A-pillar gauge pod

[cali yaris]

as long as the oil is over that straw, you'll have full pressure.

No. If you have a leak, you lose pressure before you lose all your oil. That's why a pressure gauge is valuable; it gives you time to pull over and shut down the motor (hopefully)

[Tonavi]

Originally Posted by cali yaris

No. If you have a leak, you lose pressure before you lose all your oil. That's why a pressure gauge is valuable; it gives you time to pull over and shut down the motor (hopefully)

In my friend's GMC Yukon (with oil pressure gauge), there was a leak at the oil pan gasket and rear main seal. Gradually, the engine lost its oil, with no change in pressure. Finally, the engine seized when we were on the highway, yet in it's last few breaths, the oil pressure still read 45-50 before reading zero. He knew enough about cars to stop if any of the gauges went into the red zones, too.