I just changed the oil pump in my 3.4 motor and all the timing belt components after the tensioner came loose and fell out of its hole.

Anyway, new Aisin oil pump and now at idle when warm there is virtually no oil pressure reading on the gauge. At highway speeds, or when driving for a while at a constant speed or on the gas, the pressure shoots up to max out the gauge.

Wire is on tight and never had issues before.

Any ideas on what could be causing this?

 

to verify whats going on you may want to get one of the cheap mechanical gauges from the parts store and install it, i bet 10 bucks it reads way different than the electrical in dash gauge.

 

What is the proper oil pressure at idle? 2000rpm? My 3.0 v6 started making a chattering sound about a week ago and the oil pressure gauge dropped to the 1/3 position-before it ran at the 1/2 right in the middle. Tonight I fired up my truck and it was smooth as silk. 20 min later the pressure dropped and the clatter is back. I'm trying to figure out if I need to adjust the valve lash, replace the oil pump or both. Do I really have to pull the motor to get the pan off (1992 4x4).

Help!