[MrVee]

I see this is an older thread but since there are so many informative posts I thought it might be worth adding to. My 2011 with 140k miles has the oil pressure / stop light coming on upon first acceleration. It is fine idling when you start but as soon as you take off, it come on. Usually the light will go out. I put a manual test gauge on and pressure stays in the 40-45 psi range with no visible fluctuation. I did pull the cam bridge and fished out the blown out screen but that didn't make a difference.

Should I assume balance shafts or is it worth checking something else?

Thanks for any help.

 

[MrVee]

I have not solved the light issue, However, I just grounded out the oil pressure sensor so the light no longer comes on and will be installing a mechanical oil pressure gauge in order to monitor oil pressure. When I installed my test gauge and drove the car, pressure never dropped below 30 psi which should be sufficient. From everything I've been reading, the balance shaft bearings are the most likely culprit for throwing the light.

We'll see how this works out. I'm not sure if jumping out the sensor will create other issues for the computer.

 

[MrVee]

Just an update: I finally installed a mechanical oil pressure gauge and as mentioned in January, I soldered a ground wire into the oil pressure sender wire to over-ride the "low oil pressure stop car" warning light. The car has not had any codes so I'll be driving it "as is". The oil pressure is a little low, 35-40 psi driving, 15-20 idling. My hope is the balance shaft bearings are causing the drop in oil pressure and that if it proves too be a progressive problem, that it will take many miles to cause a catastrophic failure.

If and when the engine fails, I'll post an update. for now... Back on the road again.

 

[MrVee]

We've been trying to sell this one off (cheap) because of the ongoing problems with no takers (we are honest about the problems). I'm convinced this is is just a terrible engine and complete overhaul or replacement is the only solution (which we're not about to do on a 14 year old car). If I had to make an uneducated guess based on everything I've read, the balance shaft bearings are the main culprit and engine removal is required for replacement. "Throwing in the towel" is the right answer in my humble opinion.