Question about car, oil pressure dropping off

[mob]

Hey guys, I have a little problem, I did a tune up like a month ago, plugs wires, cap, rotor. Car was running perfect. And about a week or two ago my car starts acting funny. When I come up to a light, it starts surging as im slowing down, surging bad, and the oil pressure gauge goes down with the rpms, the battery meter also goes down with the rpm's, battery is new though, I know if the battery was dieing it would take the oil gauge down with it as it surges, it happened before to me. But this time its different. It usually starts to act up after I drive it a couple miles.

Today I drove it down the highway for a good half hour, by the time I got back to the city i pulled up to a light and it starts doing the surges again. Then when I get to the next light I hold the gas alitle bit to keep it steady and I slowly let go, and now the car will idle perfect at 800 but the oil pressure gauge drops past the red line and stays there, when I hit the gas or start moving itll go back up. The car runs fine, pulls real hard, no notice in performance loss, its just the surging and pressure drop when I come to a stop, and when I pull into a parking space itll shut off before I get a chance to straighten the wheels and put my windows back up, itll surge real hard like once or twice and die.

What do you guys think? When I got home after my trip today I opened up the oil filler cap and just a little smoke was coming out of it, I noticed dark oil on the filler cap, it was a little wavy textured but was dark, wasen't milkshake colored. Not over heating or anything. Other than that I didnt notice anything different in the engine compartment, everything looked fine. Help me out! Guess its time for an oil change real soon, sucks I live in an apartment complex not something I can really do.

 

[Mr. Rustypwnz]

I thought you couldnt drive till like oct.?

def change the oil!!

 

[mob]

Hardship, im going to try to change the oil within the next month see what it looks like, any more advice?

 

[jrichker]

Possible ground problem for the gauge...
The secondary power ground is between the back of the
intake manifold and the driver's side firewall. It is often missing or
loose. It supplies ground for the alternator, A/C compressor
clutch and other electrical accessories such as the gauges.
Any car that has a 3G or high output current alternator needs
a 4 gauge ground wire running from the block to the chassis
ground where the battery pigtail ground connects.
The 3G has a 130 amp capacity, so you wire the power side
with 4 gauge wire. It stands to reason that the ground side
handles just a much current, so it needs to be 4 gauge too.

The picture shows the common ground point for the battery & alternator

Picture courtesy timewarped1972

See the "Surging Idle Checklist for help with all your idle/stall problems. The first two posts contain all the updates to the fixes. At last count there were 24 possible causes and fixes for surging idle/stall problems. I continue to update it as more people post fixes or ask questions.

 

[mob]

Thanks Joe, I asked my manager at work and he told me there's a chance that I am just low on oil because he said he had a firebird that would do the same thing, and he said that's when he knew he has to put oil in it. I put a quart of oil in it and it seems to be running fine now, I got all my oil and filter so this Wednesday Im going to my buddy's house to do a much needed oil change. Maybe you could slip that into your surging idle check list Joe, not sure if its in there already, but something that doesn't have to do with electrical issues, just being low on oil. He told me that since the car comes to a stop the oil sinks to the bottom and pressure is being lost, not sure if that makes sense, but hopefully thats my only problem

Pretty much just re posting in reference to an future searchies with similar problems.

 

[Foxfan88]

get/hook up an aftermarket gauge and that will you tell if you indeed have an oil pressure problem or not.