How can I get better oil pressure?

Oil pressure is measured in pounds per square inch, or psi. Correct oil pressure depends on your oil type.

• Conventional oil requires a minimum of 10 psi per 1,000 rpm. At full throttle, say 6,500 rpm, the engine should make a minimum of 65 psi with conventional oil.
• Synthetic oil doesn’t require as much pressure. The minimum is five psi per 1,000 rpm, so the same engine with synthetic at 6,500 rpm is safe with just 32.5 psi.

Read: Synthetic Oil or Conventional Oil – What’s Best for Your Vehicle?

Your engine oil pressure is acceptable if your engine is within those specs. Some manufacturers may require higher baseline pressures, so confirm with your owner’s manual.

Driving with low oil pressure will kill your engine. It is that simple. Low oil pressure means the engine is not being adequately lubricated. It could make it 1,000 miles, or it might not make it across the street, but rest assured, it is a ticking time bomb with a very short fuse.

What Causes Low Oil Pressure?

If your gauge shows less than the recommended minimum, then you have an issue that needs to be addressed. Sometimes, it is a simple fix, like adding more oil, but sometimes it indicates a serious internal problem.

The most common causes of low oil pressure in an otherwise well-maintained engine are:

• Low oil level
• Wrong engine oil viscosity
• Clogged oil filter

More serious mechanical failures cause low oil pressure. They often require an engine rebuild, but if you catch them before major damage is done, you can save the engine.

Oil pump failure – When this occurs, you usually lose the engine unless you’re lucky enough to catch the oil pump failure right when it happens. An engine without oil flow will seize within minutes.

Clogged pick-up tube in the oil pan or a bad gasket – This is common in older engines, especially if you use cheap oil or don’t change the oil regularly. Sludge, dirt, debris, and other contaminants settle at the bottom of the oil pan where the pick-up tube is, preventing the oil from being drawn into the pump. Sludge can be cleaned out in most models by removing the oil pan and cleaning the pan and tube.

Engine wear – This is a rebuild-or-replace situation. Once the engine has worn to the point that the oil pressure is below the minimum spec, the engine bearings are worn out and, at a minimum, must be replaced.

Checking Oil Pressure Without a Gauge

Your engine’s electronic control module (ECM) has a pressure sensor in the oil system. You can use an on-board diagnostics (OBDII) scan tool with live mode to check the pressure sensor reading.

If your vehicle is older and lacks an ECM, you can use a mechanical or electronic gauge to check the oil pressure. A mechanical gauge is easier to use because it doesn’t require electrical connections.

• Make sure the engine is cool.
• Locate an available oil pressure port. These vary by engine, but a quick search on your specific engine will show you where to access the oil port.
• Use the proper adapter to thread the oil capillary tube or electronic sensor into the oil port.
• Connect the tube or wiring to the gauge. If using an electronic gauge, wire it to the battery as detailed in the instructions.
• Start the engine and watch the gauge to verify the oil pressure at startup and idle.
• Rev the engine to 2,000 and 3,000 rpm, and note the readings to confirm whether they are normal or low.

How to Boost Oil Pressure?

If you suspect you have low oil pressure, shut off the engine immediately, pull over in a safe location, and inspect the vehicle.

• First, check the oil level. Being a quart low is not enough to affect the oil pressure during regular use, but being two or more quarts low can. If you don’t check your oil regularly, you may find that your engine consumes a lot of oil. All engines burn oil; it is a part of the combustion process. This is normal, and it’s not uncommon to burn a quart every 5,000 miles for modern direct-injected engines.
• Next, change the oil and filter with the correct oil weight the manufacturer recommends. If the old filter was clogged or the wrong weight was used in a prior oil change, this could restore your oil pressure.

A deeper inspection is required if following these steps does not increase your oil pressure. First, verify that the gauge is functioning correctly. This can be done by installing a mechanical pressure gauge into a pressurized oil port or by running a diagnostic with a full-service scan tool.

Consider switching to the next heavier oil viscosity. If your oil pressure has slowly decreased over time, you can get a boost in pressure by using the next thicker viscosity. This is commonly done for older engines as they wear and reach the 75,000- to 100,000-mile range. Switching from 10w-30 to 10w-40 can restore the lost pressure.

