Oil Pressure Problem

[SWoodfin]

I just bought a Titan KC SE on 7/6/04. I do not even have a 1000 miles on the truck yet and am experiencing a strange problem. When I step on the gas the oil pressure guages jumps up. It is most extreme shortly after starting the truck, if it has been sitting for awhile. I was headed out of town and stopped by my dealer who told me the truck was within in specs that the oil pressure guage was fine if it was only jumping between the middle and second to highest tic marks. Of course when I took it to them it was after driving it for awhile and the problem was less severe. I was in a hurry to get out of town so I left it at that. The next day when starting the vehicle the oil pressure started out a lot higher then normal, and when accelerating went all the way to max. I have it at an out of town dealership now. I am just wondering if any one has had a similiar problem. Have to due a lot of traveling for work the next couple of weeks and don't want to damage the truck. Also, the oil level is fine.

[SWoodfin]

Sorry should read first.

[Stitch]

Well, high is better than low.

I don't know what you mean by JUMPING. The guage WILL swing over to 3/4 +/- when starting up cold. After warm up it will normally run in the middle with swings toward 3/4 when the engine revs above about 2500RPM. If that's what it's doing then you're OK. If it's sticking or jumping around then its probably the sender or the guage - least likely thing is the engine oil pressure jumping around.

My guage actually works and reacts to oil pressure rise and drop according to temperature and engine speed - a novel idea - a guage that actually tells you something.

[GETSOMZ28]

Yeah, that sounds normal. It should go up as you increase rpms. The only thing I dont like about the guages is that they dont have any numbers on them.

[IMADOGMAN]

Originally Posted by SWoodfin

I just bought a Titan KC SE on 7/6/04. I do not even have a 1000 miles on the truck yet and am experiencing a strange problem. When I step on the gas the oil pressure guages jumps up. It is most extreme shortly after starting the truck, if it has been sitting for awhile. I was headed out of town and stopped by my dealer who told me the truck was within in specs that the oil pressure guage was fine if it was only jumping between the middle and second to highest tic marks. Of course when I took it to them it was after driving it for awhile and the problem was less severe. I was in a hurry to get out of town so I left it at that. The next day when starting the vehicle the oil pressure started out a lot higher then normal, and when accelerating went all the way to max. I have it at an out of town dealership now. I am just wondering if any one has had a similiar problem. Have to due a lot of traveling for work the next couple of weeks and don't want to damage the truck. Also, the oil level is fine.

Mine does the same thing....and I am not concerned at all. I haven't notice if it "pegs" the needle, but probably not quite.
You just got one of the better performing oil pumps with closer tolerances.
The guage will read higher when the oil is cold...it will drop a bit when it gets hot. If you picture any kind of a pump, it will pump more fluid/pressure, if you turn it faster.
If you took a poll here, you will probably find that most if not all of us have a needle that moves up when we accelerate...especially when the engine is cold.

[TriKKy]

I know mine does, I initially was concerned, then re-read the manual. In there it doesn't give the normal min and max like it does for all the other things. Plus as someone else said, it makes sense, when cold, to be higher...when I first start my truck in the morning it is always at the bar after the middle when it idles, then goes up. Within 5 mins of driving it is down to half.

[mjw357]

if you are really concerned have the shop hook a mechanical oil pressure guage up to see what the pressure range really is.

[aztitan4x4]

Mine does the same thing when the engine is cold, after warmed up the needle stays rock solid in the middle, even if i take the engine to redline.

[JetTech]

Originally Posted by aztitan4x4

Mine does the same thing when the engine is cold, after warmed up the needle stays rock solid in the middle, even if i take the engine to redline.

Now that sounds like a problem. The needle should swing to the higher readings relative to RPM's no matter how hot the engine is. I believe I would have that checked out by the dealer. Could be a faulty oil pressure bypass valve downstream of your oil pump. According to the service manual, with the engine fully warmed up, you should have more than or >14psi at idle and >43psi at 2000 rpm. Do you see now why I would be concerned if it was my engine doing this??

Dale

[Steventa]

Originally Posted by SWoodfin

I just bought a Titan KC SE on 7/6/04. I do not even have a 1000 miles on the truck yet and am experiencing a strange problem. When I step on the gas the oil pressure guages jumps up. It is most extreme shortly after starting the truck, if it has been sitting for awhile. I was headed out of town and stopped by my dealer who told me the truck was within in specs that the oil pressure guage was fine if it was only jumping between the middle and second to highest tic marks. Of course when I took it to them it was after driving it for awhile and the problem was less severe. I was in a hurry to get out of town so I left it at that. The next day when starting the vehicle the oil pressure started out a lot higher then normal, and when accelerating went all the way to max. I have it at an out of town dealership now. I am just wondering if any one has had a similiar problem. Have to due a lot of traveling for work the next couple of weeks and don't want to damage the truck. Also, the oil level is fine.

Noticed mine doing the same thing. Called and talked to one of the techs at the dealership where I bought the Titan. He said he owned one and it did the same thing. It is normal. Nissan just put in a guage that actually reflects pressure changes rather than the idiot gauges that other brands use that will show normal if there is any pressure at all. The drastic swings to high go away as the engine and oil warms up.

[z3axv]

Originally Posted by Steventa

Noticed mine doing the same thing. Called and talked to one of the techs at the dealership where I bought the Titan. He said he owned one and it did the same thing. It is normal. Nissan just put in a guage that actually reflects pressure changes rather than the idiot gauges that other brands use that will show normal if there is any pressure at all. The drastic swings to high go away as the engine and oil warms up.

Mine does the same thing, just noticed this morning.

[TriKKy]

Same here, once heated I am slightly over the center line and it pretty much stays there.

[Gilgamesh]

Originally Posted by Stitch

My guage actually works and reacts to oil pressure rise and drop according to temperature and engine speed - a novel idea - a guage that actually tells you something.

Indeed, the only other car I have seen do this is the guage on a C5 Corvette I have had the pleasure of driving. All other cars that I have driven that had pressure guages always just parked it in the middle unless the motor had no pressure (ie, the half second or so after startup on a fresh oil change)

On standard steet cars maufacturers probably do this since people would express concern about it...so the computer normalizes the guage.

[Deepwater]

Mine is the same also.
It stays at about 3/4 when cold and then settles down to about half on the gauge.

Also on my truck the oil gauge reading moves below the half way point and back up to the half way point, when it is hot and in gear with the brake on it moves up and down about a 1/4 of an inch all Below the half way piont on the oil gauge. I wonder if this is normal?
Anybody else have this going on with there oil gauge?

[KenedyTXTitan]

Mine is the same as everyone elses; ends up staying slightly over the middle mark. The position did'nt change when I went from 5w-30 to 10w-30 during an oil change.