Captain Ficho Posted April 2, 2008 Report Share Posted April 2, 2008 As you could probably conclude from the title, my car is being a pain in the derriere and I'm pretty pissed at it. It's a Cutlass Supreme International with the 3.4L DOHC engine and it has 110,000 miles. When I'm in stop and go traffic for 45+ minutes my oil pressure reads dangerously low and when I stop completely it flickers into the red-marked area causing the check gages light to come on as well. It never hits zero but sometimes when it is flickering it gets pretty close. Most of the time when this starts happening, I quickly turn into a side street and let the car sit for a few minutes and when I start it again the problem is resolved, but if the stop and go driving continues for about another half hour it will start again. Some background info that might help... well, since I bought the car, the O-Ring has been leaking. When I first got it, it was a quart every 1500 miles and now its about every 750 miles. That is the only info about the car that relates, but I dont know if that even has anything to do with the oil pressure problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockfangd Posted April 2, 2008 Report Share Posted April 2, 2008 are the rpms low also? Have you actually tested the oil pressure with a gauge? How hot is the temp of the coolant? will think of more. What kind of oil do you run>? how much? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ns87 Posted April 2, 2008 Report Share Posted April 2, 2008 Do you have the needle style gauge clusters? If so, odds are you don't have a real oil pressure gauge. It just acts on a switch which may be malfunctioning. I would investigate your oil pressure with another method than the cluster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManicMechanic Posted April 2, 2008 Report Share Posted April 2, 2008 All 3.4s in 1992 had a real pressure gauge, as did 3.1s up to VIN 25,000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ns87 Posted April 2, 2008 Report Share Posted April 2, 2008 ah ha. Scratch that then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Ficho Posted April 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 2, 2008 are the rpms low also? Have you actually tested the oil pressure with a gauge? How hot is the temp of the coolant? will think of more. What kind of oil do you run>? how much? RPMs aren't low. Nope, I don't have another gauge to test it with. Coolant temp is normal, about the same as before the problem started. I've run 5w30 synthetic since I got it 15,000 miles ago... I add enough oil to reach the full line on the dipstick... but now I have to add a quart every month because of the leaking O-ring. And as ManicMechanic said, it has a real pressure gauge. I'm posting this from work... I drove to work and it kept happening. At lights I'd have to put it in neutral and rev the engine around 1500rpm to stop the oil pressure from wavering in the red-area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White93z34 Posted April 3, 2008 Report Share Posted April 3, 2008 what brand oil filter are you using? I have had some issues in the past with Champion labs oil filters (read: AC delco, and quite a few others) with the "e-core" design. one of those could have cost my camaro its engine. had the same symptoms you are showing. put a good filter on it, and the problem went away. however the oil pressure sender they used in these cars is prone to failure so consider that. I doubt your oil leak is contributing to the oil pressure being low, but get that fixed soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GJD5 Posted April 3, 2008 Report Share Posted April 3, 2008 You should put a heavier weight oil in like 10w30 or 15w40. That will raise the oil pressure at idle. I would do that immediately before you damage your bearings. I personally would never use 5w30. You may have a worn out oil pump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Ficho Posted April 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2008 what brand oil filter are you using? I have had some issues in the past with Champion labs oil filters (read: AC delco, and quite a few others) with the "e-core" design. one of those could have cost my camaro its engine. had the same symptoms you are showing. put a good filter on it, and the problem went away. I'm using AC Delco filters, but why would the problem start now? I've used AC Delco filters since buying the car and never had this problem before. And this filter has been in for about a thousand miles, yet this problem only started about a few days ago. And I was wondering how much oil starvation would it take for bearing damage to occur? Would being in the red-zone for a few seconds cause any damage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DOHCRagtopguy Posted April 3, 2008 Report Share Posted April 3, 2008 See if you can get ahold of another gauge to test the actual oil pressure. Those sending units have been known to go bad. Or just replace the sender, they are not THAT expensive. Do not just assume that it is good. In fact, since you state that this just started, that may be what the problem is. Your 'o' ring is leaking badly because of your synthetic oil. Synthetic is great stuff, far superior to Dino oil, however it 'flows' better than Dino oil which means if you have a small leak with the Dino oil, it will become a huge leak with synthetic. This is also contributing to the low pressure. Your engine can get a couple of quarts low on oil without burning up the bearings. Of course, on turns the oil will slop over to one side, possible causing the oil pump to suck air momentarily which is not good because it causes cavitation that builds up foam and instead of a solid lubricating surface on the bearings there will be small air bubbles in the oil. The more starved the engine gets on oil, the worse it gets. Just being in the red zone for a few seconds isn't gonna destroy anything. I agree with slightly increasing the viscosity of the oil that you use, 15W 40 should be good. With the warmer