Monkey Fing a Coconut

what are the possible causes of low oil pressure other than needing a new oil pump, im trying to find other possibilities so i can rule that out, oil pressure at warm idle is 10-12, by 3000 rpm it goes to 45psi and max's out there at any rpm above, it is also keeping me in limp mode

it started when i changed from 10w-30 nonsynthetic to mobil 1 10w-30 synthetic so im thinkin to go back to non-synthetic until i can get it corrected, for the time being im keepin it under 3000rpm where 45psi is still ok oil pressure

thanks

ChrisRicketts

do you have any oil leaks? where is your gauge or sending unit hooked up to?
if you have yours installed in the side of the head.......like me, then at idle or low low rpms it will only be at like 10psi. and once i get to going it rises up to about 40-50. it used to be 50-60 before i had a turbo, but the turbo seemed to make it drop.

Prolink

Could possibly be a blockage in the oil flow. Would not be a bad idea to do a quick engine flush treatment that does not require you to drop the pan. Just add to your oil and let the car idle for about 20 mi, then change oil filter, oil and recheck your pressure.

Monkey Fing a Coconut

i have it hooked up to where the idiot light would be plugged in, i have a few leaks but from what ive heard leaks dont drop oil pressure, at least not enough to drop it 15-20 psi

Monkey Fing a Coconut

mornin bump

v-technician

when was the last time u changed ur oil filter?

Monkey Fing a Coconut

about 2 weeks ago

britishlude

Quick check for a dented oil pan / oil pick up tube inside the pan, caused by a dent if present.

Monkey Fing a Coconut

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by britishlude &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Quick check for a dented oil pan / oil pick up tube inside the pan, caused by a dent if present.</TD></TR></TABLE>

there is a slight concave dent on the bottom of the pan, if you look at it from next to the driverside wheel towards the passenger side it looks like a semicircle, but its slight, like only goes up maybe 1/3 of an inch or so which shouldnt affect oil pressure 20 psi would it???

britishlude

Hard to say for sure but if that dent was a brief glancing blow it could have squashed the pick up tube, and then been very quickly pushed back out by the resistance the tube would have pushed back on the oil pan with. It's worth dropping the oil pan and seeing if it has partially squashed the tube, at least to eliminate that cause.

Monkey Fing a Coconut

yeah i may as well drop the pan and pound out the little dent while im at it, the gasket is like 3 weeks old as well so that should prolly be ok to reuse, what can i look for to make sure no damage was done to the crank/rods due to lacking oil pressure???

britishlude

I don't think there will be any damage especially with how careful you've driven it, the worst thing is when there is no oil pressure then your in trouble, but you have always had some pressure even though it was low, it would have been adequate to supply enough oil flow to meet all it's lubrication needs. I would use a new gasket as well seeing as your unlikely to be going back in there once you've investigated.

flyrod

The pan was recently off then? How much silicone did you put on it? I took apart one H22 that had so much silicone put on the gasket that little ribbons squeezed out on the inside and got sucked up in the oil pickup. Could also check the oil squirter bolt/bypass, the bypass valve in the oil pump, and the oil filter. Might also check the VTEC solenoid. If that has a major leak or if one of the oil control orifices is not installed in the head you could have low pressure. Is this a case of it used to work and now doesn't? What exactly has been done or changed between working and not working?

With the pan off you can pull the main girdle and/or rod caps and look at the bearings. At a minimum you can wiggle the rods and see if there is a ton of play. If you pull the girdle, leave the alternator belt on and don't press in the clutch or the weight of the crank could fall on the oil seals. Good luck.

Monkey Fing a Coconut

the only things that changed between working/not working was changing from regular to synthetic oil, oil filter, and i happened to take off the ps belt at the same time which wouldnt do anything to oil pressure, the dent in the oil pan may have occurred in between working/not working and i did not notice because i did not use vtec for a day or two, low end feels the same in and out of limp mode...

the front main seal is leaking and there is a leak under the valve cover, neither though are enough to notice a difference in oil level over the course of a week or so, havent had to refill yet since oil change, there is maybe 1-2 drops of oil on the ground at most after sitting overnight/all day

Monkey Fing a Coconut

people hate when people post problems and dont respond with the solution...so heres for u and for searchers(however few...)

low oil pressure and metal on metal start up sound was caused by the dent in the oil pan, however small it was it was in the VERY right spot right under the pick up, im guessing the sound was it trying to pick up cold oil on startup, and as the oil warmed and got thinner it got easier to pick up, but even thin it still couldnt pick up the oil, i also changed oil pan gasket, from ac delco to honda oil filter, and from mobil 1 10w-30 to valvoline durablend or syntec or whatever its called, so these addl things could be giving me higher pressure as well (but not the 30 psi increase...) thanks everyone

jnet

Yea thats low. My oil pressure at idle is 25 psi and at running its 75 psi.