2002 3.5L Aurora High Oil Pressure and Oil Leak

Every morning my car has oil on the road, it was a sudden thing. Bought it two months ago, it had brand new oil in it, no leaks. This last week it has developed a significant leak. I thought maybe when the oil had been changed (right before i bought it) the drain plug or the filter hadn't been screwed in properly, was loose, something like that. they were both in right and tight. the oil appears to be coming from the passenger side of the engine, towards the rear. Kinda close to where the pressure switch is, but I can't tell exactly. Every time i get underneath it there is no new oil to watch. i tried to clean it off with degreaser so i can see where its coming from, but i just can't get to it. Thoughts? Ideas? Should I just take it in?

Oh, the pressure is reading off the computer at 130psi.

A pressure test with a manual gauge is needed to verify pressure readings.

I'm gonna ask a stupid question, how do i do one of those?

You'll need manual gauge. It's a dial gauge with a hose and fitting that screws into the hole that the oil pressure sensor is in. After the gauge is properly installed, start the car and check you oil pressure. Not a stupid question at all.

Okay. This will be good. Ready for a laugh? I figured out the oil pressure problem... 10-30 got added instead of the 5-30... Sooo, here it is. I paid more attention and my oil pressure plummeted when I accelerated and when my engine was cold i had "low" pressure. but after it warmed up it was at 130ish, but the light never came back on. So I'm assuming (from all the forums I have read today) that the high oil pressure was from the 10-30 instead of 5-30. (for the record, the 10-30 was on the 5-30 shelf and it was accidentally grabbed. sandwiched in between two 5-30 jugs. anyway.) Does this sound like it would be the cause of the high pressure to anyone with a tad more experience?

Second. The leak is still an issue as I have not solved that part of things. I'm assuming its not just because of the high pressure, since the leak happened first which caused the extra oil to be put in. If the leak is from a bad seal on the pressure switch or such, if i pull that out to check for a small gasket or an o ring or something that's causing it to seal improperly and leak, will i lose oil? should i empty it first and then pull the sensors out to check for bad seals? or will it be okay if its off and cold so all the oil is at the bottom? any suggestions would be lovely... :) much thanks!

and for the record, the oil will be changed tomorrow to ensure it is all 5w-30. :)

I personally have never heard of a couple of quarts of 10-30 in a 5-30 system causing a high oil pressure problem. It sounds to me like you have a bad oil pressure sender. Min pressure for your eng is 8psi at idle and 29psi at 2000rpm, all at normal operating temp. Your oil pressure should be higher when cold, and higher on accel. All of your readings are the opposite. You really should have a pressure test done. If you can't get the test done, replace the sensor. The new sensor will come with a seal, or sealer on the threads.

Does anyone know where I can get a repair manual for this car? I cannot find anyone that even make a comprehensive one. Haynes, i think it was, makes ones for A/C and Tranny and individual things. I even tried the dealership. Help! Thx.

A subscription to AllData?

www.books4cars.com (http://www.books4cars.com). 149.00