oil pressure (blonde moment)

[p24-1953]

i noticed today that my oil pressure was 20-25 when idling, but it drops when accelerating. almost to zero. shouldnt it go up when accelrating? i cant remember what it normaly does? brain fart i guess. wht would cause it to drop while accelerating?

[Jim Yergin]

I find that when I am low on oil, the oil pressure will drop when I accelerate.

Jim Yergin

[Norm's Coupe]

I agree with Jim. Sounds like you should check your oil. Even in new cars, if the oil gets too low and you go around a corner, the oil light will come on. Same would happen when taking off because the oil is shifting back to the back end of the pan. Probably will show low if you stop fast too.

[T120]

..Also you might find this thread interesting..

http://www430.pair.com/p15d24/mopar_forum/showthread.php?p=125709&highlight

[Plymouthy Adams]

look for possible sludge blocking the screen in the oil pickup tube..and as the others mentioned.. a bit low on oil, mixed with slow returns from years of upper cylinder buildup can slow the return of the oil to the crankcase for redistribution

[David Maxwell]

...I used to be a blonde myself! Then I got smarter lol...

i noticed today that my oil pressure was 20-25 when idling, but it drops when accelerating. almost to zero. shouldnt it go up when accelrating? i cant remember what it normaly does? brain fart i guess. wht would cause it to drop while accelerating?

[Norm's Coupe]

Never gave the sludge thing a thought. But.......as the others have said, that could be the cause too. If you've never had your oil pan off, you'll probably be surprised at how much sludge is in that thing. I really had a thick layer in the bottom of mine when I rebuilt the engine. Also, if you pull the valve covers off the engine, you'll probably be surprised at the sludge buildup in there too, if you haven't cleaned that up either.

[Norm's Coupe]

...I used to be a blonde myself! Then I got smarter lol...

Was that before or after you dyed your hair?:D

Sorry David, but you stepped right into that one, and I just couldn't resist.

Edited November 18, 2009 by Norm's Coupe

[Young Ed]

Not only did my engine have a lot of sludge in it the sludge must have retained water. After it was all cleaned out I had a rust pinhole in the bottom of my pan.

[Normspeed]

I once had a 55 Plymouth flathead six with a lot of miles on it, and it used to lose oil pressure going up a long grade, then the pressure would come back up on the downhill side. Turned out to be main bearings. Even with that much wear, the car got me from Florida to California, running a blend of bulk oil and STP.

[p24-1953]

ok checked the oil and was about 2 quarts low. so im thinking that the tourqe convertor was sucking the pressure down as i started off. filled it up and the problem has went away

[Don Coatney]

ok checked the oil and was about 2 quarts low. so im thinking that the tourqe convertor was sucking the pressure down as i started off. filled it up and the problem has went away

Is your car a "HY-Drive" transmission equipped car?

[p24-1953]

Yep. You think that is an accurate guess on what was happening?

[Frank M.]

One possibility for pressure drop on acceleration is that the crank is pushed down suddenly and a momentarily makes a larger gap between the oil feeder hole in the block and the crankshaft. It doesnt take much,and on motors with some use its quite possible. After the initial push from the pistons, the engine settles down,and the rpm's center the crank. Not to say that the above comments werent also right,but thats just my thoughts. Frank M.

[greg g]

A proper oil level will have a bearing on pressure especially when the gravity and momentum will move it away from the pickup. When mine fluctuates under heavy acceleration or sporty cornering, I know its time to top up.

[Don Coatney]

Yep. You think that is an accurate guess on what was happening?

I think lack of oil is an accurate guess. Could be caused by all of the above responses.