just today the red oil pressure light started flickering right when i start my car up. It doesnt flicker or stay on after the start up or while driving. It just flickers and stays on for a second or 2 after the other lights go off. What does this mean? the manual says call nissan..

 

Calling Nissan is probably not warranted. Some things I can think of off the top of my head are; faulty oil sender, broken spring, worn oil pump, worn bearings overall, oil is too thin, oil level too low or pickup screen is partially clogged.

On my old car (Mazda 626) I used that as an indicator as to when to add oil (usually 2 quarts at that point). I got 437,00 miles out of it before the tranny went for a third, and final time, when I was in NYC.

If everthing is normal from the viscosity and level standpoint, I believe most people recommend putting in a pressure guage where the sender is so that you can determine if the pressure is truley low or if the sender just thinks it is.

 

well i replaced the motor with a 2000 3.0. It has about 35k miles on it now..

 

im having the same exact issue right now (been going on for a couple weeks) any other ideas??? subscribing to thread!

 

Is your oil level low? If not, it is the oil pressure low. I think flickering is a warning sign. What grade of oil are you using, and when was the last oil change?

 

oil level is perfect. use mobile 5w30 all the time. last oil change was 2200 mi ago right before i left for maxus. will be doing another oil change at my buddies shop next week (he's a 22 year long master tech at a local nissan dealership here in atlanta) ill let yall know what it means when i get it done

 

I took the liberty of looking up some numbers; the oil pressure switch comes on between 1 and 3 PSI and the oil pump is supposed to be delivering 10 PSI at idle, a safety factor of 3.

So, confirming the oil pressure at idle seems like the best first course action to me. If it turns out to be fine then the switch is probably no good.

 

May need to elaborate on how to check oil pressure

 

It is warm enough in where you are. You might want to switch to 10w-30.

Not sure how relevant. The OEM oil pressure sending unit is like $17. If you have not replaced it yet, might as well put a new one in at your next oil change.

 

I talked to my friend at nissan, He is a master mechanic, pretty much THE guy at nissan, the only certified tech there to work on the skyline. Anyway he said that i either have low oil, or the filter is clogged. So ill look at it after i get off of work.

 

Sounds like a good guy to know!

 

try topping off your oil guys.10w-30 ftw

 

Your dealership works on imported Skylines?

Anyway, if it's just flickering on startup, I wouldn't worry about it. If it stays on, either continuously or for more than second or two, then it'd be something to look in to.

As said, the first thing you should do is replace the OPSU if you're that concerned about it.

 

I just top off my oil when that happens.
1 quart flickers on startup and it goes away.

 

Yea why wouldn't they.. its a nissan isnt it.. he means the new ones..

 

hahaha. yes. teh new ones.

 

The Skylines are made by Nissan, yes, but there are no 'new' ones available in the US. Just the older R32/R33s that Motorex had (somewhat legally) imported. I think they brought in a bunch of R34s as well.

I assume you mean the GT-R?

It's not a Skyline, which is why I was asking. Most dealerships I've seen wouldn't touch an imported (JDM/EDM/etc) car.

 

99% of the time its just because you have low oil level. Maybe this doesnt apply to you but for others reading this thread some people that go to a place to get thier oil changed with morons working there dont do a full and correct job.
Ive seen places just empty the oil, plug it up, new filter, fill it and send it out. They dont even bother to start the car, let it run to operating temp or for a bit and then shut the car off, recheck the oil level and add more if needed.

Just food for thought.

 

If you add 4 quarters right away,you don't need to check....

 

Its more than 4 quarts...

 

lol def more than 4.. i usually put 5 n its about right should b like 4.7ish or so

 

It seems like you overfill each oil change

 

just changed my oil pressure switch.
I've been loosing about 1 quart every 3k miles...

you have to use a oil pressure switch socket to get to it.
when i took mine out. it was only halfway screwed in!!!

half of the threads were covered in oil and dirt.
the replacement switch i got from autozone (ps159) was a different socket size (deep 22mm)

the oil leaking shot my control arm bushings among other things...

 

IIRC, 1 1/16 socket will do too.

 

phomr is right it's nothing to worry about, if its on a second or two. Must be a glitch in their setup when these cars were built. Because it still dose it even after putting in a brand new OPSU.

So l put a manual oil pressure gauge in on a tee with the sender and mounted the gauge in the car. The pressure is perfect shoots right up on cold start up to about 40 lbs then settles to about 13lbs as the oil warms up and idle drops. The test for a faulty oil pump is 70lbs at 3000rpm on a warm engine, mine has 370,000 km on it and still has perfect oil pressure.

 

it's normal my 4th gen does it but my q45 goes out right away.
i think what's probably happening is the oil drains back into the oil pan and once you start up the car it has to pump it back up.

 

I don't want to scare you guys but a brief oil light on startup can be a symptom of worn or damaged rod bearings. Is it accompanied by a rattle? Maybe get someone to start the car while you listen underneath?

 

It happened on my 5.5gen before and the oil was completely black - not good! Changed it and it was fine. Just though I'd share what happened with me, could be something different for you 4th gen guys.

 

8ender my car does'nt make any noises.
some oil filters have this little device called an anti drain back valve which keeps oil in the filter itself and oil passages so that there's proper lubrication upon start up.

i can say that the oil filter i have does'nt have the device. i dont know about the op.

 

Any filter used on the VQ30DE should have a anti drainback valve because it is mounted horizontally. I'd suggest you find a filter that has one and change your oil. Its worth a shot.

 

Do you know which filters have such a valve ? (Or which ones do not?)

Please explain...doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

 

Not sure. I haven't even done an oil change on my new Maxima yet. Best bet is to write down the model numbers of the filters available at your local auto parts store and look them up online.

If the rod or main bearings are worn or damaged the clearances are larger causing a drop in oil pressure. This can show itself with an oil light and rattle at startup.

 

Fram Toughgard (gray filter) has anti-drain back valve.

 

Meh ive outsmarted masters tons of times(including my own), the problem with masters is they re too old school well most of the older masters, and getting gtr certified is not impossible just you have be a higher then normal ase cerified tech and working for nissan also most dealers only need 2 or 3 of them. Ive seen non masters get it.

 

eww that brand isn't to be mentioned around here even if it filters 99.6% efficiency

 

Any oil filter recommended for this application will have an ADBV.

Read pmohr's advice again:

"Anyway, if it's just flickering on startup, I wouldn't worry about it. If it stays on, either continuously or for more than second or two, then it'd be something to look in to.

As said, the first thing you should do is replace the OPSU if you're that concerned about it."

 

Seriously, its a 18 dollar part at the dealer and like 7 bucks at Autozone, just do it already and stop worrying

 

Sometimes mine flickers at startup, just barely. It doesn't stay on for even a second. Oil level is fine, oil is clean. No worries.

 

My was doing that too.. then i changed oil, and did a full tune up on car and it stopped.. also i changed to syntentic...

 

already changed oil. tried different weights and change OPSU and it still does it. Help please? and what filters would you recommmend instead of fram. i used this cause dad always says its best but everyone here says that they are garbage