Too Much Oil Pressure?
Discussion
Hi All,
Took the Esprit out for a nice casual Christmas
morning drive. As I drove the car, I noticed that I
had unusually high oil pressure. I know that low oil
pressure is the worst, but have heard that high
pressure isn't good either.
On the oil pressure gauge, the red zone begins at 5
and then extends for almost a quarter inch past it.
Naturally, pressure is higher when the engine is cold,
but even after she's fully warmed up, the pressure is
high. 4 to 4.5 at idle and then 5 and above when
rolling at light throttle. At times, without drivng
hard, the needle goes deep into the red and sometimes
pegs the limit.
When I come to a stop, it comes down though. When I
finally arrived home, it was around 3.5 to 4 at idle
but jumped up when I gave it a little gas.
Is this another Lotus gauge or grounding problem or is
it cause for serious concern? I intentionally crept
it back home so as to not cause any damage if it
turned out to be a real problem since I'm not having
very good luck lately (Guessing I blew the head gasket
on my daily commute Nissan since I've got tons of
white smoke and water in the oil).
I think I read somewhere that excessively high oil
pressure was bad because it causes more wear in
certain parts of the engine. Was it bearings?
Any thoughts on this? Do you guys think it's just
another typical Lotus gauge/ground problem or is it
something more serious? What would cause excessively
high oil pressure anyway? Clogged oil filter?
Happy Holidays, all!
Roy
Took the Esprit out for a nice casual Christmas
morning drive. As I drove the car, I noticed that I
had unusually high oil pressure. I know that low oil
pressure is the worst, but have heard that high
pressure isn't good either.
On the oil pressure gauge, the red zone begins at 5
and then extends for almost a quarter inch past it.
Naturally, pressure is higher when the engine is cold,
but even after she's fully warmed up, the pressure is
high. 4 to 4.5 at idle and then 5 and above when
rolling at light throttle. At times, without drivng
hard, the needle goes deep into the red and sometimes
pegs the limit.
When I come to a stop, it comes down though. When I
finally arrived home, it was around 3.5 to 4 at idle
but jumped up when I gave it a little gas.
Is this another Lotus gauge or grounding problem or is
it cause for serious concern? I intentionally crept
it back home so as to not cause any damage if it
turned out to be a real problem since I'm not having
very good luck lately (Guessing I blew the head gasket
on my daily commute Nissan since I've got tons of
white smoke and water in the oil).
I think I read somewhere that excessively high oil
pressure was bad because it causes more wear in
certain parts of the engine. Was it bearings?
Any thoughts on this? Do you guys think it's just
another typical Lotus gauge/ground problem or is it
something more serious? What would cause excessively
high oil pressure anyway? Clogged oil filter?
Happy Holidays, all!
Roy
Hey Roy,
I would side line it until the problem is ID'ed. Too much oil pressure can be a bad thing with seals, especially. The question is whether the VDO POS guage, sender, ground, whatever is bad or is your pressure really that high? Those senders are known to go bad, the VDO guages are of questionable quality, grounds are always a big issue. It could also be a stuck pressure release/regulator valve in the oil pump. I am no 910 oil pump expert, but every other oil pump I have seen has a pressure regulator in it and I assume 910's do also. Where to start? Well, that's a tough one. I would get a true oil pressure guage (mechanical) with the appropriate fitting and put it on the motor in the place of the sender and see exactly what the pressure really is with the motor warmed up and revved a bit. If it realy is that high, sounds like oil pump R&R to me. If it isn't that high, then see if the problem is the sender or the guage. I don't know about the ground. Seems like if the engine ground was bad, there would be other issues with the ignition and EFI. If the guage side ground was bad, your other guages should be a bit whacky also.
Just my suggestions.
Dr.Hess
I would side line it until the problem is ID'ed. Too much oil pressure can be a bad thing with seals, especially. The question is whether the VDO POS guage, sender, ground, whatever is bad or is your pressure really that high? Those senders are known to go bad, the VDO guages are of questionable quality, grounds are always a big issue. It could also be a stuck pressure release/regulator valve in the oil pump. I am no 910 oil pump expert, but every other oil pump I have seen has a pressure regulator in it and I assume 910's do also. Where to start? Well, that's a tough one. I would get a true oil pressure guage (mechanical) with the appropriate fitting and put it on the motor in the place of the sender and see exactly what the pressure really is with the motor warmed up and revved a bit. If it realy is that high, sounds like oil pump R&R to me. If it isn't that high, then see if the problem is the sender or the guage. I don't know about the ground. Seems like if the engine ground was bad, there would be other issues with the ignition and EFI. If the guage side ground was bad, your other guages should be a bit whacky also.
Just my suggestions.
Dr.Hess
It's a Lotus, all the gauges are a little wacky...LOL!
Thanks Dr. Hess, that's a great idea. A mechanical gauge would definitely confirm whether or not there's a problem. Not sure where I'd hook it up on an Esprit though.
Drove it to my parent's house about 40 miles away today and it seemed better. Hoping it's just another Lotus quirk.
Happy Holidays, all!
Roy
Well, that may be, Roy, but if it was me, I would want to make sure. The cost of checking it is minimal, maybe $50 and you get a test pressure guage out of it, but the cost of it really being that high is a bunch of blown seals or something else, and that is expensive. You can get another sender and a guage or a mechanical guage and a fitting the same size as the sender. I would just get the mechanical guage and the fitting, put it on the car, start it up and see what the pressure really is. That way I would have the mechanical guage to test other motors with. There is a VDO sender part number on my web site from techspy, available from Summit. Get that and the guage to go with it and you will know. The Summit one does not have the idiot light sender.
Your car, do what you want. I just don't like to take chances with things like that.
Dr.Hess
Your car, do what you want. I just don't like to take chances with things like that.
Dr.Hess
Hey Roy,
Happy Holidays!! re. your oil pressure... did you recently have the oil changed? If so, what filter did you use? Sometimes the anti-drainback valve can stick and cause higher readings/pressure. Usually, this will resolve itself once the engine has warmed.
Hopefully not a blockage in the system as a flush will be difficult, especially if it goes to such high pressures without forcing the clog open. Hope this helps. Happy Motoring! ...Jim'85TE
Happy Holidays!! re. your oil pressure... did you recently have the oil changed? If so, what filter did you use? Sometimes the anti-drainback valve can stick and cause higher readings/pressure. Usually, this will resolve itself once the engine has warmed.
Hopefully not a blockage in the system as a flush will be difficult, especially if it goes to such high pressures without forcing the clog open. Hope this helps. Happy Motoring! ...Jim'85TE
Thanks Jim,
It's been a while since the oil was changed, but that sounds like a definite possibility. Been raining like crazy out here lately, so the car is sitting at my parent's house. Haven't seen or driven it since Christmas. Will definitely check it out or do an early oil change. Thanks.
Happy Holidays, all!
Roy
Gassing Station | Esprit | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff