20 psi at idle is normal - your problem is a defective oil pressure sender - just replace it and you'll be fine.

If you want to install a gauge, carry on smartly - I fit them to all my cars - the port in the block is 1/8" BSPT and I would suggest that rather than disabling the oil pressure warning light you install a tee and have them both connected - it's a lot easier to see a warning light wink on that it is to notice a guage needle slowly drop back to zero.

If you can, avoid using the nylon tube that comes with the gauges - 1/8" copper is available, and don't hang a brass tee off the side of the engine block with the gauge senders on it, the vibration will cause it to fatigue and break - mount the tee securely closeby and run the copper line to it with a couple of vibration relief loops.

 

The idiot light goes on at about 3psi, which is really low...the factory spec for oil pressure on a warm engine at 3000 rpm is 51-62 psi. Have you changed the oil filter? What viscosity oil are you using (and your location). I don't think I would be comfortable if my oil pressure dropped below 20psi, idling on a warm engine. I believe that 20psi at idle is spec. Some info here:
http://www.suzuki-forums.com/suzuki...i-sidekick-escudo-vitara-geo-tracker/46074-low-oil-pressire-when-warm-idle.html
Are you not installing the gauge where the oil temp sender currently is? You will need an adaptor for that fitting:
http://www.suzuki-forums.com/suzuki...m/suzuki-sidekick-escudo-vitara-geo-tracker/37996-1997-geo-tracker-us-1-6l.html

 

Thanks for the fast replies guys! I think I might try another pressure switch as they're only around $7.00 to replace. I know about the BSPT deal as I had to use the old oil pressure sensor & drill it out so I could JB Weld an adapter on it to accept the maual oil gauge. No threads stripped in block or anything like that! Do they make any different calibrated oil pressure sensor switches that won't activate as easily? Fordem says 20 psi @ idle is the norm yet the light still comes on?............Thanks Again!

 

Fordem says 20 psi @ idle is the norm yet the light still comes on?............Thanks Again!

The switch is defective.

 

Actually, in looking at my FSM, it appears that the oil pressure light comes on at 4.5psi. Still pretty low. Have you thought about this perhaps being a wiring or issue with the switch itself? The switch uses the yellow/black wire that runs from the switch through a couple of connectors (both behind the dash to the left of the steering column).

 

Bex, Thanks for the reply....The only thing I can tell you is that the wiring seems to be in pretty good shape ( I'll post so pix of this rig later......pretty cherry!) Like I said in the 1st post the light only flickers at low RPM. I tried to de-activated the idiot light by running a ground from the sensor to the chassis but that only made the idiot light bright

 

For sure!

One other possibility is that wiring is chaffed bare and grounding out somewhere, resulting in the same effect of completing the light illumination circuit.

 

My 1995 tracker the oil light would flicker when I 1st got it. Scared the heck out of me thinking I bought a dud. The pressure is good the sender was good the wiring is bad. After I put a real gauge in and disconnected the original the light still flickered.I took the bulb out rather than chasing the wiring issue. The gauge is better anyway.

 

My 1995 tracker the oil light would flicker when I 1st got it. Scared the heck out of me thinking I bought a dud. The pressure is good the sender was good the wiring is bad. After I put a real gauge in and disconnected the original the light still flickered.I took the bulb out rather than chasing the wiring issue. The gauge is better anyway.

Let me ask you this question - the engine is at operating temperature - you bring the vehicle to a stop at an intersection, do you notice the gauge needle drop from 60 to 20 psi - maybe you did when the gauge was first fitted, but now your brain is accustomed to it - will it register if it drops from 60 to 0?

Hopefully you never have a real low oil pressure situation - just as an example - a holed oil pan, or (this has happened to me), a broken oil line. You slowly lose the oil, at some point the oil level drops below the pump pickup, the gauge needle slowly drops to zero, and the first thing you'll know is when you hear the engine's death rattle.

A red light turning on can be seen with your peripheral vision, the slow movement of the gauge needle will escape your notice, even if it's directly within your line of sight, and you see the movement, the brain will not recognize it for what it is.

 

the slow movement of the gauge needle will escape your notice, even if it's directly within your line of sight, and you see the movement, the brain will not recognize it for what it is.

Unless you are a pilot and your life depends on a good eye on the gauges.... Philip

 

This is a matter of opinion - but - for what it's worth here's mine.

First - some vehicle manufacturers are quite happy with that 4.5 psi - as an example, for one of the vehicles I have, Mitsubishi specifies the following ...

At idle: 29 kPa or more
At 3500 r/min: 294~686 kPa

29 kPa converts to 4.2 psi. 294~686 kPa converts to 42.8~99.5 psi.

Mitsubishi obviously has no problem with 4.5 psi at idle.

Personal experience has shown that if the low pressure problem is caused by a loss of lubricant, and you stop the engine IMMEDIATELY the light comes on, there will be no lasting damage - you can repair the leak, replenish the oil and that vehicle will continue to operate for many years - and so it's clear - this experience is not based on a single incident, but several different vehicles over four decades.

Having said that, I personally find it a little disconcerting when the pressure at idle on the same Mitsubishi is around 15 psi, which as you can see from Mitsubishi's spec. is acceptable and actually quite normal if you take into consideration that that particular engine idles at around 600 rpm, lower than the 750 rpm that a Suzuki would typically idle at.

The simple reason that 3.5~4 psi is the typical low oil pressure warning threshold is because that's what most manufacturer's consider acceptable.

 

I have a 95 Suzuki Sidekick and just recently my oil light started flickering going down the road.. I am wanting to hook up a oil pressure gauge but can not find a fitting to screw into the engines block .. Has anyone else had this problem ? What do you do to fix this ?

 

without stating the obvious, did you check the oil level? lack of oil tends to make the oil pressure drop and causes the oil pressure light to come on.

 

Installing a gauge or just hooking one up to see what the pressure is? Info in this post may help:
http://www.suzuki-forums.com/suzuki...m/suzuki-sidekick-escudo-vitara-geo-tracker/37996-1997-geo-tracker-us-1-6l.html

 

Ah, well, yes, checking the oil level is a good idea. Also checking the wiring to the sender, to make sure that it's not causing the light to flicker.