gzilla45 Posted April 9, 2013 Report Share Posted April 9, 2013 I've got a 2003 Chevy Trailblazer with the 5.3 V8. I just noticed the other day that when I start it the oil pressure gauge immediately shoots way to the right and stays there roughly at 80. When I shut it off it goes to 40. It used to be at 40 with it on and go back to zero on shut down. I looked around online and it appears there were some issues with the gauges that were reported. No other warning lights or anything is on. Is this something I should worry about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted April 9, 2013 Report Share Posted April 9, 2013 Sure Shaun will know this one right away. Would guess the gauge is bad from what you said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlriggins Posted April 10, 2013 Report Share Posted April 10, 2013 As an ASE certified technician I can say with some confidence that if indeed your pressure is running that high it is a concern. For one oil pressure too high can prematurely erode bearings as well as open a bypass valve allowing dirty oil (which is better than none at all) to flow through the engine. The first thing I would do is to put a mechanical gauge on the engine to verify that what the gauge is reading is true. If it is reading the same as the in dash gauge then you probably have a restriction in one of the oil passages, a bad thing as this means that something is getting too little and other parts may be receiving too much and this may require disassembly of the engine. There is a light at the end of your tunnel. It is more likely that either your pressure sender has malfunctioned or your gauge itself has gone bad I would tend to say the latter as you stated that it reads 40 psi. If you look or feel right behind your intake manifold you should find the sender unplug it and unscrew it and thread in one of the old style gauges with the tube(found at any parts store's performance isle) and start the engine if the pressure is normal on the gauge then all is well to drive. After that test the sender with a volt meter against the spec. in a repair manual and then move to the gauge itself which may require that the entire instrument cluster be replaced as most of these must be serviced as a unit. Hope this helps. Dale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaun_300 Posted April 13, 2013 Report Share Posted April 13, 2013 Those things were bad for oil pressure sensors going out on them. And usually on the trailblazers they will peg high when they short out internally. I'd be replacing that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LETMGROW Posted April 13, 2013 Report Share Posted April 13, 2013 Those things were bad for oil pressure sensors going out on them. And usually on the trailblazers they will peg high when they short out internally. I'd be replacing that. The first place I'd look also. When you unplug the sender look closely at the connector plug. If you see traces of oil, clean it well before plugging it onto the new sender. It might not be a problem now but later on the oil will attract dirt and residue which may short the system or cause it to open it up entirely. An electrical spray is recommended. Lynn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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