Oil pressure whacky
Thread Starter
CF Beginner
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
Oil pressure whacky
I was wondering if y'all could help me. I got a 2001 6.0 with 134,000 miles. I run 10w-30 oil, Runs great, but the oil pressure is funky. Cold start: 40 or 45 psi, coasting HOT: 40 psi, HOT idle: sometimes as little as 22 or as much as 32 psi, it's not consistent but usually sticks at 26psi. Also, the guage flutters sometimes and jumps/sticks or sometimes it stays steady. I just did an oil pan gasket because it was leaking terribly and also did the oil pump o-ring. The old pickup seal was green and had a small tear (Was green stock???), I replaced it with an OE red one from Chevy. Still no change. The pan gasket was still riveted on so it may have never been off before. The pan was stupid clean of sludge even at 134,000, I was shocked. Nothing on the pickup tube obviously.
I'm wondering about a stuck pressure relief valve? I suppose I have a bad sending unit as well. I had considered bearings, but less so now that I saw the clean pan, it just had tarnish? Previous owner said the psi has always dropped at a stop and they've owned it since 68,000 miles. He was very honest about other things, so I believe this.
Where would you all start? Or should I even worry?Thanks
I'm wondering about a stuck pressure relief valve? I suppose I have a bad sending unit as well. I had considered bearings, but less so now that I saw the clean pan, it just had tarnish? Previous owner said the psi has always dropped at a stop and they've owned it since 68,000 miles. He was very honest about other things, so I believe this.
Where would you all start? Or should I even worry?Thanks
Last edited by ChevyB; Dec 23, 2018 at 9:55 PM.
CF Active Member
Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 185
Likes: 1
From: Currently the Candian Gander is wintering over in New York.
Sounds like a flaky sending unit, but at 130,000+ miles the pump could be starting to act up. You could put a mechanical gauge into the sender hole on the block, and test it that way.
CF Active Member
Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 185
Likes: 1
From: Currently the Candian Gander is wintering over in New York.
I saw this problem somewhere else, and apparently there is a screen between the block and the sensor that gets clogged. The solution is to remove the sensor and the screen, clean the screen, and reinstall everything.