Arbitrator

I just had a mechanic replace the oil cooler lines on my external oil cooler. Since then, the oil pressure gauge has been fluttery. It used to climb from 0 to 5 as the car started, stay at 5 until warm, between 2-3 psi at warm idle, and 5 psi pegged on the freeway.

Now, it hovers around 0 when I start the car, until it is warm and hits 5 psi. It is pegged when driving, but it flutters between 1 and 3 psi at warm idle.

I assumed it was a bad contact on the oil pressure sender, until I read that only one contact controls the gauge level; the other controls the red light. In messing with the OPS, the red light contact snapped off. No change in the behavior of the oil pressure gauge. I bought a new OPS anyway, but I doubt that's the problem here.

So now I'm wondering if it's giving me real signals and telling me that the OPRV is misaligned. Is that a concern with the external oil cooler setup? The OPRV is in the block, right? I doubt the mechanic had to remove the OPRV (or the pressure sender) to change the oil cooler lines, but I cannot tell, from searching or from Clark's, whether any alignment is necessary when reinstalling an external oil cooler.

Could my fluttering oil pressure be a real reading of a mistake the mechanic made?

Thanks in advance.

931guru

Yes, your mechanic thought he was smarter than the Porsche gods and tried to align the oil cooler housing without the specified tool.

The tool is absolutely necessary for both the NA and the turbo housings.

If he says that he used the tool, ask him to show you the tool, otherwise he is lying

MAGK944

It almost impossible to change the oil cooler lines without removing the housing. I know folk have removed the fender liner and ground down tools to make it happen but I doubt your mechanic did that.

So +1 ^^^, your OPVR is misaligned and you need to find a new mechanic.

HY M8NC

+2 depending on your location, a lot of members on here have one (I do) and will loan it to you. They are also available from multiple online sources. And while you're getting it re-aligned, replace the o rings and crush washer because it's always a great idea to do-

GPA951s

I just went through this. Maybe I got lucky but I have never used the alignment tool. But! Recently I saw my oil pressure get higher and higher at warm idle. Borrowed the tool for the early car and back to where it was. I did not have the updated oprv still had the crappy 3 pc. I therefore stole the updated one pc out of my other track engine and op is perfect like it should be. The one pc is allot more forgiving when it comes to alignment. After I stole the valve out of my other track engine just for laughs I tried sticking the tool in and that was no Bueno.. so it was misaligned for two years with heavy track duty... if it’s a street car I think there is no need to spend 450 bucks on the updated oprv. But that’s only an opinion. The problem with the 3 pc is that if they hang your oil pressure goes through the roof and the oil filter gasket blows out spraying oil onto the headers and your car turns into a fiery ball of oil...

Arbitrator

Thanks everyone for the quick confirmation! I reached out to the mechanic and he's checking oil pressure with a manual gauge on Monday. Assuming it matches what the dash gauge shows, I will ask him to do it right under his warranty. Good call on the washers and crush ring.

It's a street car, so I don't plan to update the OPRV right now.