# Fluctuating oil pressure

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/fluctuating-oil-pressure/424>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Created:** [June 10, 2007, 1:36am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/fluctuating-oil-pressure/424 "2007-06-10T01:36:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![toomanymiles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@toomanymiles](https://community.cartalk.com/u/toomanymiles)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2007, 1:36am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/fluctuating-oil-pressure/424/1 "2007-06-10T01:36:51Z")

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I drive a '93 Suburban with 280,000 miles. Recently the oil pressure gauge is all over the place. It will idle normally and then jump way past the end of the pressure guage. It will normalize in reverse but jump to the needles end in drive. Is this a faulty gauge or an indication of a bigger problem. I appreciate your input.

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**Author:** ![budd2049](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/77aa72/32.png) [@budd2049](https://community.cartalk.com/u/budd2049)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2007, 2:38am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/fluctuating-oil-pressure/424/2 "2007-06-10T02:38:01Z")

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Oil pressure doesn’t fly around like that…it sounds like the gauge is grounding out somewhere, which would bury the needle. It might be a faulty oil pressure sender, but I’d also inspect the wiring between the gauge and the sender, as well as the connector at the sender.

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**Author:** ![Big\_Riviera\_1990](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/big_riviera_1990/32/43_2.png) [@Big\_Riviera\_1990](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Big_Riviera_1990)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2007, 7:41am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/fluctuating-oil-pressure/424/3 "2007-06-10T07:41:50Z")

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I have a vehicle that does this.  
Definitely a bad sender or wiring.

-Matt