Possible low oil pressure

I bought a 88 4runner with a v6 recently and noticed after a drive on the freeway that at idle the oil pressure was just above the minimum marking (wish it had numbers on the gauge). My owners manual from 86 says that it is close to operating spec. The engine has north of 250,000 miles and I'm thinking a new oil pump and thicker oil is called for here. Any other ideas?

 

Going up a weight of oil, say 10w30, wouldn't be a terrible idea on an older engine. That being said, get a mechanical oil pressure Guage on the engine with the oil warmed up before making big repairs.

It may be better than you think, the gages in the dash are more of upgraded idiot lights than actual readings, usually

 

That is something I was wondering about because it doesn't make too much noise in the top end of the motor. So it could be the pressure sensor.

 

If oil pressure is a concern it never hurts to take proactive steps, before it could potentially cause permanent issues. I don't want to scare you, if it's reading on the dash you're probably fine, but on an engine with some mileage it certainly doesn't hurt to do a checkup.

 

According to the FSM, at idle, 850 RPM, give or take a little, warmed up, the pressure should only be 4.3 psi. That's not an awful lot, when you think about it. If you put an aftermarket gauge on, I wager you'll see something close to that. Warmed up, at 3,000 RPM, the pressure should be between 36 and 71 PSI.
Before panicing, and starting to throw parts at it, try changing the oil and filter. I personally use Castrol Syntec High Mileage , 10W-30, in my 2 87's, and they run great. I use a Toyota 90915-YZZD. It's a little bigger than the factory filter, so more oil, more filtration, and a little cooling from the filter's case. It's been tested, not by Toyota, and is one of the best filters out there.

As has been mentioned, the factory gauge is notoriously inaccurate. Not much more than an idiot light.

Let us know what you find
Pat☺

 

For the V6, that is normal. When at idle, the oil pressure should be low. There is a line just to the right of Low. It should be around that mark. When driving, it should be in the middle or close to it.

 

My 88 has vertical gauges and the gauge nearly rests on the lowest line. It may be 1/8 inch above it.