Low Oil Pressure? - TriStateTuners.com :: Home of Tristate Auto Enthusiast

CarbonIS · 09-09-2008, 04:00 PM

So I've been noticing ( in a rather annoying fashion thanks to the annoying beep of my Defi's ) that my oil
pressure is running very low at idle. I've checked the oil repeatedly, thinking that it might just be that the oil
is low, but it's not at all.

RPM's at idle are between 500 and 600. Oil pressure is running anywhere from 7psi to 15psi. I know this is low.

Could the oil pump be going bad? or have a bad seal? I'm not leaking oil anywhere so I'm doubting it's a seal....

Anyone have any ideas?

RyanG · 09-09-2008, 04:10 PM

its a Defi... they are stupid.. Subaru's naturally have low oil pressure at idle. Whats it like at cruise?

**TROLL** · 09-09-2008, 04:17 PM

It could be based off of a poor idle as well. Mine sits right around 20 psi at idle.

DaveSTi · 09-09-2008, 04:49 PM

shouldn't the idle be higher? +/- 50 at 700 rpms?

Vince@R/TTuning · 09-09-2008, 05:01 PM

Yea your idle should def be higher. When your idle is higher 15-20psi is acceptable... After that if it is still a lil lower before you go crazy check it with a known good mechanical gauge and go from there...

**TROLL** · 09-09-2008, 05:15 PM

He might just be reading the tach wrong at idle... a lot of people think that first hash mark the car idles at is 500 but its actually 750. When I log my car I see that it idles pretty steadily around 700.

frosti108 · 09-09-2008, 05:16 PM

could i low idle like that cause bearing damage because of the slow oil pump speed?? i love my low idle, but wouldnt want to do any damage

**TROLL** · 09-09-2008, 05:25 PM

love your low idle huh? haha... and if your oil pressure is too low then yes it could potentially cause damage.

05OCsrt-4 · 09-09-2008, 05:38 PM

i'm sure his car is fine, you know how many cars run low oil pressure at idle? a lot, dodge caravans run about 5-10 PSI at idle, it doesn't require much to keep them safe, but do a check on what the oil pressure is supposed to be

Vince@R/TTuning · 09-09-2008, 05:48 PM

its not the actual oil pressure that concerns me, its the fact that he has probably had those gauges installed for a while now and recently the low pressure alarm is going on....

frosti108 · 09-09-2008, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TROLL

love your low idle huh? haha...

funny? like a clown...?

CarbonIS · 09-09-2008, 08:00 PM

It's always run a little low, but never this low. And Bryan's right, I would have thought the first hasmark was 500
since it's halfway between 0 and 1 and the gauge is in 1k increments.

So I guess idle is around 700-750.

Still, it's only reading 5-15psi. Lucky if it hangs around 20. I had read on NASIOC that subies
are supposed to run around 20psi at idle, and while I take everything I read on NASIOC with a grain of salt, it still concerns me.

frosti108 · 09-09-2008, 08:08 PM

ive been thinking about a high volume toga oil pump. its only $105 for my engine and its really easy to swap

i bet for most other cars its double that price and very hard to swap though.

**TROLL** · 09-09-2008, 08:26 PM

Does your idle fluctuate or is it pretty solid?

CarbonIS · 09-09-2008, 08:39 PM

pretty solid. the oil pressure fluctuates more than the idle

teh DIRT · 09-09-2008, 11:28 PM

doubtful that your oil pump is going bad. Looser bearing clearances will cause loss in oil pressure. hopefully thats not the case.

lude98SH · 09-09-2008, 11:37 PM

why dont you hook a mechanical gauge up to it and see if your readings are consistent.

04wrbsti · 09-11-2008, 03:54 PM

Wow yeah that definitely seems low -

Of course, there's a lot of things it could be. On my old motor, I saw a noticeable drop in oil pressure at idle that consistently started happening about a month before my turbo blew. Could have been coincidence though.

