Oil Pressure

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Buddha - 07 Jul 2008 10:22 GMT

I have a 1987 silverado that I just put a mechanical oil pressure
gauge in.
The problem that I’m having is that when I first start it the oil
pressure is
at 40. The more it warms up the more the pressure drops.Eventually it
will drop to almost 0. My question is what causes this and how do I
fix it?

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Big Al - 07 Jul 2008 20:54 GMT

>I have a 1987 silverado that I just put a mechanical oil pressure
> gauge in.
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> will drop to almost 0. My question is what causes this and how do I
> fix it?

What engine and how many miles?

Al

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Steve W. - 07 Jul 2008 21:12 GMT

> I have a 1987 silverado that I just put a mechanical oil pressure
> gauge in.
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> will drop to almost 0. My question is what causes this and how do I
> fix it?

Oil pressure drop while the engine warms up is normal. The oil is
getting thinner and easier to pump as it heats up.
However 0 is NOT a good number on an engine. How many miles are on the
engine and what oil are you using.

On a small block you would like to see about 15-20PSI at idle with
pressure increasing by 10PSI every 1000 rpm or so.

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Steve W.

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Arnie Quarry - 12 Jul 2008 22:14 GMT

Eventually it

> will drop to almost 0. My question is what causes this and how do I
> fix it?

A friend of mine tried an unconventional fix that worked on his Silverado.
He took the special sand from an hourglass, poured it into the engine oil
and then the pressure stayed at normal level, even when the engine is
running hot.

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Sam - 13 Jul 2008 00:59 GMT

> Eventually it
>> will drop to almost 0. My question is what causes this and how do I
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> and then the pressure stayed at normal level, even when the engine is
> running hot.

Stupid is as Stupid does

** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **

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JBDragon - 13 Jul 2008 02:27 GMT

>> Eventually it
>>> will drop to almost 0. My question is what causes this and how do I
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>>
> Stupid is as Stupid does

WOW, Stupid is right. I've NEVER heard that one before. Besides most of
that so called Special sand would have been filtered out before it even went
into the Engine I would think. Other then being Dumped on top of the
rockers and other things on the top of the head before draining down into
the oil pan to be sucked up by the pump and to the filter before entering
into the rest of the engine.

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Shelldigger - 14 Jul 2008 13:01 GMT

> I have a 1987 silverado that I just put a mechanical oil pressure
> gauge in.
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> Posted at author's request, using moderatedhttp://www.AutoBoardz.cominterface
> Thread archive:http://www.AutoBoardz.com/Oil-Pressure-ftopict247888.html

The first thing Id want to do is verify the results with another
guage.

Why did you replace the guage in the first place? Was the idiot light
coming on before the replacement?

If another guage verifies your results then you probably need to pull
the crank and do a bottom end job/new bearings/turn crank. With an
engine as old as yours, and I suspect a lot of miles, you may want to
just go ahead and get a crate engine, because once you get that far
into an engine for a "fix" you may as well, in most cases, rebuild the
entire engine. Either way you are probably looking at an expensive
fix. If perhaps the engine isnt using oil/plugs burning clean/ you may
get away with just a bottom end job for a good long while, thing is by
the time the crank bearings need to be replaced, the rest of the
engine is just as worn and a quick fix of one symptom is followed by
the need for another.

You may prolong the bottom end job by using a heavier guage oil and
perhaps use some STP or other engine oil enhancement. No guarantees
there, but it can and does help in some cases. The guy who picks up my
trash has an old Ford POS pick up truck, and the oil pressure guage
reads zero on it too, still drives it every day...engines are like
tires....you never know when they are going to go.

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