# Low Oil Gauge **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** chevrolet, s-10\ **Created:** [July 6, 2016, 8:54pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/low-oil-gauge/93763 "2016-07-06T20:54:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cndowns](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cndowns/32/3229_2.png) [@cndowns](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cndowns)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 8:54pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/low-oil-gauge/93763/1 "2016-07-06T20:54:23Z")
I just changed the oil in my truck not too long ago. It’s up to level and is still clean. But after I’ve driven it like two miles the oil gauge drops pretty low but it is not in the red. Kinda worried. Wanting to solve the issue before anything happens to the engine. Thanks for the help! ---
**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:** [July 6, 2016, 9:02pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/low-oil-gauge/93763/2 "2016-07-06T21:02:50Z")
You mean the oil pressure gauge? Miles? Year? Engine? ---
**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:** [July 6, 2016, 9:08pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/low-oil-gauge/93763/3 "2016-07-06T21:08:25Z")
Did you use an OEM filter? ---
**Author:** ![cndowns](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cndowns/32/3229_2.png) [@cndowns](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cndowns)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 9:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/low-oil-gauge/93763/4 "2016-07-06T21:23:08Z")
Yeah the oil pressure gauge. It’s a 2001 about 190,000 mi and it’s a v6 ---
**Author:** ![cndowns](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cndowns/32/3229_2.png) [@cndowns](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cndowns)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 9:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/low-oil-gauge/93763/5 "2016-07-06T21:23:25Z")
Chevy s10 ---
**Author:** ![familyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@familyguy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/familyguy)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 10:26pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/low-oil-gauge/93763/6 "2016-07-06T22:26:45Z")
if it was me. I would throw a new oil pressure sending unit on it [first.it](http://first.it) work for me on a jeep Cherokee. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2016, 12:37am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/low-oil-gauge/93763/7 "2016-07-07T00:37:57Z")
Or hook up a trusted mechanical pressure gauge to read the actual pressure. It should idle at roughly 15-25 psi while hot and rise to 50 psi or so at 2500 rpm. If the pressure is ok, buy a new sender for the gauge. If it is dropping to 5 psi hot, the engine’s bearings are worn enough to let the pressure drop into the danger zone. You could prolong its life by using heavier oil, 20w50 maybe or installing a new high volume (not high pressure) oil pump. Might get another 50,000 out of it that way, might not. ---
**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:** [July 7, 2016, 1:36am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/low-oil-gauge/93763/8 "2016-07-07T01:36:05Z")
I interpreted this as happening after the recent oil change. ---
**Author:** ![Sloepoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@Sloepoke](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Sloepoke)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2016, 1:48am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/low-oil-gauge/93763/9 "2016-07-07T01:48:29Z")
Not too long ago after changing oil I noticed it seemed like it took a long time for the oil light to go out on startup . I changed the filter & no more problem . If this started happening right after an oil change , I’d also suspect the filter . Wouldn’t hurt to swap it & see what if anything happens . ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2016, 7:24am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/low-oil-gauge/93763/10 "2016-07-07T07:24:09Z")
I concur w/Sloepoke , if you’ve never had this happen before, until the most recent oil & filter change, at the very minimum immediately replace the oil filter and monitor the oil pressure situation carefully. I think I’d just repeat the entire oil and filter change, using newly purchased oil from a different vendor and a different brand of oil filter. The reason to switch vendors is b/c sometimes a vendor will get an entire batch of a product that is defective. I’ve never had that w/oil or filters, but I did have this happen with auto light bulbs. The vendor’s entire stock of light bulbs of that type were all defective. ---
**Author:** ![Rod-Knox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Rod-Knox](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Rod-Knox)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2016, 6:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/low-oil-gauge/93763/11 "2016-07-07T18:27:04Z")
Yes. Change the oil and filter again. Immediately if not sooner. ---
**Author:** ![jmcarc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/278dde/32.png) [@jmcarc](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jmcarc)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 8:22pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/low-oil-gauge/93763/12 "2016-07-12T20:22:17Z")
My first car was a 1977 Datsun (now Nissan). I had to replaced the oil pressure sending unit after about 50k miles. That solved my low oil pressure problem.