I have a 1989 Pontiac Bonneville with over 300,000 miles. The car runs great, but my oil pressure guage is topped out and stays there. A mechanic told me the sensor is faulty and not to worry about it. A month or two later, the oil light started flickering and I can hear a clicking noise from somewhere under the glovebox. Another mechanic told me that light or sensor may be faulty too. A couple of weeks later, the “Service engine soon” light came on and stays on. Guage still topped out, oil light still flickering.
My oil level is fine, no weird sounds or tapping, and the car runs like a charm. No smoke or burning of oil, no leaks. Could my car just be having electrical problems?
If a mechanic told me to ignore an oil pressure gauge that was topped out and stayed there I’d start looking for another mechanic. If replacing the sensor would have fixed the gauge, why didn’t he replace the sensor?
Was it his decision or yours?
I suggest you replace the oil pressure sensors and see if the gauge and light return to normal operation. At 300K miles the engine could be starting to have low oil pressure, and you’d want to know about it if that’s the case.
The “service engine” light may be related to the oil pressure problem, or it may be on for an entirely different reason. Have the trouble codes read and find out why the light is on.
Have Your Mechanic Check The Actual Oil Pressure And You Could Try A New Sender, While You’re At It.
You should find out what’s triggered the SES light. Have any stored codes retrieved and translated. Then I’d go from there.
Go Bonnevilles!
Fellow Bonneville Owner,
CSA
The mechanic also may view this as 300k engine. At best sender is going and light is on. But reality is the likely case is engine is worn down and repairs will easily exceed value of car.
Good mechanics will know or ask what you expect from a vehicle and service accordingly. Keeping a customer happy in cost/maintenance level beyond quality repair will keep them back.
I bought this car for $50 for my daughter to learn to drive in. It was supposed to be junked, but has been pretty good so far. I don’t want to spend much money on it since I have another car that needs my hard earned and not so much abundant $$$.
As for the pressure guage being topped out, the mechanic turned the key without starting the engine and the guage topped out, so that is why he said it was the sensor, but not a pressure problem.
The trouble with the gauge could also be due to a problem with the wire between the sensor and the gauge. What happens if you disconnect the sensor? If the gauge doesn’t change then there is most likely a wire problem.