# 2005 Suburban has a low oil pressure warning **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** chevrolet, suburban\ **Created:** [November 19, 2017, 1:55am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2005-suburban-has-a-low-oil-pressure-warning/109496 "2017-11-19T01:55:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Joho7218](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a88e4f/32.png) [@Joho7218](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joho7218)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2017, 1:55am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2005-suburban-has-a-low-oil-pressure-warning/109496/1 "2017-11-19T01:55:40Z")
I have had a low oil pressure alarm on my 2005 Suburban on several occasions. Only when cold, and when idling. My mechanic has checked everything out and says he can fond no problem. Replaced the oil pressure sending unit. Still happens - though not always. The vehicle has 248,000 miles on it and it runs perfectly, but I am concerned about this warning. Anyone have any thoughts? I’d like to keep it running well and we take long road trips. Don’t want a disaster! ---
**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2017, 2:04am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2005-suburban-has-a-low-oil-pressure-warning/109496/2 "2017-11-19T02:04:43Z")
Have your mechanic replace the oil level sensor switch. Tester ---
**Author:** ![Joho7218](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a88e4f/32.png) [@Joho7218](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joho7218)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2017, 1:42pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2005-suburban-has-a-low-oil-pressure-warning/109496/3 "2017-11-19T13:42:35Z")
Thanks! Is that sensor different than what he called “the sending Unit”? He said he replaced the “sending unit”. ---
**Author:** ![Cavell](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cavell/32/43396_2.png) [@Cavell](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Cavell)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2017, 2:20pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2005-suburban-has-a-low-oil-pressure-warning/109496/4 "2017-11-19T14:20:56Z")
The oil pressure sensor is different than the oil level sensor. ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2017, 5:12pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2005-suburban-has-a-low-oil-pressure-warning/109496/5 "2017-11-19T17:12:52Z")
> [@Joho7218](#): > > My mechanic has checked everything out and says he can fond no problem. Please clarify what “checked everything out” means Engine oil level is correct? He hooked up a mechanical oil pressure gauge, and everything was within specs? Did he provide you with the readings? ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2017, 5:24pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2005-suburban-has-a-low-oil-pressure-warning/109496/6 "2017-11-19T17:24:40Z")
Low oil pressure or low oil level? There’s a huge difference. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2017, 7:16pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2005-suburban-has-a-low-oil-pressure-warning/109496/7 "2017-11-19T19:16:52Z")
I thought he was talking about the oil pressure sending unit being replaced which would make sense. If its the oil level sensor, pretty easy to tell if that’s malfunctioning or not. Just check the oil. At any rate at 250K, there is likely some engine wear that is causing an intermittent low pressure, particularly at low rpm. If engine wear not much to do about it unless you want to put a new short block in. What you can do though is have a secondary manual oil pressure gauge installed. Then you can see exactly what is happening with the pressure at various times to determine if its time to start thinking about trading or replacing the engine. ---
**Author:** ![Joho7218](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a88e4f/32.png) [@Joho7218](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joho7218)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 12:45am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2005-suburban-has-a-low-oil-pressure-warning/109496/8 "2017-11-20T00:45:58Z")
Thanks! It doesn’t burn oil at all at this point. My major concern would be a catastrophic oil pump failure. But no abnormal noise at idle or otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Joho7218](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a88e4f/32.png) [@Joho7218](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joho7218)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 12:47am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2005-suburban-has-a-low-oil-pressure-warning/109496/9 "2017-11-20T00:47:06Z")
Oil level always normal. ---
**Author:** ![Joho7218](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a88e4f/32.png) [@Joho7218](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joho7218)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 12:49am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2005-suburban-has-a-low-oil-pressure-warning/109496/10 "2017-11-20T00:49:38Z")
Yes to all of the above. Didn’t give me a printout of the manual gauge readings but gave them to me verbally. Just hoping the oil pump isn’t going out. But at cruise on the highway the pressure reads normal all the time. ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 1:14am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2005-suburban-has-a-low-oil-pressure-warning/109496/11 "2017-11-20T01:14:46Z")
> [@Joho7218](#): > > Just hoping the oil pump isn’t going out Assuming the oil pressure truly is low . . . at times, apparently . . . I don’t think it’s going to be the oil pump I think it would be due to engine wear . . . not surprising given 248K miles > [@Joho7218](#): > > Didn’t give me a printout of the manual gauge readings but gave them to me verbally. Do you remember what they were . . . how many psi, and at what rpm? ---
**Author:** ![W45-Hurst-Olds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecb155/32.png) [@W45-Hurst-Olds](https://community.cartalk.com/u/W45-Hurst-Olds)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2019, 12:34pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2005-suburban-has-a-low-oil-pressure-warning/109496/12 "2019-04-20T12:34:52Z")
Hi, I own a 2007 Chevy Surburban Z71, i’ve had a low oil pressure problem last year, BTW, I have 204,000 miles on my truck, and I discovered that the oil pump o ring was damaged, causing the low oil pressure issue. ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2019, 1:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2005-suburban-has-a-low-oil-pressure-warning/109496/13 "2019-04-20T13:30:30Z")
Good to know. What had to come off to get to that o-ring? ---
**Author:** ![W45-Hurst-Olds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecb155/32.png) [@W45-Hurst-Olds](https://community.cartalk.com/u/W45-Hurst-Olds)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2019, 9:50am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2005-suburban-has-a-low-oil-pressure-warning/109496/14 "2019-04-28T09:50:16Z")
I had to remove the front timing cover and drop the oil pan. ---
**Author:** ![Cavell](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cavell/32/43396_2.png) [@Cavell](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Cavell)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2019, 1:24pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2005-suburban-has-a-low-oil-pressure-warning/109496/15 "2019-04-28T13:24:44Z")
saw the o-ring mentioned on tv rod show when they did an LS swap. seems the oil pickup tube is usually installed with little care when they change the oil pan for different cars.