Oil pressure light 4200

James78

New Member
Messages
14
Hi thanks for letting me join this helpful forum
I've recently bought a 4200 that's been sat at a friends house for 2.5 years due to falling out of love with her. I was lucky enough to be able to buy her.
I've replaced all the fuilds and the oil is shell helix, when the car get to temp around 90c is this normal both fans kick in and at the same time my oil pressure light comes on?
 

conaero

Forum Owner
Messages
34,594
Probably just the sender, PM Zep
Fans coming on is probably just a battery reset or fan resistor has corroded.

Can you explain exactly what the oil pressure gauge shows whilst going through the warm up process.

It sounds like your car is getting too hot, oil thins and pressure drops. Water temp should sit below 90, then go over in traffic, first stage fan kicks in. If it continued to rise, second stage fan kicks in.
 

James78

New Member
Messages
14
Hi guys thanks for replying, At what temp should the first stage fan kick?
What happens is the car gets up to starts up with nice pressure around 3 when rev'd around five as soon as it hits 90 and the fans kicks in to cool the engine it seems to drop the pressure as soon as the fan stop it raises just above the min still seems rather low
Highlander I pop some pics up of the old girl tomorrow
 

conaero

Forum Owner
Messages
34,594
That sounds correct, water temp wise. The oil not though. Oil sender first then panic!
 

Phil H

Member
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4,107
Welcome James

Oil pressure senders can be a pain. You're in Bournemouth and Emblem are on your doorstep (Poole) so it would be worth a chat with them. Myles Aldous is their main Maserati man, but all the Emblem folk are good with Maseratis and Ferraris. They changed my 4200 pressure sender just before Christmas.

PH
 

StuartW

Member
Messages
9,306
Welcome along, we've all been through oil senders it seems! I had a couple go on the 3200, I started thinking it was the gauge but they are notorious so hopefully that's all it is.
Good luck and looking forward to the pictures
 

CatmanV2

Member
Messages
48,557
Zep has a great solution to this. He worked magic on mine last weekend, and it;s way *way* better.


C
 

Zep

Moderator
Messages
9,110
As Matt says that is lower than it should be. It should be over 5 bar at all times when cold and around 2.5 hot. It could be the sender, the earth strap breaking down (increasing the resistance at the gauge) or a more serious engine issue. Does the gauge reading jump around.

I can sort you out an adapter and a marine grade sender for a bit more than half the cost of an OEM sender. It is also easier to fit and I can help with a suitable tool.

Drop me a message
 

w1lde1

Junior Member
Messages
153
Hi, Same issues with mine too. Typically my lights come on when i am stuck in traffic the rest of the time its fine. thoughts? does this sound like the sender?
 

CatmanV2

Member
Messages
48,557
Hi, Same issues with mine too. Typically my lights come on when i am stuck in traffic the rest of the time its fine. thoughts? does this sound like the sender?

Sender normally shows itself by flickering levels (much faster than the pressure can actually change). If it's low and steady, I'd get a mechanical or similar reading to be sure.

C
 

BennyD

Sea Urchin Pate
Messages
14,994
Mine's kn4ckered too; it reads all right when the engine's running but shows 1.25 bar when it isn't!
 

BennyD

Sea Urchin Pate
Messages
14,994
Hi, Same issues with mine too. Typically my lights come on when i am stuck in traffic the rest of the time its fine. thoughts? does this sound like the sender?

Next time the engine's hot and idling and the pressure is low, try turning on the fan or moving the seats and see what happens. I had something similar with the last sender and the extra electricity demand dropped the oil pressure enough to bring the light on. It was an engine earth strap with a bad contact.
 

BennyD

Sea Urchin Pate
Messages
14,994
As it reads zero with the ignition off, and 1.25 with the ignition on (sometimes) it is, IMO, more likely to be the sender.