Causes of low oil pressure in car engines and how to deal with them

Engine oil protects car engines from overheating due to friction. It is a lubricant to prevent friction between different moving parts, thereby reducing wear damage. Engine oil also has the function of removing debris, metal chips that can accumulate on the surface of machine parts…

Oil pressure is the most important parameter in an engine. When your vehicle’s oil pressure light comes on or the pressure gauge reads lower than normal, it could signal an internal engine problem affecting your engine’s performance and life. friend.

Through this article Unioil Lubricant will learn the possible causes of low oil pressure and the most effective way to fix it, stay tuned!

I. Causes of low oil pressure:

Low oil pressure gauge

Low oil pressure is one of the most important warning parameters in an engine. When the oil pressure indicator light on the vehicle comes on or the pressure gauge reads lower than normal, it could signal a serious problem is going on. The temporary solution at that moment is to simply turn off the car’s engine and find out the possible causes to fix it.

Possible causes of low oil pressure are as follows:

1. Not enough oil in the engine

Even if you added the correct amount of engine oil during an oil change, the oil could have been consumed excessively by evaporation, burned in the combustion chamber by leaking through worn ring bearings, or leaking through the rings. oil seal or plug. Oil consumption increases as the engine ages, so checking the oil level and refilling can be a simple solution. However, if there are obvious signs of leakage outside the engine or there are oil stains on the floor, the cause of the leak should be rectified as soon as possible.

As an engine gets older, it burns more oil. When the engine consumes one liter of oil every 1,000-2,000 miles, it needs to be refilled. If the oil change interval is over, the oil level can be quite low, even if the engine is not very old. Therefore, follow proper oil change intervals and check the oil level periodically.
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Oil level below the L line results in low oil pressure

2. Viscosity too high or too low

Oil viscosity that is too low or too high can be detected by a pressure drop in the oil supply to the engine:

Low viscosity creates less resistance to flow through the system which will be displayed by the manometer or sensor as a lower oil pressure.

  • Too high a viscosity can create more resistance from the pumped oil, resulting in a lack of lubricant in the system and thus lower oil pressure.
  • In engines, oil viscosity is affected by the initial viscosity selected, the operating temperature, the breakdown of viscosity index improving additives, and the presence of impurities such as glycols and oils. soot.

Your vehicle’s owner’s manual outlines the recommended viscosity grades appropriate for the design of the engine and the ambient temperature where the vehicle will be operated.

Choosing a higher viscosity can cause concern, especially for engines starting in cold weather. In extremely low temperatures, you must not only choose the right lubricant viscosity, but you may also need to use oil heating.

Low viscosity can be the result of many factors, such as fuel contamination, improper oil viscosity selection, or excessively high engine operating temperatures due to overload or malfunction in the heating system. cool.

3. Oil pump is dirty

The oil pump draws oil from the bottom of the crankcase and circulates the oil under pressure to the engine’s bearings, pistons, and camshafts. If there is dirt in the tank, a pass of oil will prevent these substances from entering the oil pump. If the oil pan is full of dirt, it needs to be cleaned so that the pump can absorb enough oil.

There may also be excessive clearance inside the oil pump. This will reduce the efficiency of the pump and thus reduce oil flow and pressure. This is possible because the oil pump is the only component in the engine that is lubricated with unfiltered oil due to the fact that the oil filter is located behind the oil pump. If the oil filter is mostly unaffected, it’s possible that the oil pump has failed. Solution: repair or replace the oil pump with a new one.

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4. Engine wear

If the oil level on the dipstick is between “extra” and “full”, one possible cause of low pressure is worn engine crankshaft bearings, especially if the vehicle has been through a very long journey. Excessive wear reduces the initial flow restriction, thereby reducing pressure. If this is the case, the engine may have to be rebuilt or replaced.

5. Worn motor bearings:

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Oil pressure is not generated by the oil pump itself, but through the flow and resistance that the flow creates. This resistance is accumulated by the openings in the engine through which the oil flows and through the amount of clearance between the bearings and the crankshaft.

Especially in high rpm engines, these bearings will be worn, causing the clearance to increase. Due to this increased clearance, the flow will increase and thus the pressure will decrease. This increase in bearing clearance will also be noticed by an increase in engine noise and hum. If the clearance increases elsewhere in the engine, this can also lead to a drop in oil pressure.

6. Defective oil pressure gauge causing low oil pressure

If the oil pressure warning light comes on but you have confirmed that the oil level is sufficient and the engine is running normally, with no unusual noises or high temperatures, the problem may be a faulty sensor. .

You can check the oil pressure with a gauge. If the pressure is normal, just replace the oil pressure sensor. However, if the warning light or low reading continues after replacing the sensor, the problem could be with a bad oil pump.

7. Oil filter

In the lubrication system, the manometer is installed after the filter. If the filter is clogged due to contaminants and the bypass valve is not operating correctly, a lack of lubricant may result.

A clogged oil filter is usually the result of an oil that is too dirty due to water contamination and/or soot. Water usually comes from a cooling system leak, while too much soot can be the result of poor fuel combustion. If the bypass valve is not working properly, the cause may be a damaged filter.

II. Reduced risk of low oil pressure

The risk of low oil pressure in your engine can be reduced, with these simple maintenance practices:

  • Change the oil and filter at appropriate intervals.
  • It is advisable to check the oil level periodically and check your engine and garage floor for oil leaks.
  • Notice the blue smoke emitted from the exhaust pipe is a sign of oil entering the combustion chamber, especially with engines with a long service life.
  • In addition, select and use high-quality lubricants with the appropriate SAE viscosity grade and API quality standards recommended in your vehicle’s owner’s manual.

SAE SAE 5W-40, API CI-4 premium synthetic engine oil has high fluidity at low temperatures for easy starting and good engine protection under all operating conditions.

UNIOIL PREMIUM TURBO – good engine protection under all operating conditions.

Epilogue

Thus, hopefully the sharing of Unioil Lubricant will help readers better understand the possible causes of low oil pressure and the most effective way to fix it.

If customers have a need to use or learn about lubricants for automobile engines such as semi-synthetic car engine oils, fully synthetic motor oils and For other types of grease for automobiles and industrial greases, please contact the hotline below for advice and support as soon as possible:

MIENNAMPETRO GAS AND OIL IMPORT-EXPORT ONE-MEMBER LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY

Address Office: 156 Vanh Dai Trong Street, Binh Tri Dong B, Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh

Hotline/Viber/Zalo: 84903336870

Email: info@unilubrication.com

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