My car has about 30psi of oil pressure at idle I think - but it's like comparing apples to oranges since I idle at 1100rpm and use 25w50.

However, now that I think about it,

when my builder tore my motor down, he said that 3 of the screws that hold the cover plate on the oil pump were lose, and 1 seemed about ready to fall out. I guess, if they were loose enough, it could cause a pressure drop. That was with 60k miles on the original motor, and it was never apart before then.

09-09-2008, 04:10 PM	#2
RyanG Tri-State Post Whore Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Easton, PA Member #63 iTrader: (1)	its a Defi... they are stupid.. Subaru's naturally have low oil pressure at idle. Whats it like at cruise? __________________ I am Area1320 To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 signatures.

09-09-2008, 04:49 PM	#4
DaveSTi Tri-State Post Whore Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Charlotte Member #1591 iTrader: (0)	shouldn't the idle be higher? +/- 50 at 700 rpms? __________________ Member Journals: To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 signatures. / To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 signatures. / To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 signatures. / To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 signatures. / To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 signatures. / To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 signatures.

09-09-2008, 05:01 PM	#5
Vince@R/TTuning Vendor Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: telford Pa Member #3958 My Ride: the one in the back of the shop iTrader: (2)	Yea your idle should def be higher. When your idle is higher 15-20psi is acceptable... After that if it is still a lil lower before you go crazy check it with a known good mechanical gauge and go from there... __________________ Philadelphia Area's Only Authorized and Factory Trained Pro Tuners for:HONDATA:UPREV:APEXI POWER FC:AEM:COBB:ECUTEK To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 signatures.

09-09-2008, 05:48 PM	#10
Vince@R/TTuning Vendor Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: telford Pa Member #3958 My Ride: the one in the back of the shop iTrader: (2)	its not the actual oil pressure that concerns me, its the fact that he has probably had those gauges installed for a while now and recently the low pressure alarm is going on.... __________________ Philadelphia Area's Only Authorized and Factory Trained Pro Tuners for:HONDATA:UPREV:APEXI POWER FC:AEM:COBB:ECUTEK To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 signatures.

09-11-2008, 03:54 PM	#18
04wrbsti Tri-State Training Wheels Join Date: Jun 2008 Member #7917 My Ride: '04 STi iTrader: (0)	Wow yeah that definitely seems low - Of course, there's a lot of things it could be. On my old motor, I saw a noticeable drop in oil pressure at idle that consistently started happening about a month before my turbo blew. Could have been coincidence though. My car has about 30psi of oil pressure at idle I think - but it's like comparing apples to oranges since I idle at 1100rpm and use 25w50. However, now that I think about it, when my builder tore my motor down, he said that 3 of the screws that hold the cover plate on the oil pump were lose, and 1 seemed about ready to fall out. I guess, if they were loose enough, it could cause a pressure drop. That was with 60k miles on the original motor, and it was never apart before then. Last edited by 04wrbsti; 09-11-2008 at 03:56 PM.

09-09-2008, 05:16 PM	#7
frosti108 Tri-State Post Whore Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: norristown Member #5883 My Ride: Track- RB S13. Street- 2J SC300 + SR S14 iTrader: (10)	could i low idle like that cause bearing damage because of the slow oil pump speed?? i love my low idle, but wouldnt want to do any damage

09-09-2008, 08:08 PM	#13
frosti108 Tri-State Post Whore Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: norristown Member #5883 My Ride: Track- RB S13. Street- 2J SC300 + SR S14 iTrader: (10)	ive been thinking about a high volume toga oil pump. its only $105 for my engine and its really easy to swap i bet for most other cars its double that price and very hard to swap though.

09-09-2008, 11:37 PM	#17
lude98SH Tri-State Addict Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Drexel Hill Member #1684 iTrader: (0)	why dont you hook a mechanical gauge up to it and see if your readings are consistent.

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