oil psi

[micah7989]

at idle once warmed up the oil pressure drops to 10 psi other time it is around 20 psi. wtf is going on and where do i need to look?

 

[its2qik]

I can't speak for everyone else, but on start up my car is around 70psi and warm idle is around 40psi.

You can put some Brad Penn 20w50 in it to see if it brings up the pressure some. Is it making any noises or does everything seem fine?

 

[micah7989]

runs fine no lifter or rocker arm noise. i'll try that it almost time to change the oil and get the car out of the garage. what type of oil filter are you running?

 

[Street Lethal]

at idle once warmed up the oil pressure drops to 10 psi other time it is around 20 psi. wtf is going on and where do i need to look?

What is your pressure reading at cold idle though, when you first start the engine? An even better question would be, is your pressure rising where it needs to be when you give it some throttle? If so, chances are it isn't the pump, it could be that your oil is either breaking down (cheap oil), could be a bad oil filter, or it could even be a faulty oil sender (oil sender could even be slightly leaking, which would cause a pressure drop). Check under the engine for any oil deposits. If it's none of the above, listen closely for a howling/echo sound in the valvetrain as the engine idles, as it might be a cam bearing if all else fails. Good luck....

 

[micah7989]

its at 40-45 psi cold at start up, then once it has dropped when warmed up. giving it throttle shoots it right back up to 40-50 psi

 

[jarredsoon]

my car was like that for three years, cold start around 50 and then 10 at hot idle, psi still went up 10/1000rpm though. What was it before, how much of a change are you seeing??

 

[Street Lethal]

its at 40-45 psi cold at start up, then once it has dropped when warmed up. giving it throttle shoots it right back up to 40-50 psi....

That's good, so it's more than likely not a bearing. If it were a bearing, even with heavy throttle, the pressure would stay extremely low. Since your getting good pressure when cold, and it gradually goes down as it gets warmer, it sounds like either your oil viscocity isn't strong enough, or the oil level itself for that matter is too low. It's more than likely the former, as once oil gets like water when it gets very hot, it is essentially useless, and pressure drops. Go with a stonger oil, a new filter, and inspect the pressure areas for any leaks (oil sender, etc). That should do it....

 

[micah7989]

thanks for your help. i will change to a heavier weight oil and look for leaks. @jarredsoon. i bought the car last summer with a blown head gasket and it was doing it then, pulled the heads and intake then sent them to champion, had the turbo rebuilt and coated as well as all the other exhauast under the hood. 70mm tboby and new upper pleneum. cometics gaskets, h-sharp roller rockers and alky control. the car was dynoed at 414rwhp and 428 rwtq, before my mods. i have been banging my head against the wall trying to retune the gen7. did you ever resolve your problem?

 

[tta983]

My oil pressurre at start up is better than 60psi, and at around 50 mph it is around 42psi. Hot idle it is in the mid to upper 20psi. I use valvoline 20-50 weight racing oil with a napa gold 1086 oil filter. And also add 1 can of ZDDP.

 

[jarredsoon]

I think my loss of oil psi is due to a bearing, but I'm only speculating. I checked the oil pick up and it was on tight and the screen not clogged.
This is how I fixed it

Stroker motor arrival - Turbo Trans Am Forum

 

[micah7989]

thats a quality repair