ashasaur

Hi all, been lurking for a month or so now and have finally decided to post. Just so we are all clear, I have searched and read and searched some more about my problem and have come to some different conclusions about it and just need some general advice.

I have a 1987 Camaro Sport Coupe 2.8l V6 automatic that seems to have low oil pressure when running at a normal operating tempreature(240+/- F). On start up it will run around 35-40PSI, outdoor temp in the 80's or higher and as the engine warms up, usually 10-15 minutes later it starts to drop to the point when I am idling at a stoplight that it's hovering at just about the 0 mark(80PSI gauge) in the red. Maybe 2-3PSI. If I rev the engine to 1200 or so RPM it will rise to around 10PSI at a stop. When I start moving again it acts normally and stays around 15-20PSI until I stop again. When the outside temp. is lower, say at night and the engine doesn't run as hot, the pressure generally stays in the 10PSI area at idle. The engine does not knock or sound any different in the low oil PSI area than in the higher ones.

I have already changed the oil sending unit to no effect. I have also done the obvious and changed the oil and filter and inspected the filter for metal from the cam seals and did not find any. Which leads to my question:

Is the simple solution to this "problem" to simply change my oil to a heavier weight that doesn't thin as easily, or does it sound like something more serious. I live in South Carolina so the outdoor temp. doesn't really factor into my oil choice all that much. I am currently running el-cheapo 5W30 as per the oil fill cap. One last thing to mention is that I do have the common problem that my gauge cluster is one of the ones that will either peg all the gauges down or full if the dash lights are on, which I do not know if this may contribute or not but I thought I should mention.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you all for all you do. Please let me know if I need to provide any more information.

Formula 305

240 F sounds too hot... The fan should come on at 220 and keep the temp in that range. Sounds like your real problem is overheating

Dizturbed One

Definitely running too hot, get your cooling system in order. It may be a coincidence, but I doubt it. A lower temp and thicker oil will bump it a little to ease your mind.

Change to 10w30, no need to be running such thin oil in such a warm place. Honestly, if it is all oiling properly (pull the valvecovers and look around) I wouldn't worry at all. My 77 GMC has a smallblock 400 in it that barely ticks the gauge until I touch the gas pedal. I see people in crawlers with 1 psi at idle all the time. If you have pressure that oils sufficiently and reacts appropriately to RPM changes, I doubt you'll see problems.

It does seem that your driving pressure is a little low though, I like to see mine in the 30-40 range while cruising (2000 to 3000 RPM). But I would bet it's just your gauges, all of the gauges suck on these cars.

ashasaur

My apologies. My running tempreature is actually 220+/- F, not 240 as I had originally posted. I appreciate the insights from both of you. My engine doesn't knock or make any kind of different noises when running a low pressure versus run a higher pressure, sounds exactly the same either way. I had an older Chevrolet 1500 that suffered from this same problem that I could never nail down either and it ran fine until sold, but just for worries sake I asked about this cars problem.

TTOP350

iTrader: (8)

That's about normal. I'd also bet your gauge is off, most are.

Formula 305

a little thicker oil can't hurt tho. I run 10-40 in my V8 car, even tho the suggested is a little lower viscosity. Plus as the miles add up things wear & tolerances get a little wider

ashasaur

Just an update on my problem. I went ahead and upped my oil to 10W40 and once again inspected my filter and found no debri. In my changing said oil I discovered that my fan motor on the radiator was only running intermittedly. Sometimes it would come on at around 150F sometimes not all and she would run on up to 250F+ at a standstill. I tried my damndest to troubleshoot where exactly the fan was losing power, again to no avail so I have instead just made it a new circuit straight from a power source that's switched with the ignition. I also drained and flushed the radiator and replaced what I am sure is the original 1987 thermostat.

All of this to not improve my low oil pressure problem in any way. I am now running 180F at speed after having been driving for 20-30 minutes and my oil pressure, with thicker oil and proper temp is still in the red at idle.

My new question is this: for the 1987 model, is the oil pump mechanical and in the oil pan? If so, is the only thing to inspect the rod from the cam that drives said pump? Should I just stop worrying about this problem altogether?

Thanks for any insights you can provide.

cuisinartvette

If it were me Id use a mechanical gauge just to double check
If its super super low probably just a little on the tired side thats all

Zane M

iTrader: (1)

Don't trust the stock gauge to give you a good reading. You will need to hook up a mechanical gauge to get a true reading. If a mehanical gauge still gives you low readings, Then you could try going up to a 20W50 oil. Keep in mind, that is a band aid solution. Ultimately you are looking at a rebuild/new engine if the readings are still low(bearing related issues).

AlkyIROC

The oil pump is driven off the bottom of the distributor which is driven by the camshaft. It takes a lot for an oil pump to fail. They'll usually break before they wear out.

If you still have your old oil filter, you say there's no debris in it. Take a chunk of the filter material and squish all the oil out of it in a vise before opening it up to check for metal. Simply looking at the material full of oil will only show very large particles.

Dakota W.

If it's not burning oil and it's oiling properly I would just stick to 10w30 and maybe hook a mechanical gauge up to it like suggested.