engine oil pressure gauge - what is "normal"?

[Dan Higgins]

The engine oil pressure gauge on my 2016 LC consistently points "low" or somewhere between the midway mark and the bottom. Sort of 7:30 on a clock. It may go up a slight bit but it never gets to horizontal. Is this a problem? Is horizontal "normal"? What do you all see on yours?

 

[NMNORSSE]

I've noticed the same thing in my '18.

 

[titan305]

Mine is at the 1/4 mark until I gas it goes up to about 50%.
2010 LC

 

[luke27617]

have the 16. It seems normal
1/4 normal and goes up to 1/2 when pressing gas harder.

 

[UCrazyKid]

Normal. I see it at 50% for the first few minutes after startup on really cold days too. Oil is thick at 8F

 

[jefo13]

The engine oil pressure gauge on my 2016 LC consistently points "low" or somewhere between the midway mark and the bottom. Sort of 7:30 on a clock. It may go up a slight bit but it never gets to horizontal. Is this a problem? Is horizontal "normal"? What do you all see on yours?

Same on my 2016

 

[Markuson]

That's a normal reading, despite how weird it looks.

Even after oil changes at Toyota...same thing.

 

[drmwvr]

Mine is at the 1/4 mark until I gas it goes up to about 50%.
2010 LC

Same on my ‘10 as well

 

[NoogaCruiser]

Just purchased a 2009 LC from an Audi dealer last week and noticed this as I got on the interstate. I took the first exit to check the oil level, which turned out to be fine. Did a quick search on here and it seems this is normal. It's kind of an odd readout considering the middle is normal for the other gauges.

 

[Dan Higgins]

Thanks, All, for the feedback. I won't worry about it now since it is apparently normal. I agree that a "horizontal" or "middle" of the gauge feels more "normal". But apparently not.

 

[indycole]

Interesting... mine has been reading about 3/4 on the gauge for a while now. It's around the midpoint at startup but pretty quickly gets to that point. Wonder if that's because of the gears? The oil level looks fine and I just replaced the oil and filter about 500 miles ago with Amsoil.

 

[Markuson]

Interesting... mine has been reading about 3/4 on the gauge for a while now. It's around the midpoint at startup but pretty quickly gets to that point. Wonder if that's because of the gears? The oil level looks fine and I just replaced the oil and filter about 500 miles ago with Amsoil.

Hmmm... That is very weird. Any chance you over-filled?

 

[indycole]

Hmmm... That is very weird. Any chance you over-filled?

That was my initial thought as well but thus far I've been unable to get the dipstick to show me anything at all above the max line in any scenario. That seems like the simplest explanation, though.

 

[KLF]

Overfilling will usually not cause excessive oil pressure. It will damage your engine, but the oil pump has a pressure regulator on the output. It could be that either the regulator is not correct, or the gauge sender is wrong.

 

[Markuson]

Overfilling will usually not cause excessive oil pressure. It will damage your engine, but the oil pump has a pressure regulator on the output. It could be that either the regulator is not correct, or the gauge sender is wrong.

I don’t know if it happens in the 5.7, but I’ve been reading reports of too much oil leading to foaming which can lead to increased pressure and worse.

Maybe someone can shed light on that possibility.

 

[OregonLC]

Overfilling the sump creates 'windage' where the the oil comes into contact with the crankshaft counterweights. It causes decreased power and frothy oil, but should not affect oil pressure.

High oil pressure is due to a blocked passage. Think crimping your hose when you wash your car. Or it could be the wrong viscosity (too thick) of oil. I'd start by replacing the oil filter to make srue it's not defective and even doing a complete oil change early if the viscosity is suspect. Save a sample and send to Blackstone for analysis. After that I'd probably look at the sending unit.

To the OP, but the 2UZ and 3UR seem to read low on gauge pressure and it's completely normal. It's pretty much a useless gauge. I'd rather have a light for oil pressure and have something more useful like trans temp on the dial indicator.

 

[Cfbrenton1]

My 80, 100s and 200s have all been like this. It should be about 35 percent up the gauge under normal operating conditions.

 

[marketShark]

Normal for a display between 1/4 (idle/ cruising) to 1/2 (heavy acceleration) on the gauge. Question has come up a lot with the 200 series forums:

Normal oil pressure?

Low Oil Pressure 3UR-FE

low oil pressure

Oil pressure gauge level

 

[cru1s3r]

Immediately after cold start, I sometimes see slightly higher than 1/2 on the gauge while driving up my driveway at about 2,500 RPM. Once warmed up, the gauge stays about 1/4.

 

[indycole]

I fixed my 3/4 pressure reading, btw. There’s only been a couple projects where someone other than myself has touched my electrical system. In one such instance someone decided to tap into a signal wire thinking it was an ignition wire. Fixed and gauge is now reading low like other folks.