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End of an Oil Pump?
by Bob DeP.
AskBob@stretcher.com
Dear Bob,
I have a 1991 Chevy Astro Van that I purchased new; it has 100,000 miles on it. I have taken extremely good care of it and have had no serious problems at all, just routine maintenance. However, I have recently noticed something that concerns me. My oil pressure gauge is showing that I am not holding a constant pressure. At first when idling it would run very low and when cruising at various speeds it would run high. At that point I replaced the oil pressure sensor and it no longer indicated high pressure when running. It appears normal at cruising speed now. My problem is when I need to stop and the engine idles. The oil pressure gauge shows a low pressure reading and there is a slight indication that the engine is not running at its normal idle speed. I have had no problems but this does not seem right. I change my oil and filter regularly but the pressure continues to run low when at an idle. Could the timing be off? Do I need to replace the oil pump?
Bill W.
Bill,
Well, if the engine is operating normally and it is at the correct idle speed, then I would think that either the oil pump is getting tired, or there may be a plugged journal somewhere. That motor may have an external oil pump, so it may not be so bad to change it.
Good Luck!
Drive Safely!
Bob, The Auto Answer Man
If you have a question for Bob send it to: AskBob@stretcher.com. He's able to answer many of them personally and we'll include the best questions in future issues of The Dollar Stretcher.
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