Oil pressure drops at idle on a Chevy Astro van.

[Kamel]

My erm.... Aerostro has a problem (yea yea, ok it's a chevy astro not a ford aerostar, but you can't be too picky on a $500 budget). When idling, especially once warmed up, the oil pressure goes down to 15-20psi. A touch of gas gets the pressure back, but my question relates to finding the exact origin of the problem.

The 3 scenarios that it could be, according to my limited knowledge would be A) The oil pump is crapping out and needs a new one eventually, B) The vehicle wasn't well maintained and there is sludge partially or fully covering some of the pick ups for oil in the engine, or C) The rod bearings are crapping out.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the answer may be C as much as I would hate for it to be. Are there any tests that could definitively tell what might be causing this? Also, if it is C, how long do you think it will be until I spin a bearing and what can be done as maintenance to make it last longer?

Thanks so much for taking my questions into consideration. Sorry for posting here about a different vehicle, I just thought since it was more or less a generic problem shared with many vehicles that I could post here.

 

[BrooklynBay]

I've renamed, and moved this thread to the all other makes & models section to avoid any confusion. Check the oil pressure with a gauge, and don't rely on the reading that the indicator is telling you. You could have a bad sending unit giving false information. What year is this Astro? You could add it to your profile.

 

[Kamel]

Sorry about that, I didn't realize there was a forum for other vehicles. I also didn't realize I could add it to my profile heh.

My Chevy Astro is a 1994 model. It is 2WD and has the Z engine (most common type). I would like to read it with an external gauge, but I feel the gauge is probably somewhat accurate since it does directly correspond with the engine's running condition. Is there a way to get this done for free (for instance, autozone or something) or would I have to dish out the extra cash to get a gauge for myself?

 

[BrooklynBay]

Autozone might have a gauge through their loan a tool program.

 

[jlsparky7]

More than likely its a bad sensor. No biggy.

Oil pumps either work or they dont. They dont usually just put out low pressure.

 

[Kamel]

Unfortunately, all 3 local auto stores did not have such a gauge. They had a gauge which could mount on your dash but that was it. The price of it was a bit too high for my budget . (around $20)

I wonder what alternatives there might be.

I will say though, the oil pressure stays high when you first start the car, it only starts to drop when the car gets up to temperature and is idling. It also idles a little rough but I suspect that may be due to the need for a tuneup. Because of that I thought the sensor was accurate, because how else would it know the engine was up to temp?