My oil pressure has been a little odd lately. It used to always idle around 40psi and go up a bit from there, but lately it has seemed to want to idle at around 60psi or higher, and doesn't really move up too much when I get on it. It seems to sometimes be higher like this and sometimes go back to "normal" idling around 40. It has been really hot here the last few days, like 90s, so maybe that is why? I have never seen a post about someone worrying about their oil pressure being too high, but it is out of the ordinary and I was just a bit curious.

 

Have you changed to a thicker oil?. also when your seeing 60 psi, is it only at startup or when warm?.

 

No, I am using the same oil that I always use (although I am due for a change). The higher pressure is there from start-up and stays when warm if I remember correctly. Like I mentioned, sometimes it is higher (around 60 psi) and other times it is normal (40 psi). ???

 

Possibly some sort of a problem with the oil pump bypass spring stuck, or an oil filter problem. Is your oil REALLY old/dirty and has thickened ?

 

my car when just started up is at about ~40, and once warm it drops to 20 at idle. Id say even with it staying at 40 when idling is still a little odd.

 

I know my oil pressure is a little higher than most, but not too much. I have seen others who are around 35-40 as well and it has done that since I got the car 4 years / 25,000 miles ago. I am going to change the oil this weekend so I'll take a good look at it.

 

OP sending unit or the oil filter.

 

So you guys think that there is a problem though? Any kind of damage it could cause having high oil pressure?

 

flowing more oil than necessary is probably just as detrimental as not flowing enough. Once it is warm and at idle, it shouldnt stay at 40... mine bounces around between 15-25 i'd say (good old GM gauges, they are so accurate... LOL)

 

I would think depending on mileage your going to get different oil pressures at different engine temps. More time than not a motor with high mileage when cold will jump to 40-50psi. One hot, about 20-30psi. On newer motor or freshly rebuilt ones, oil pressure on startup is usually around the 60psi mark on the guage and as the oil warms up it will gradually skimp down to 30-40psi at idle.

 

why would a newer motor crave more oil psi? I would think it would be the opposite...

 

the simple answer is everything in a newer motor is well.. newer and fresh.. rings pistons etc are all fresh and are nice and tight to the cylinder walls wheres as a motor with higher mileage may have lost a bit of oil pressure through the years from ring expansion/contraction slight heat warping and just plain wear and tear im sure its alil more complicated then that but thats basically the jist of it

 

that makes sense... nevermind

 

Alright, after watching my gauge for a few days, it seems like it is around 60 psi give or take until a little while after things get up to temp and I start driving it a little harder,then the pressure drops down to just over 40 psi. It used to always settle just below 40 psi but never did this whole start at 60 psi thing. I just changes my oil and filter this weekend and nothing changed. My old oil looked okay. I am still clueless.

 

have you screwed with anything else in last las 3 weeks or w/e this might help...normally changes dont just occur without you doing something else
possibly mess with the egr or seomthi naround the oil sending unit and you bump it?