oil pressure dropping on fairmot ghia

[bluefin59]

Hi guys i have in the last couple of weeks done an oil change on my 6 cyl fairmont ghia vct ,i used magnatec 10w40 and a ryco filter now it seems to be loosing oil pressure at idle but not when it is under load . Today at the lights it dropped back so far an alarm went of on the dash ,i turned it of and checked the level and that was fine but it now keeps dropping way back to one notch on the gauge ,what have i done wrong or do i have a major problem . Should i do another change and maybe change brands of oil or do you think its tooo late ,advise on oil brand and viscosity would be appreciated as i am going on holidays next week ...matt :togo: :togo: :togo:

[BIGJB]

I have gone away from magnatec for that exact same reason. Worse if ya upo it for a few klms.
I oput edge in last time... cant remember which one. will look at the bottle later and tell ya. Fixed the problem but.

[bluefin59]

Thanks for that bit of info maybe i should also mention i am in brisbane and i tow a boat regularly it weighs just over a tonne ,any oil recommendations would be appreciated ...matt

[frd906]

hi mate welcome to aff im also in brisbane south side, i own a au series 1 with ts50 kit, full exhuast etc,

i use penrite 20w 40 or whateva it is, and i have no problem with the oil,

[SSD-85]

Funny thing is, my fairmont does the exact opposite, it's oil pressure reading goes thru the roof in city driving, despite having the right amount of oil. Of course I don't use magnatec either.

[Chippar]

Hi Bluefin99, I have used only ever used one bottle of Magnatec 10w40 in the past and found that my engine "rattled" slightly on idle, so I changed to Penrite HPR10 and haven't experienced any "idle rattle" since. Also I think my car runs better with the Penrite oil and I get a little better fuel economy. The Ryco Z9 filter is a good average filter and is as good as any around.

I'd be dropping the oil ASAP and replacing it with Penrite HPR10. You could replace the filter at the same time if you wish, but I think you could probably leave it till the next service.

Hope this helps and the penrite oil is my personal choice from experience.

[T3man]

The problem is most likely the oil pressure sender (or the oil pressure switch) on the engine.

In any case I don't think 10Wxx is the correct oil for your engine. I would use nothing less than a 15Wxx and probably even go to a 20Wxx for a slightly tired engine.

Basically, if it isn't blowing smoke or burning oil between changes then the engine is most likely quite OK.

[bluefin59]

Thanks for the info guys it has been a big help again i appreciate it , i dropped the oil and filter and changed to gtx3 20w40 and a new filter it seems way better for now i will look into the penrite oils at the next change .The engine has only 140k on it and it uses no oil between changes and blows no smoke the pressure is now holding between half and the next incrament on the gauge at idle and underload it appears to be an oil problem i will not be putting magnatec in again thanks guys...matt

[blackers10]

alternativly if its a S1 .. they have a tendancy to have a dodgy grounding to the engine block causing the oil pressure sender to read wrong

this can be fixed by attaching a new ground cable from the motor to the body and or battery

good luck

[mik]

also maybe have a gander at the oil pressure sender and wire.

[bluefin59]

Hi guys well my engine appears to be loseing pressure still but i think mik is onto it the sender would be above the oil filter i take it and there are 2 connections ,one appears to be a little loose or something,i will have to get an auto electrician to have a look when i can. The pressure stays up when i am driving but drops a little when cornering and braking when hot this is some sort of regular problem i take it ,is there a schematic of this area somewhere here on this site that i can use as a guide thanks again guys ...matt

[Mr Hardware]

In any case I don't think 10Wxx is the correct oil for your engine. I would use nothing less than a 15Wxx and probably even go to a 20Wxx for a slightly tired engine.

Correct. I'd be quite hesitant to put 10w in anything in brisbane

[bluefin59]

Yeah Mr hardware i have put in 20w40 gtx3 which seened to help i am not sure where to go from here i dont particularly want to take it to ford to have it looked at maybe an auto electrician might be the go unless someone else can come up with another idea ...thanks matt

[Mr Hardware]

I think you'll find GTX3 is 15W40 - which is probably one of the best oils for the I6. My oil pressure sensor doesn't work at all, im not fussed. I'd be taking it to an auto elec absolutely.

[Erich]

mechanic should be able to screw in an oil press guage and check for not much - to put your mind at ease