help...oil drips on garage oil pressure gauge kaput!

[centervilledon]

Could a bad oil pressure sensor cause an oil leak? I just bought an '85 Fiero recently and looked at the bottom of the motor on a rack before I bought. There was very little oil underneath it. Now there seems to quite a lot of oil on the lower part of the motor in no particular area aand is dripping on my garage floor.. It seems to be coming from somewhere above the oil pan. The oil pressure gauge needle goes up to a little riight of center when I turn the key on. When I start the motor, the needle goes all the way to the right off the increments. Could this indicate a bad oil pressure sensor and can it leak oil there? I crawled underneith the car but did not see a sensor. Where is it located? Could someone help me out. I don't want to end up ruining the motor. Don

[Ragtop_Renegade]

Oil pressure sending units can leak, but it's not that common. One very common oil leak (on any car) comes from an oil filter that wasn't tightened enough and has vibrated it's way loose. Check the filter first and you may solve your dripping issue. Regardless of where the oil comes from, you do have a gauge problem that needs addressing anyway. The oil pressure sending unit is located on the side of the crankcase, not far above the oil pan flange, and near the filter boss. It screws into the block with a normal npt(national pipe thread) fitting, and has an electrical connector on the other end where the fuel pump cut-off and gauge wires plug in. This is an electrical remote sending unit gauge, so no actual oil travels into the passenger compartment, only wires. The sending unit can still be purchased at a Pontiac dealer, and there are aftermarket and used sources out there as well. Keep in mind that the actual dashboard gauge may be be faulty instead of the sending unit.