What makes oil pressure high

Most of the time, a faulty, worn out, or damaged oil pump will create a low oil pressure condition, but high oil pressure could be caused by an old pump with worn bearings. Of course, an oil pump that completely fails may cause no oiling at all. Most modern oil pumps are part of the timing assembly, run by the crankshaft rotation.

This often means that complete failure of the oil pump is often a result of an additional engine failure. Oil heats up as the engine heats up. As mentioned before, oil viscosity varies with temperature and is designed to work in different temperatures. If your engine is failing to heat properly, the oil will also fail to reach its maximum efficient viscosity and could be thicker than it should be.

This causes the oiling system to work harder to push oil to the appropriate channels, and it increases the system pressure. Unfortunately, high oil pressure, though not as common of an issue as some other problems, is harder to diagnose than many other issues due to the lack of clear symptoms. There are three main symptoms of high oil pressure, but a professional may likely have to assist with testing the oiling system if you suspect high oil pressure is present.

Most vehicles are equipped with some kind of gauge or warning light when oil pressure becomes too low or too high. Gauges are much easier to read and keep track of since they show the exact pressure at any given time. Oil pressure lights simply illuminate when an irregular pressure is detected. Either way, a gauge or light is the first sign of a high oil pressure problem. Everything in your vehicle is designed to function within certain parameters, and when your oiling system experiences pressures beyond the upper levels of those parameters, they begin to fail.

This is common at attachment points, seals, and gaskets. Oil pressure that is too high over a long time will cause leaks throughout the system and potentially onto the hot engine, posing an additional problem. The crankcase is the part of your engine that houses the crankshaft and other vital moving parts. A professional mechanic will most likely have to assist with crankcase pressure testing, but it can be a good way to diagnose high oil pressure if it is suspected.

Elevated crankcase pressure can be a sign of other engine issues, but this too has a sensor that can trip the check engine light if abnormal values are detected. The oil pressure relief valve consists of three parts, a piston, a spring, and a plug. Under normal conditions, the valve is fully extended, regulating the flow of oil. As pressure builds, it forces the piston against the spring, allowing more to pass through, thus decreasing pressure.

As oil circulates throughout the system, it picks up harmful contaminants like dirt, dust, and metal flakes. This is where the oil filter comes in. As oil passes through under pressure , any unwanted particles, do not. Spurt holes and galleries are small exit points located throughout the system where the oil is allowed to seep through. They ensure proper lubrication of the many moving parts, including the pistons, rings, pins, bearings, and cylinders.

This can be a result of either a blockage, a faulty part, or an issue with the oil itself. As we mentioned earlier, the typical pressure range lies between 25 and 65 PSI. When this range is exceeded, something is off and needs to be corrected before damage occurs. Proper lubrication is crucial to the health of any engine. Without it, friction builds and leads to overheating. When this happens, the risk of developing a crack in the engine block, or blowing a head gasket increases.

Each of these scenarios is extremely costly to resolve if a repair is even possible at all. For this reason, your best bet is to take action at the first signs that you have high oil pressure. The oil pressure sending unit is what controls the gauge in the dash of your vehicle. The only way to check for this failure is to inspect the oil pressure manually. For this, you will need an oil pressure gauge and an adapter to fit your vehicle we suggest using an oil pressure test kit.

First, check that the engine has cooled down enough to work on. Then, put the transmission in neutral or park and apply the hand brake. Next, locate the sending unit usually found near the oil pan.

Connect the pressure gauge, turn the car on, and press the gas pedal and hold it between 2, to 4, RPMs for about 15 to 20 seconds. Be sure to consult your manual for the correct operating range for your vehicle. If the gauge shows the pressure is in a healthy range, then the problem lies elsewhere.

Otherwise, the issue is a faulty sending unit. If you remember from earlier, the relief valve is not a complex component, consisting of just a piston, a spring, and a plug. The air pressure in the combustion chambers is so high that it can cause seals and oil lines to blow out once it can enter the oil pan. Before it gets to that point, though, you should notice an increase in oil consumption, letting you know that your engine is burning oil.

In some cases, you may also see the oil dipstick being slightly pushed out of its tube when you open the hood because of the abnormal crankcase positive pressure. One of the possible causes of blow-bys is worn piston ring seats or improper ring groove clearance.

The only way to avoid excessive crankcase pressure is to ensure the engine is appropriately sealed. And this is also why blow-bys are especially common with forced induction engines, as the pressure is considerably higher on this setup type. Last but not least, if everything else seems to be in good working order, the last thing to suspect is the oil pump itself.

Oil pumps are usually reliable and rarely come into problems. The explanation is quite simple, indeed. There are not that many components that can wear out and go bad.

Not to mention that the internal components are kept continuously in oil, reducing the risk of rust build-up and such. However, the rotors could still potentially break and cause the oil pressure to go out of the normal operating threshold. The worst thing with oil pumps is that since most of them are driven by the timing system, they are usually located behind the timing components. To correctly grasp how significant a correct oil pressure is to your engine, just imagine the engine oil to be the blood in your body.

Just as an abnormally high blood pressure level will put a strain on your heart and risk blowing out small blood vessel walls, and an increased engine oil pressure level will put a strain on fragile internal components and risk blowing out seals and lines.

A seized engine can only rarely be brought back to life without investing a hefty amount of money, and even then, it will often come into more collateral and expensive problems in the short term.

The first thing to do when trying to fix a high engine oil pressure problem is to inspect and test the oil pressure sensor. Locate and remove the sensor and install a stand-alone oil pressure gauge in its place. Pressure sensors are often inexpensive, so you might as well replace them. Just to make sure. The grade can change and fluctuate as engine oil degrades with time and can also vary depending on the outside temperature.

The best way to make sure the oil in your engine is of the correct grade is simply to change it. Oil is also inexpensive when compared to the more expensive fixes coming down the line. Be warned that the following is not intended to be done by newbies. For example, if you have blow-by problems, the pistons will need to be removed to inspect the rings visually.