weather on the way, you won't have to worry about cold start issues. AC Delco are decent filters, stay away from Fram. Good luck, hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White93z34 Posted April 3, 2008 Report Share Posted April 3, 2008 without getting into a oil argument here, the 3.4 calls for 5-30 and thats what I have been running in my now 190,000 mile lq1 since i got it almost 100,000 miles ago, I have excellent oil pressure. but anyway, that said many AC delco filters on shelves now are of the e-core design. if you can look in the hole and see a plastic cage run away. Like I said before I almost had a Delco branded e-core cost me an engine, and it wasen't till about 500-1000 miles into the change when these problems started. However I am not saying it IS your problem, but it COULD be. And I would not trust a oil pressure sender all that much, I would replace that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DOHCRagtopguy Posted April 3, 2008 Report Share Posted April 3, 2008 without getting into a oil argument here, the 3.4 calls for 5-30 and thats what I have been running in my now 190,000 mile lq1 since i got it almost 100,000 miles ago, I have excellent oil pressure. but anyway, that said many AC delco filters on shelves now are of the e-core design. if you can look in the hole and see a plastic cage run away. Like I said before I almost had a Delco branded e-core cost me an engine, and it wasen't till about 500-1000 miles into the change when these problems started. However I am not saying it IS your problem, but it COULD be. And I would not trust a oil pressure sender all that much, I would replace that. I stand corrected on the filter issue, I was not aware that AC Delco had changed their design. The only reason I suggested that he go to a higher vis oil was to raise the OP a little bit, I'm sure the oil pump is somewhat worn and that would help the pressure without adversely affecting engine lubrication. My Cutlass has 162K miles and has great OP also, but all engines are different and wear at their own pace internally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ismellrealbad Posted April 3, 2008 Report Share Posted April 3, 2008 Your first step in diagnosing this is getting a real oil pressure guage on there and watching the pressure. Get a service manual or something to see what it should be at idle and at higher rpms. Even from snap-on they're not more than 100 bucks. If you dont hear any ticking/knocking noises you probably havent done any damage yet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaptnjack Posted April 3, 2008 Report Share Posted April 3, 2008 I dont want to hijack or argue oils vis but I have read repeatadly that 5w30 high detergent is the way to go. this is based on the length of the circulation run and narrow configuration of the oil passages. My reading shows because of these factors...the factory spec'd 5w30 is teh right way to go but demands that frequent oil and filter changes made to keep things clear and circulation smooth. more here http://www.angelfire.com/ca2/34Performance/dohc.html still learning though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNBZ34 Posted April 3, 2008 Report Share Posted April 3, 2008 Replace your pressure sending unit. I had the same problem on my Z34. I wound up having to buy another socket as the OEM and new units were different sizes. I would get a mechanical guage and test it as stated above. You will need to remove your oil filter to gain access. It was kind of a PITA on my Z. Do NOT run 15w40 in that engine. If you wish to cause serious starvation on a cold start up then use it. At the max you should use 10w30. Matter of fact, the oil cap on my Z said to use 10w30. As far as filters.... I have ran Frams all my life (I've been driving 25 years) . I drive 150 miles a day back and forth for work. I have NEVER had a problem. Change every 3k and roll on. Napa filters are good filters as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
93CutlassSupreme Posted April 3, 2008 Report Share Posted April 3, 2008 To this went the best that GM had to offer, remember we're building a 275HP FWD muscle car...it was by far, the BEST motor that GM engineers could build for its application. Emission certification verifed an honest 281HP on the sheets. Emission 7000RPM screamer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Ficho Posted April 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2008 For all of you who said it was the oil pressure sending unit... And turns out it wasn't even my O-Ring leaking, the oil pressure sensor was not only malfunctioning but it was also busted up so that is why I was losing so much oil. It wasn't fitting snugly so oil spilled out from around the edges of it and all is well now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EviLette Posted April 5, 2008 Report Share Posted April 5, 2008 For all of you who said it was the oil pressure sending unit... And turns out it wasn't even my O-Ring leaking, the oil pressure sensor was not only malfunctioning but it was also busted up so that is why I was losing so much oil. It wasn't fitting snugly so oil spilled out from around the edges of it and all is well now... for the quick fix lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DOHCRagtopguy Posted April 5, 2008 Report Share Posted April 5, 2008 Excellent! A relatively cheap fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitaloutsider Posted April 10, 2008 Report Share Posted April 10, 2008 As far as filters.... I have ran Frams all my life (I've been driving 25 years) . And 25 years ago, FRAM was a quality name. It's not any more. Please, no one take this advice and don't use their junky overpriced shit on your engine. Hot glued cardboard anti-drainback valves are not quality. Just for an example, a Pep Boys house brand oil filter costs less. Want to guess what it is? Rebadged Purolator. Don't pay more for an inferior product like FRAM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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