The thicker engine oil fills any small gaps that have grown from wear. This can help any engine, and it will likely buy you some time if your low pressure is due to wear. However, it will not fix mechanical problems, sludge, or significant wear.

If you suspect your engine has low oil pressure, time is of the essence. The easy fixes are part of basic maintenance, but serious problems require major work on your engine. Sorting out the issue quickly is paramount to solving the problem before it destroys your engine.

Tell your friends:

Is your vehicle’s oil pressure too low? There are several things you can do to increase your vehicle’s oil pressure. Read on to find out how.

Why You Don’t Want Your Oil Pressure To Be Too Low

If your vehicle’s oil pressure is too low, it’s very likely that your engine isn’t getting enough oil. When that happens, your engine isn’t getting enough lubrication. That leads to some pretty serious engine problems.

Proper lubrication is critical to the health of the engine. Without it, serious problems can happen:

• Friction can build up which can lead to overheating. This increases the risk of cracking the engine block or blowing out the head gasket.
• Critical moving parts such as bearings and cylinder walls may not get enough oil. This can cause them to wear out much more quickly than they should. Or, worse yet, sieze.

These scenarios can be very costly. They should be resolved through repairs or improvements as soon as possible. So what can you do to improve your oil pressure? Read on.

1. Change Your Oil

Sometimes the problem is as simple as oil that’s too dirty. When your vehicle is running on dirty oil, the engine isn’t getting enough lubrication. This results in the oil pressure dropping, and the oil pump having to work harder.

This is the main cause of low engine oil pressure. Many drivers forget or neglect to change their engine oil. Check your oil and see if it’s too dirty.

If your oil still looks clean, there’s a chance your engine isn’t running on the right kind of oil. Oil differs in viscosity. If you use a type of oil that is not correct for the engine, it can affect the oil pressure. If you replace the dirty or incorrect oil with fresh oil that is correct for your engine, you may see a significant change in oil pressure while driving.

2. Upgrade To A Lifetime Oil Filter

The oil filter plays a key role in maintaining oil pressure. When a filter becomes clogged, it reduces oil flow to the engine. Disposable oil filters start clogging pretty quickly. If you want to keep the oil pressure optimal at all times, get a lifetime oil filter.

A lifetime oil filter is a reusable oil filter made out of high quality stainless steel and aluminum. It keeps the oil clean and the oil flow optimal. A quality lifetime oil filter does a better job at filtering the oil than a disposable oil filter. This helps keep the oil pressure up. We sell high quality lifetime oil filters. Some of our customers have reported an increase in oil pressure after upgrading to our lifetime oil filters.

3. Clean Out The Oil Pan

If your vehicle is older with high mileage, there may be some impurities sitting in your oil pan. Some of the most common impurities we’ve seen in oil pans include:

• Sludge
• Metal shavings

When you change the oil, the fresh oil runs through the pan and picks up these impurities. That means the fresh oil will get dirty much faster. If you see a drop in oil pressure well before your next oil change, clean out the oil pan.

4. Check The Oil Pump

Some engines have an externally mounted oil pump that can be easily removed for inspection. Others have oil pumps that are mounted inside the engine, and are very time consuming to access. In either case, the oil pump usually doesn’t cause problems until the vehicle is past 100,000 miles.

If you suspect the oil pump and can easily remove it, check for signs of wear and metal shavings. Also, measure clearance between the pump lobes and the body of the pump. (Some pumps use gears rather than lobes. You can also measure clearance between the gear teeth.)

5. Check The Engine

There could be a mechanical problem that cannot be solved with a simple fix. Sometimes engine bearings or other components become worn enough that the excess clearance causes low oil pressure. If you think this might be the cause, but aren’t sure, an oil analysis is an inexpensive first step towards diagnosing the problem. An oil analysis report will tell you what kind and how much of different metals are in the oil. That can tell you if you have serious problems or not.

Make Sure The Increase In Oil Pressure Isn’t A Result Of Any Issues

There are several great benefits that come with increased oil pressure. You still need to be careful, though. Sometimes a random spike in oil pressure can mean that there’s an issue within your engine. A clogged oil passageway can cause an increase in oil pressure seen at the gauge. Unfortunately, this also means that part of the engine isn’t getting enough oil.

If your vehicle’s oil pressure increases after you’ve done something to boost it, then everything is likely OK. But if your oil pressure increases after no action on your part, you may want to check your engine for any issues.