Zero Oil Pressure and Other Problems
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Dec 2024
Posts: 7
Likes: 1
From: Iowa
Zero Oil Pressure and Other Problems So I recently bought a 1997 Trans Am A4 it is NOT a WS6 unfortunately. I have a few problems I would like to get some insight on.
Number one my oil pressure on the dash when warm in gear is low enough to show the check gauges light and this is with a new sensor. I checked with a mechanical gauge and pressure is 20 PSI at idle in gear. Is the dash gauge funky on these cars?
Number 2 the low coolant light pops up on my dash what seems like randomly. I filled the radiator and reservoir they barely took a quart and bled the system with both screws and the light stayed on also no overheating issues temp hit 195° and goes to max 205°.
Number 3 my cooling fans kick on at 195° I checked with a scanner to verify. Reading the forums it seems like they are supposed to turn on at 220°. I did find a Hypertech 2 tuner in the trunk. Is it possible the temp they turn on at was tampered with? I’m not sure what all is possible with the tuner as the screen didn’t work when I tried plugging it in.
Thanks for reading! Any ideas or answers are greatly appreciated!
Number one my oil pressure on the dash when warm in gear is low enough to show the check gauges light and this is with a new sensor. I checked with a mechanical gauge and pressure is 20 PSI at idle in gear. Is the dash gauge funky on these cars?
Number 2 the low coolant light pops up on my dash what seems like randomly. I filled the radiator and reservoir they barely took a quart and bled the system with both screws and the light stayed on also no overheating issues temp hit 195° and goes to max 205°.
Number 3 my cooling fans kick on at 195° I checked with a scanner to verify. Reading the forums it seems like they are supposed to turn on at 220°. I did find a Hypertech 2 tuner in the trunk. Is it possible the temp they turn on at was tampered with? I’m not sure what all is possible with the tuner as the screen didn’t work when I tried plugging it in.
Thanks for reading! Any ideas or answers are greatly appreciated!
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 34,564
Likes: 2,472
From: Schiller Park, IL Member: #317
Low coolant light is a common problem on all of the 4th gens. In fact, GM removed this sensor for the 2002 models. The sensor has a square body and is located near the top of the passenger side radiator tank; they tend to get a film/build-up on them that makes them read a false low condition. You can remove and clean the sensor (will require draining some coolant) or, if that doesn't work, you can just replace it. Other option would be to just unplug the sensor (low coolant light will default to "off" in this state).
You wouldn't be the first person to have a bad "new" OPSU sensor out of the box. (You wouldn't be the 100th, either... This is really common.) https://ls1tech.com/forums/general-m...ding-unit.html
^ When I did this before, it looks like the wisdom at the time was to go for the AC Delco sensor.
You should NOT be able to fill the radiator with anything. When you take the cap off a cooled down, functioning system, the coolant should be at the top and any discrepancy in the coolant should be at the overflow tank. If you see any air in the radiator, this could be an indication of a problem. (When the coolant cools down, it will suck coolant back from the overflow, so a hot system could have much more air in it and the low coolant light could be reading correct for you!)
^ Please share more details and we can advise on what to do next. (I personally have both had air in my system and a faulty sensor in a good system.)
^ When I did this before, it looks like the wisdom at the time was to go for the AC Delco sensor.
You should NOT be able to fill the radiator with anything. When you take the cap off a cooled down, functioning system, the coolant should be at the top and any discrepancy in the coolant should be at the overflow tank. If you see any air in the radiator, this could be an indication of a problem. (When the coolant cools down, it will suck coolant back from the overflow, so a hot system could have much more air in it and the low coolant light could be reading correct for you!)
^ Please share more details and we can advise on what to do next. (I personally have both had air in my system and a faulty sensor in a good system.)
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Dec 2024
Posts: 7
Likes: 1
From: Iowa
You wouldn't be the first person to have a bad "new" OPSU sensor out of the box. (You wouldn't be the 100th, either... This is really common.) https://ls1tech.com/forums/general-m...ding-unit.html
^ When I did this before, it looks like the wisdom at the time was to go for the AC Delco sensor.
You should NOT be able to fill the radiator with anything. When you take the cap off a cooled down, functioning system, the coolant should be at the top and any discrepancy in the coolant should be at the overflow tank. If you see any air in the radiator, this could be an indication of a problem. (When the coolant cools down, it will suck coolant back from the overflow, so a hot system could have much more air in it and the low coolant light could be reading correct for you!)
^ Please share more details and we can advise on what to do next. (I personally have both had air in my system and a faulty sensor in a good system.)
^ When I did this before, it looks like the wisdom at the time was to go for the AC Delco sensor.
You should NOT be able to fill the radiator with anything. When you take the cap off a cooled down, functioning system, the coolant should be at the top and any discrepancy in the coolant should be at the overflow tank. If you see any air in the radiator, this could be an indication of a problem. (When the coolant cools down, it will suck coolant back from the overflow, so a hot system could have much more air in it and the low coolant light could be reading correct for you!)
^ Please share more details and we can advise on what to do next. (I personally have both had air in my system and a faulty sensor in a good system.)
Excellent. How many miles are on your water pump? If its close to the end of its life, you may want to watch the level at the radiator every few weeks for a while and see if it starts to creep down. (If the water pump is leaking, this could happen as it starts to go bad. Over time, more and more air can get into the system in some cases.)
No need to test while hot (and dangerous), you can take a peek when cold.
No need to test while hot (and dangerous), you can take a peek when cold.