Low Oil Pressure

[islandtuner242]

ok i know for sure i have an oil leak so i'm going to replace to oil pan by the end of the month so i was wondering if anything else can cause my oil pressure to be low......btw besides the oil pan, oil filter, oil pump & gasket is there anything else i may need in this area?

Thanks in advance for the help guys

[robomatic12]

Are you basing this off the stock oil pressure gauge? The stock pressure sender units can clog up and show 0psi of oil pressure at idle and little to none even during higher rpms. You should verify with a mechanical gauge first.

[islandtuner242]

this is based off of a major oil slick on the floor after i got the car to move

[es.biggs]

lol are you asking why your oil pressure is low or are you asking where oil can leak out of your engine?

robo was right tho, the stock oil pressure sending unit sucks, don't trust it.

[islandtuner242]

mainly why else would my pressure be low

[DudeZ]

In a high mileage engine, low oil pressure is often due to a combination of worn main and rod bearings and crankshaft journals. The oil pump itself does not create pressure. It produces flow and the resistance to that flow produces pressure. Resistance is created by the orifices in the engine block through which the oil flows, and the amount of clearance between the bearings and crankshaft journals. As the bearings wear, clearances increase allowing increased flow which reduces pressure.

Okay, so you already knew that. But what you may not realize is that it doesn't take much of an increase in bearing clearances to cause a noticeable drop in oil pressure as well as noise. This applies to brand new engines as well as high mileage ones.

Excessive bearing clearances (more than about .001 inch per inch of diameter of the crankshaft journal) can cause up to a 20 percent or greater drop in oil pressure, which may in turn have an adverse effect on lubrication elsewhere in the engine (such as the camshaft and upper valvetrain, especially in overhead cam engines). Whether the excessive clearances are due to normal wear or "loose" assembly tolerances makes no difference because the end result is exactly the same. Excessive bearing clearances will also increase engine noise and pounding, which over time can lead to bearing fatigue and failure.

Recommended bearing clearances vary a great deal depending on the engine application, but many engine rebuilders today aim for about .001 to .002 inch clearance in the main and rod bearings. This compares to as much as .004 inch of clearance that may be present in some new engines from the factory!

Excessive clearances elsewhere in the engine can also reduce oil pressure. This includes wear in the lifter bores, excessive clearances between the camshaft journals and cam bearings, and excessive end play in the cam. Of course, any cracks in the oil galleys, leaking galley plugs, or leakage between the oil pump and block will also reduce pressure.

The only cure for low oil pressure due to excessive bearing clearances is to reduce the clearances by replacing the bearings or overhauling the engine. Installing a new oil pump or a higher pressure pump won't help because the bearings have too great a leakage rate to hold the required pressure. Installing a higher volume oil pump can increase flow and regain a little lost pressure. But the underlying clearance problem will still be there, which will accelerate bearing noise, wear and fatigue.

Another common cause of low oil pressure is wear or excessive clearances in the oil pump itself. Specifications vary, but as a rule gear type oil pumps should have less than about 0.003 inches of end play between the gears and cover. The clearances between the teeth and pump housing should usually be less than about 0.005 inches. With rotor style pumps, the clearance between the outer rotor and pump housing should usually be less than 0.012 inches, with no more than about 0.010 inches between the inner and outer rotor lobes. Too much clearance inside the pump will reduce the pump's ability to pump oil efficiency, which reduces flow and pressure.

Because of the close tolerances that are required inside the oil pump, debris of any kind can cause havoc if it gets sucked into the pump. Anything larger than the minimum internal clearances can score or jam the pump. Debris such as pieces of old valve stem seals, gasket material, plastic chips from a worn timing chain gear, bearing material, casting flashing, sand, dirt, etc., may be harmful or fatal if ingested.

But how can this kind of crud get inside the pump, you ask? The screen that is on the oil pump pickup tube in the crankcase only prevents relatively big pieces of debris from being drawn into the pump, and even then it does not always do that because most pickup screens have some type of bypass valve or vent that allows oil to bypass the screen if the screen becomes plugged or the oil is too thick to pass through the screen. The holes in the screen itself measure about 0.040 inches square, which are huge openings as far as debris is concerned. But the holes are large by design so the screen will flow an adequate amount of oil when the engine is cold and the oil in the crankcase is thick (which is why you should always follow the vehicle manufacturer recommendations on oil viscosity). All this means the oil pump is the only engine component that is continually lubed with unfiltered oil! The oil does not pass through the filter until after it leaves the pump. So any abrasive debris that finds its way into the crankcase will first pass through the pump before it is trapped by the filter. No wonder oil pumps wear out and break.

Restrictions in the pickup tube screen can choke off the flow of oil into the pump, reducing flow and pressure. Even a relatively small amount of varnish buildup on the screen can restrict oil flow at higher engine speeds. A coating only .005 inch thick on the screen will reduce the total "open" area of each hole to .030 inches, causing a whopping 44 percent reduction in oil flow!

The pressure relief valve, which may be located on the pump body or elsewhere on the engine, can be yet another cause of low oil pressure if the valve sticks open or is held open by a small piece of debris. The relief valve is designed to limit oil pressure as engine speed increases. The valve opens when pressure reaches a preset value (typically 40 to 60 psi). This vents oil back into the crankcase and limits maximum oil pressure in the engine. The reason for doing so is to prevent oil pressure from reaching dangerous levels. Too much oil pressure can be just as bad as too little because excessive pressure can rupture the oil filter or even blow out pressed-in oil galley plugs in the block.

Low oil pressure may also be the result of air in the pump. If there is too little oil in the pan, air can be drawn into the pump. But this can also happen if the crankcase has been overfilled. The oil can become aerated (full of tiny bubbles) because it is making contact with the spinning crankshaft and is being churned into foam.

Sometimes the engine may become starved for oil at higher rpms because the oil is not returning quickly enough to the crankcase. The underlying cause here is usually severe varnish buildup that restricts the oil return holes in the head.

Leakage between the oil pickup tube and pump, as well as between the pump and block can also suck air into the pump. It is not unusual to find engines where the pickup tube has fallen completely off, causing a complete loss of oil pressure.

A plugged oil filter can be yet another cause of low oil pressure. When the oil leaves the pump, it passes through the filter before going on to the bearings and oil galleys. All filters create a certain amount of resistance to flow that increases with the rate of flow. But the amount is not much, typically only a couple of pounds. But as the filter becomes clogged with debris, the restriction created increases. Eventually the point may be reached where no oil will pass through the filter element. So to prevent such a blockage, a pressure relief valve located in the filter or where the filter mounts to the block is designed to open if the pressure differential across the filter exceeds a preset value (typically 5 to 40 psi). This allows the oil to bypass the filter and keep on flowing. But the engine's oil pressure will be reduced to that of the bypass valve. Replacing the plugged filter will solve the problem.

Taken from: http://www.aa1car.com/library/us1097.htm

[robomatic12]

mainly why else would my pressure be low

If you do not know for certain that the oil pressure is infact low, you will be like a dog chasing its tail, you won't get anywhere lol

Besides if you have oil puking on the ground, you probably want to get that fixed first!

[USMC_300ZX]

i have a question related to this. I was actually pushing my Z today first day since I got it that i was able to do this. I noticed when I start the stock oil gauge says 60 well when i driving all crazy and stuff the gauge drops to under 40 or lower, is this because the oil is sloshing around or because its the true reading. Also have easy/hard is it to replace with a better gauge?

[Z31toZ32]

sounds like your gauge is fine. when the sending unit goes, it will read 0 oil pressure. the pressure at 60 or even higher when it is cold sounds fine. when the oil warms up it becomes thinner, and the resulting pressure is less. when warm, idling at 15, driving at 30, and 45 on highway is fine.