First off, I have a 2.7 and I know the cars have oil sludge problems. I have 130,000 miles on the car and have come upon a problem. My oil light comes on at hot idle. I've taken the car in and the shop says I have 2-3 psi at idle when spec is 4. It comes right up when you accelerate. I've been good about my oil changes and have kept the car in decent mechanical shape. Here's what I want to know.

Low oil pressure at idle could be a sludging issue I believe, it could be a bad oil pump and it could be main bearings. I don't mind changing the oil pump, but if it is a sludging issue, (and or) the main bearings, that's not something I'm prepared to do with a 10 year old car.

How bad is 2-3 psi? Is that like blow up next week bad, or blow up next year bad?

I'd like to get 3 more years out of the car, or 60,000 thousand more miles on it, but don't want to spend a ton to get there.

 

Is it 2-3 PSI on the scanner, or on a mechanical gauge? There is a TSB to replace the sender and install a vent tube in the connector's empty cavity to relieve pressure that causes an erroneous low reading. Unless their mechanical gauge says 2-3 PSI, I'd get the TSB repair done. The TSB # is 08-36-99