4 hours ago, CrazyInWeston said:

Sorry for the belated reply and thanks for your answer. However, couldn't there be a sensor to read the required pressures needed for the optimum running of the car? Its about oil pressure, a wording that is used, the "pressure" of which surely with maths, a sensor can read the differing layers of 'pressure' within the engine and alert drivers when there is too much or too little for optimum usage?

I'm sorry if you think I'm trying to flog a dead horse so to speak, because I simply don't get it. We have knock sensors, Air sensors, Throttle sensors etc etc is having a sensor for oil pressure that alerts the user when it gets below optimum levels really that hard? Or above if the user has poured too much oil?

I get it, there is the Dipstick that tells you, but I get my oil regularly changed and its very very difficult for me to see where the oil level is on my dipstick, I can't actually see where it is and thats why I asked this, because surely an actual sensor monitoring the pressure limits would be better no? Thanks.

Level ground, engine warm, engine off for at least 5 minutes, remove dipstick, wipe, refit dipstick, remove dipstick and read level

Like I said in an earlier post, there is a huge difference between low oil pressure and low level

6 hours ago, CrazyInWeston said:

Sorry for the belated reply and thanks for your answer. However, couldn't there be a sensor to read the required pressures needed for the optimum running of the car? Its about oil pressure, a wording that is used, the "pressure" of which surely with maths, a sensor can read the differing layers of 'pressure' within the engine and alert drivers when there is too much or too little for optimum usage?

I'm sorry if you think I'm trying to flog a dead horse so to speak, because I simply don't get it. We have knock sensors, Air sensors, Throttle sensors etc etc is having a sensor for oil pressure that alerts the user when it gets below optimum levels really that hard? Or above if the user has poured too much oil?

I get it, there is the Dipstick that tells you, but I get my oil regularly changed and its very very difficult for me to see where the oil level is on my dipstick, I can't actually see where it is and thats why I asked this, because surely an actual sensor monitoring the pressure limits would be better no? Thanks.

There is an oil pressure switch on every engine from the last 50+ years.  When the pressure drops too low, the sensor triggers the red dash warning light.

Again, the switch has it's limitations due to it's location.  It is generally just after the oil pump, so any pressure loss above that point may not be detected.  It also cannot detect over-filling as the pressure would not be increased at the pump output in that situation.

The dipstick tells you level, the switch tells you pressure.  You can have a lot of oil but a knackered oil pump.  Equally you can have low oil level but still enough for the oil pump not to run dry.  The dipstick & the oil pressure light both serve different purposes.

Back in the day, I was fascinated with fitting extra gauges including a capillary fed oil pressure one 😄

The reality of course was that they were mainly for show, volts, amps, vacuum etc, and I barely looked at the actual readings.

Back to the present, and because of all the issues I had with the Focus, I made provision for an oil pressure gauge. Purchased some stainless steel fittings off ebay, Tee'd them off from the oil pressure switch location and still have both switch and sensor mounted. Decided later not to have the gauge permanently mounted in the car as I knew I would find it too distracting (worrying about the belt and pump condition).

If I want to monitor the oil pressure, I can easily attach the wires to the sensor. Thinking I'll probably do that at the next oil/filter change.

8 minutes ago, RayC333 said:

Back in the day, I was fascinated with fitting extra gauges including a capillary fed oil pressure one 😄

I too fitted a capillary one to my 1982 Fiesta XR2, I knew it worked as when I 1st cranked the engine, oil came flying out everywhere as I hadn't tightened the gauge connector up properly. Oh to be young again...

36 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

I knew it worked as when I 1st cranked the engine, oil came flying out everywhere as I hadn't tightened the gauge connector up properly. Oh to be young again...

Lol, thank goodness - for nearly 50 years I've thought I was the only one daft enough to have done that!😀

The old capillary gauges were very good though. With a capillary water temp gauge, you could check your thermostat by watching the temp climb after a cold start, then drop a bit after the 'stat opened.

We've got this stuff nowadays, of course, but do I trust it? Errr..........

 

You can Live Monitor the Oil Pressure with FORScan, very convenient with the Phone version and a Wireless Adaptor.

With the two stage or continuously variable Oil Pumps in modern cars the readings jump about a lot so are not as simple to follow as the old style ones.

 

On 2/12/2024 at 9:55 AM, TomsFocus said:

There is an oil pressure switch on every engine from the last 50+ years.  When the pressure drops too low, the sensor triggers the red dash warning light.

Again, the switch has it's limitations due to it's location.  It is generally just after the oil pump, so any pressure loss above that point may not be detected.  It also cannot detect over-filling as the pressure would not be increased at the pump output in that situation.

The dipstick tells you level, the switch tells you pressure.  You can have a lot of oil but a knackered oil pump.  Equally you can have low oil level but still enough for the oil pump not to run dry.  The dipstick & the oil pressure light both serve different purposes.

Ok, I can sort of get it, both work together but...

On 2/12/2024 at 8:06 AM, DaveT70 said:

Level ground, engine warm, engine off for at least 5 minutes, remove dipstick, wipe, refit dipstick, remove dipstick and read level

Like I said in an earlier post, there is a huge difference between low oil pressure and low level

As I previously said, I change my oil regularly and despite this method, I cannot actually see where it is on the stick. The oil is too clean for the wipe method to actually work because the oil during engine/driving operation splashes into the pipe that the dipstick lives in. I'm always either getting some on the side, too much, too little but how? I cannot see that its too much, too little or on the sides, because I lift up... Wipe, slot back in, lift up again... And it looks exactly the same!!!

Maybe if I ran my car without changes for 3yrs as the oil would be black... But mines crystal clear.

Edit: This is why I want a gauge of 'Optimum' pressure correct for your engine. So you can see if its too high or too low for operation.

Edit 2: Surely lower oil levels get hotter faster and it may put a strain on the limititations of the oil being so hot vs engine lubrication and too much puts a lot of pressure with the seals like head gaskets maybe? A range gauge is all Im asking for like the radiator gauge for example maybe? Because I cannot tell where the levels are at in my car, even after wiping a day after a correct oil change, I just cannot see it.

You can try viewing the dipstick from various angles to pick up light reflections on the surface. Usually do with mine with very clean oil.