Nothing??
Hey guys i got a quick question and would like to see if anyone knew whats going on. When I started up my car a few days ago i noticed that my oil pressure went up very high once i started driving. It got up to about 90. But after about 10 minutes of driving it will go back to the normal range of 30-60. Its been doing this ever since. Im pretty new to all of this so I apologize if this is an easy and quick fix or a dumb question. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again.
Nothing??
Justin What year miata do you have ?
I am not sure on the miata but older model fords had a pressure relief valve that if it stuck closed would raise the oil pressure high enough to blow the oil filter right off
It is also possible that the oil pressure sending unit is bad
If the pressure is really going that high you could blow some seals and gaskets .Keep an eye on the oil level don't go by the gage
you may try doing a search on the site or just wait and others will be along latter that may be able to help
Go to the search and put in oil pressure and see if you can find anything or wait a bit and see if you can get a few more answers
Last edited by doc; 05-17-2011 at 05:57 AM. Reason: remove needless comment
Every miata I've driven does that. Don't worry about it. Just take it easy until it warms up.
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What Sharpie said. Sounds normal to me, also.
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Normal. When oil is cold it has a higher viscosity=higher oil pressure, and when it warm up it thins out=lower oil pressure. Like others said don't ream on it until it warms up.
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I admit I am still learning the Miata world myself so maybe I missed the question
Sounds to me like this is something that just started by the way he made the statement .
I am thinking it ran lower than that and then just suddendly started running up to 90
Justin maybe you want to clarify the statement is this something you just noticed or is it you just happen to look down and see it
If this truly just started then I think there is an issue if you r not sure then agree with all the others they have been at it a lot longer than I have
Doc I think Justin928 may be better served by getting answers on Miata based questions from folks with running Miatas.
Flying96M hit the nail on the head on why the pressure shows higher while the car was cold.
Some History -And a Link - http://www.rivercityroad.com/garage/oil_sensor.htmThe early Miatas ('90 through '94) were built with genuine, working oil pressure gauges. It had real PSI markings and the needle actually indicated the oil pressure of your engine. In '94, Mazda replaced the gauge with an "idiot gauge" which looks like an oil pressure gauge, but in reality only has two possible needle positions - just like a light but less useful since it gives the false impression of showing a reading. The good news is that it can be replaced with an earlier gauge to give genuine oil pressure readouts.
I notice my temp gauge runs very low in the morning when I start the car, and again in the warm afternoon after work. Oddly, the gauge can get fairly high during driving, even when it is cool outside, yet doesn't get too high even when it is very hot outside. Should I be concerned about the Middle East?
Polished Turd Racing
Mick wrote: "I think Jerrett is the best autocrosser I have ever seen naked."
Pos
I do agree with you for the most part .If you look at my very first post to Justin I mentioned just that to wait on others to comment.
The second time I commented is the way I understood the question and the way the rest of you took it is different .He stated he noticed it a few days ago and it has done it since. He did not say it had been doing that from the day he owned the car now I guess one could assume that he had just purchased it a few days ago .
I take he had owned the car for some time and the normal running up of the oil pressure he saw and had no problem, this was abnormal for it that is why he had ask the question .Until he replies we do not know
Something else I did not see is the year of his miata if it does have the real oil guage then he very well could have a problem. It could be a bad guage or as you guys say it may be normal.
Doc my point was not to scare the original poster with misinformation.
Maybe it had been doing this ever since i got the car, but this is the first time i noticed it. Its a 1990 model. So from reading every ones comments, nothing should be wrong?
Justin - nothing dumb about asking - sounds like its ok, but double check your oil level. If the engine temp is behaving and you aren't getting any strange engine noises, its unlikely you have a problem. You can also bring your car up to one of the Wed GTG's and get some folks to take a closer look.
a lot of minor quirks of older miatas are well-documented in the older posts.
Polished Turd Racing
Mick wrote: "I think Jerrett is the best autocrosser I have ever seen naked."
I would believe what you're seeing is common. 90psi is a bit higher than cold start pressures I see on mine, but the operating pressures when at operating temperature looks to be quite good and within the desired range. Do you know what viscocity oil you're running?
But, keep an eye on it and don't flog the car until temps come up and pressures normalize. I shoot for a max of 4-4.5k rpm during warm up.
Looking for a followup 2 hours after a post you made in the middle of the night is quite likely to get some entertaining responses, btw.
Chris
You're fine. It's a case of "they all do that."
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