Seems pretty obvious to anyone with some slight knowledge of motors that
an engine of those miles showing an oil pressure warning when hot is
getting worn out and needs attention.   You don't really need a gauge to
show that, given the  mileage and the fact that changing to lighter oil
viscosity caused the warning system to be MORE active...

  What I find gauges useful for is indicating a change in readings....a
warning light is either ON or Off...doesn't show any 'degree' of
change....whereas a set of gauges can give a continuing report...
    LIke on my inline motor, the OP reading has declined over the ~50k
miles I have driven it...it's gone from about 63psi at highway speeds when
hot to about 60psi over the past few years, and the idle pressure has
declined from 23 to about 21...so the motor is wearing some but not enough
to worry me....If I ever saw a reading that differed greatly from what I
normally see, I would know something was not right and go looking for the
cause..

  LIkewise with the Oil Temp readings....I see about 210 under normal high
speed summertime driving and up to about 230 on long mountain grades....If
I ever saw more or an anomalous reading, I would know something was
wrong...I use the Oil Temp in tandem with the coolant temp to monitor how
the engine is running.

  It is unlikely that many have lasted that long with stock motors and
warning systems...

guess it must be some sort of miracle that any of our vans lasted

> > 23-34 years without these vital components.
> >
> > Mark
> >
> > Chris S. wrote:
> >> ... I can't stress enough that it's important to have both temp and
> pressure gauges to monitor engine health and stress:
> >>
> >>
>