A freind asked me about the HIGH Oil pressure his vehicle was experiencing... Now I'm curious...
My first thoughts were that he had a bad gauge or sending unit.
How can oil pressure be high?
Other than maybe a parasitic loss of power, is there any harm to having high oil pressure?
Thanks,
Todd
With too high oil pressure you could end up the same as if you dropped off Paris Hilton in Antarctica - Blown seals.
High oil pressure could cause some gaskets to leak that are already weak.
It could be caused by a clogged filter or a stuck closed oil relief valve on the pump.
It can cause excessive wear/strain on the oil pump drive.
Most likely the pressure control valve is stuck.
Worse scenario, blown oil filter.
Had that happen on a friends Ford.
Accidentally used oil that was too thick?
ncjay
Reader
9/20/09 7:52 a.m.
Exactly what does he think is high oil pressure? A sudden increase would worry me if the guage is working properly. My engines normally see 70 to 80 psi cold which is not a problem. The weak spot (hopefully) is the oil filter. A cheap one will blow out. In my experience, if there is a sudden increase in oil pressure, it usually means something in the engine has moved or broken.