I have a 03 dodge neon sxt. i put a new electronic oil pressure gauge to go with my pilliar gauges. my question is whats a normal reading. after a 30 minute highway drive it reads 10psi idle and about 35 - 45 driving. i just want to know whats normal pressure and to make sure my gauges are reading right. Also when i kick on the heater or the radiator fan comes on the gauge drops to 0 at idle. and up to 35psi at about 2k rpms. I'm just making sure everything's working properly. its a whole 2 wires and I've done tons of wiring. unless they melted under the manifold but i checked and it seemed fine i tried to keep them as far away since I've had melted wire issues before on other cars when other previous owners let the main harness rest on the manifold.

 

I had a mechanical gage hook up at one time and it was 60 psi cold( oil pressure is higher when oil is thicker) and 20 psi warm and idle.

 

Factory specs are listed as follows:

• Curb idle speed* - 4 PSI. CAUTION: *If pressure is ZERO at curb idle, DO NOT run engine at 3000 rpm.
  
• At 3,000 RPM - 25-80 PSI.

Almost. Motor oil is "thinner"/less viscous when cold (to assist with cold starts) and "thicker"/more viscous when warmer. ETA: For example, the recommended 5W30 for the OP's 2003 Neon has a viscosity rating of 5 at a cold start and a rating of 30 when the engine is at operating temperature.

 

Darth, thank you for your specs on oil pressure. I havent been on here for a while due to lack of internet. Looks like everything is working normal then thanks again for the listing.

 

just replaced the wifes oil pump..cold start at 80 then drops to 60..you rev the motor alittle and it jumps to 100 psi..wanted to gage it to see if the pump was working..never replaced a oil pump like that..has to go to neon srt forum to see how to prime it..im running 10 40 motor oil.. fall switch to 10 30...any cars that are over 1000 I'm runnning 10 weight..engine are no longer tight tallerance anymore..10/30 and 10/40 takes up the tallerance..on my 87 torizmo 2.2 id ran 20/50 in the summer..motor ran strong and long..

 

I run 5/30 in mine. I have never ran 10/40 in any of my neons (ive owned 4 now) mines at 100k + miles and doesnt burn its a 2003. the 2000+ for sure recommend 5/30 or 5/20 if you have a 2005. Only reason I could see running a 10 weight oil is if you live somewhere hot 24/7 like florda or cali. I live in ohio it gets ***** cold and I want that oil to reach the top half of my motor asap. on my gage the pressure is 60 cold, 40 driving, and around 5 to 10 at idle.

 

recommend when it was new and under 100000..over 100000 your tolerance are not tight anymore ..that why I run 10/30 and 10/40..Why do you see motor oil made for cars that are over 75.000?..All that is 10/30 oil selling you at higher cost..the thicker oil takes up the tolerance..Been doing this over 25 years and worked at BP procare..and that what we did there too..Got a friend that been doing the same thing with his 94 honda accord..had it since 98 with 34.000 and now it got 300.000 and the motor still runs strong...PS me and my honda friend lives in OHIO too..Celina..52 miles from fortwayne IN.. Oh and some of you wonder why you can hear top end ticking..10/30 for the winter and 10/40 for the summer...

 

meh I work for a quick lube and been there for yrs. Ive always ran 5/30 never burns and has 105k miles (just rounded that point today), hits the top end and never hear ticking. and the high milage oils arent all 10/30 trust me. done enough experiments on regular customers cars (with their consent or request) to see differences, high milage oils are a joke. seen them burn twice as much as normal oils. our bulk is a semi synthetic works great and burns less. and every honda (older 90's years) I work on comes in damn near bone dry and still run. I have pulled a plug and it dripped once (literally a drop) and there was little to nothing in the previous filter. beast still runs. its just honda cars. I have also seen a 06 civic go 56k miles on a factory oil change and still run. had to put new oil in and run 3 cleaners to make the oil look normal but it runs till this day. we have them that have 300k+ on factory oil specs. correct the tolerances change and oil only does so much. if it burns it burns reguardless of what oil you use. but to each their own. oil is oil and is needed for a healthy running car reguardless.

 

...because there are seal conditioners, extra additives and better detergents to help a fading older engine keep trucking along (and yes, they aren't [usually] energy conserving oils, so they are more robust). I didn't switch to a high mileage 5W20 in my Neon until about 100,000 miles when consumption went up a bit, and then it went back down with the HM oil. Not sure where you were going with that?
I don't get this: are you saying if I bought 5W20 HM oil, it's really just more expensive 10W30?

 

yes. but its not. its a 5w20 with a additive package like you said. supposed to promote seal rejuvination (to a degree) and potentially burn less. I have yet to see any of these things work personally and i work on 60+ cars a day. we are a busy local shop. honestly if your car isnt burning massive amounts of oil, and leaks are at a minimum. a HM oil isnt really necessary IMO. Like I said before our bulk oil is a synth blend. works great and the price is cheaper.