yea, I think you'ld be fine just driving it. As mentioned with my old Jeep, I even had oil pressure drop to "0" a few times, that's when I knew I need to add oil, lol. I would still throughly check out the cooling system and see what's causing the heat (and still do a compression test)

Good Luck!

 

when driving where the pressure at

 

When I'm giving it gas it moves between 50 & 40.

 

thats good you stated oil switch good is it new

 

untill in know where you idleing i dont see any thing to worry about because off low pressure at idle low oil pressure when driving would be a problem

 

I had the same problem you are having with my 2000 xj. My oil pressure would be fine @ idle when cold (20-30psi) but once it warmed up it would drop to about 13-15 psi at idle. I too posted about when my jeep was doing and got the same responses as you (head gasket, cracked cylinder head and the dreaded cracked block response that people love to scare you with.) My engine ran completely smooth it actually sounded great. I decided to do a pressure test, leak down test, pulled spark plugs and verified my oil pressure...all normal. I had the oil sent out to be tested and it came back postive for small amounts of anti-freeze. So, I decided to take it to a mechanic to have the head gasket changed, he said it would be $1,400 freakin dollars! I have since begun the task of doing it myself (that's how I roll) I just got everything apart and am ready to install the new gasket and had the cylinder head magnafluxed(all good). I believe a head gasket is your culprit...Like you I hope this fixes or atleased helps the oil pressure issue. A head gasket is a pain in the @ss but if you have patience it's no prob. I hope this helps.

 

Thank you. I hope my problem is similar to yours.

 

It idles one mark below "1". With the AC on it is a hair above where it idles without the AC on.

 

1,000 rpms kinda high i would try a nother oil switch my self i found this might shed a little lighthttp://www.ehow.com/how-does_4778942...-cherokee.html

 

It's one tab below 1,000. Is that high?

 

mines standard so i idle at 550 with around 18 psi maybe aytomatic would be that much higher

 

I'm going to break away from the rest of group and say your engine is probably fine. FSM says oil pressure should be 13-15PSI @ idle fully warmed up. (Mine does) As the others said to verify your rings are ok do a compression check. Next get the oil pan off verify the oil screen is clean and there is no sludge in the bottom of the pan. 3rd while pan is off verify bearing clearance with feeler gauges. I suspect everything will check out with in spec, some wear is normal with the miles you have. Finally, if all checks ok switch to synthetic and drive it. For your running hot issue verify temp at thermostat with an infared thermometer. If running warm I would start with a coolant flush, new thermostat, and hoses. If that does not take of problem replace water pump, fan clutch, and belt. All of this can be done for under $200, a weekends worth of time, and case of your favorite cold beverage.

 

with what he has stated i think its fine but for a pc of mind this would be the next logical step

 

Throttle Junkie, is right....the only thing I would add is to switch to 20W50. That should give you about 10 psi across the board. If its going to drop below freeing, go back to 10w40.

Ron

 

20w-50 wouldn't be needed as long as the engine is fine. It's way too thick at engine start up to provide any sort lubrication at start up. This is a liquid cooled I6 not an air cooled V-Twin. If his bearing are worn it would mask the low oil pressure for a little while until the bearings wear even more. If the OP wanted to be an a-hole he could dump 20w-50 in it and sell it real quick. If I were him and the engine is bad I would stroke it.