smashbrohammer

2007 Nissan 350z, automatic. Hit about 52,000 miles.


I turn the car on in the drive way, first thing I noticed was the oil pressure light. I then noticed my oil pressure gauge was at 0PSI. I turned the car off and started researching. This was something that instantly happened, not over time. This is the first occurrence.


I am having a hard time getting a clear answer on something.


Will a bad oil sending unit throw off the oil pressure gauge AND make the oil pressure light come on?


This car is not under warranty.


Any tips on where to go from here? If a bad oil sending unit will make the oil pressure gauge read 0PSI and make the oil pressure light come on, I will just simply replace it. It is due an oil change anyways.

*Edit* This is one more tidbit of information. It snowed here and after the snow/ice melted. I went down this county road that had a ton of pot holes filled with water. I heard some reports of water ruining the oil sending unit. So this leads back to me blaming the oil sending unit to be the problem, but this leads me to the question above of having both the pressure gauge reading zero and warning light come on.

If not...what's next?

travlee

iTrader: (8)

did you check the oil to see if you had any? did a hole get punched in the oil pan? did the oil pan get bent up into the tube essentially starving the motor of oil? you need to get under the car and look for physical damage

smashbrohammer

I just went out and checked the oil level. The oil level is good. It's at about 80% (Keep in mind I am at 6,000 miles on my current oil before changing it). The oil also looked normal on the dip stick.


Also keep in mind that it is currently dark outside so I cannot get under my car to see it.

drvqz33

iTrader: (10)

If your oil checks fine then I think it might be an issue with your gauge, sensor, or sending unit like you've mentioned. I remember reading, a guy that had an issue with his guage reading zero and was freaking out but replaced it, and all was good again.

Voodoo Club

Same! Not too long ago I was reading about a guy with the same problem and he said he 'tapped' it and it started working again lmao

smashbrohammer

So what triggers the low pressure warning light.


The sending unit or the gauge reading at a certain level?

smashbrohammer

Ok problem solved. So I bought the Oil Sending Unit for $71 at o'reilly's part store. Went home and popped the hood for the first time in day light. Just to do a quick check on the dip stick.


*TIP* If you want to know if you truly have oil pressure; all you have to do is note the mark where the oil is on your dip stick....turn the car on for a minute and turn it off. Pull out your dip stick and you should see the oil higher due to splashing.


While verifying this I noticed a TON of leafs and straw needles/pine needles deep into my engine compartment. We had a real hard winter. Squirrels made a nest in my engine compartment. They chewed through my oil sending unit and temperature oil sensor.


So we did a splice job but due to the squirrels chewing up the connectors as well, it would be nice to find these two connectors to replace maybe during my next oil change. I called my local dealership and they won't give me part numbers so any ideas? I saw a random number on the connector but it was hard to make out.

Alex Tappin

ever find the part??

I replaced the sending unit in mar car and the pressure is still reading quite low!

I didnt believe it so I went and bought a mechanical gauge. I hooked it up and bam, oil pressure is normal. I have concluded that it is in-fact the connector to the oil sending unit that is faulty, or the gauge!... Any idea how to fix this? How do I test what is wrong with it?

Thanks!