What Can Cause Engine Oil Pressure to Drop?

Jun 16, 2021

What Can Cause Engine Oil Pressure to Drop?

What Can Cause Engine Oil Pressure to Drop?

If you have experienced your engine oil pressure light flashing on the dashboard or noticed the pressure gauge is reporting a lower than normal reading, then you will know this is potentially signalling a major problem.

Oil pressure is one of the most important parameters of the engine, and you won’t know how serious the issue is until you take it to a professional. In this scenario, it’s best to just turn the engine off.

Causes of low oil pressure

There’s not enough oil

Oil pressure can drop when there’s not enough oil in the system, even if you go through the process of adding the lubricant during an oil change, things such as leaks in the seals or oil plugs can cause it to drop. Oil consumption will also increase as the engine ages as older engines burn more oil, meaning you will experience a drop in pressure quicker in an older car.

Incorrect oil viscosity

When choosing oil for your car you need to be careful, lower viscosities than required will produce less resistance to flow and higher viscosities will generate more viscosity than required. Always check your owners manual to find out the right viscosity for your car.

Damaged oil pump

A car’s oil pump plays a very important role as it moves the engine oil throughout the system. When this fails, oil pressure drops and can be due to issues such as incorrect installation or poor oil maintenance.

Common symptoms of low oil pressure

Drop in engine performance

When the engine oil pressure drops, the friction between the different parts increases and this can then result in a decline in engine performance. Common signs of this would be loss of power or lower fuel economy.

Engine warning light

One of the most common signs of low oil pressure is the warning light on the dashboard. Nowadays many new cars in the market will have sensors letting you know when there is a drop in pressure.

How to fix low oil pressure

Drops in engine oil pressure can damage your car’s overall health, so if you want to avoid this issue be sure to check and top up the oil regularly. If you’ve been experiencing this issue for a while, it’s best to get in touch with the professionals. Here at MyCarNeedsA.com, we can gather quotes from local garages in your area. Get your quotes!

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