normal. Oil flow may be perfectly adequate, even though the pressure is low. It stands to reason that thinner (lower-weight) oil will indicate lower oil pressure than a thicker oil, at least at idle and moderate engine speeds. Lower pressure caused by changing to a lower-viscosity oil may not indicate a problem, provided it is not being overheated. If the oil is thinner because it is breaking down, too hot, or diluted with gasoline from an over-rich mixture or worn rings, you should change oil at once and correct the problem.
 

Tw3ak3d

New Member
I just bought a 98 integra ls sedan and the previous owner had installed an oil pressure gauge where the cruise control button was located. my question is, what is the normal pressure supposed to be at while idleing? any other things i should know what an oil pressure gauge?
 

mirrorimg

Well-Known Member
You should be > 10PSI at idle, and no less than 50 PSI at 3000 RPM I believe.

There is actual information inside of the HONDA manual, and Im sure its out there on the web too.
 


copternadley

New Member
im trying to install a oil pressure gauge on a 94 integra ls and i need to splice a wire into an oil pressure sensor. Anyone know where an easily accessable sensor is to splice into?
I suggest you get an AutoMeter gauge as it is accurate and durable.
 

suspendedHatch

Legalize Illegal Aliens
Well this thread is beating a dead horse, but for the archives here is the answer. The factory oil pressure switch is just a switch for the idiot light on the dash. By the time the lack of pressure triggers that switch, your engine is already trashed. It's only there for dumb oil techs that forget to put oil back in after an oil change. That switch does not send the correct signal for a gauge. So you need an aftermarket sensor.

That's the difference between a switch and a sensor. A switch is either on or off. A sensor has a variable resistance. All gauges are just voltmeters with different faces on them with markings that make sensor for what they're intended for. The needle moves based on the amount of voltage it gets back from the sensor. The amount of voltage is a factor of the amount of resistance caused by the sensor.
 

mirrorimg

Well-Known Member
How do u install the oil pressure unit instead of usin the sandwhich kit?
Remove the dummy switch and use the tapped hole to put in a mechanical or electrical oil pressure gauge.

Here is my oil pressure gauge, installed when I rebuilt my motor.
 
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r0g3r16

New Member
You should be > 10PSI at idle, and no less than 50 PSI at 3000 RPM I believe.

There is actual information inside of the HONDA manual, and Im sure its out there on the web too.
i install an oil gauge on my car but it says that at idle my oil pressure is at about 80psi, and past 3k its about 95psi. could that really be possible or could the gauge be messing up? and also i installed it using a filter sandwhich plate idk if it matters.
 
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