JG2020 Posted May 27, 2021 Share Posted May 27, 2021 Hi everyone, My oil pressure has never been great but today it dropped to about 5lbs on my mechanical gauges at idle on a hot day. I just did an oil change last week and used Rotella T4 10-30. I have a T connector where the stock oil gauge was. One sensor goes to the mechanical gauge and one to the idiot gauge. I was using 5-30 weight before this. I took about a 45 minute drive today mix of highway and back roads. At 65 MPH I was at 1900 RPM and 20 pounds of pressure. The stock gauge read just about the middle. When I noticed the low pressure on the mechanical gauge the stock gauge was reading low also. When I start the truck I have about 55 PSI at 1300 rpm. Runs fine. I hear no noise at all. Also, on the mechanical gauge the plastic hose was very long and I just coiled it under the dash. Should that be cut and be as straight a run as possible? I have had the truck about a year. This was the first time I saw the pressure drop that low at idle. Usually its at 10 PSI at about 650 rpm The odometer reads 122K but not sure this is accurate. Prob not. Any input appreciated. Thanks!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted May 27, 2021 Share Posted May 27, 2021 Josh - I don't think that the length of the line nor the turns will have any effect on the reading. It would if there was flow, but there is no flow, just pressure. But 5 psi at idle is pretty low. Is that the first time you've driven it that long in one go? Also, what oil filter did you put on? Maybe the filter is plugged? Or the wrong one? (Having said that, if the pressure goes back up when the engine is cold then I don't think it is the filter.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JG2020 Posted May 27, 2021 Author Share Posted May 27, 2021 Josh - I don't think that the length of the line nor the turns will have any effect on the reading. It would if there was flow, but there is no flow, just pressure.But 5 psi at idle is pretty low. Is that the first time you've driven it that long in one go?Also, what oil filter did you put on? Maybe the filter is plugged? Or the wrong one? (Having said that, if the pressure goes back up when the engine is cold then I don't think it is the filter.)Thanks Gary, that’s what I thought about the line. I am using the Fram tough guard oil filter. I have taken the same length drive 5 or 6 times. This is the first drive since the oil change though. On Thu, May 27, 2021 at 6:37 PM Gary Lewis [via Bullnose Enthusiasts Forum] <redacted_email_address> wrote: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted May 27, 2021 Share Posted May 27, 2021 Fram filters are called "the orange can of death" for a reason. I use Motorcraft filters. I'm not saying that is your problem, but it might make a difference. So I'd change it and see if there's a change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JG2020 Posted May 27, 2021 Author Share Posted May 27, 2021 Fram filters are called "the orange can of death" for a reason. I use Motorcraft filters.I'm not saying that is your problem, but it might make a difference. So I'd change it and see if there's a change.Thanks, I’ll give that a try. Should I go back to 5 30 oil ? On Thu, May 27, 2021 at 7:21 PM Gary Lewis [via Bullnose Enthusiasts Forum] <redacted_email_address> wrote: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted May 27, 2021 Share Posted May 27, 2021 I can't imagine that the oil is the issue. I'm thinking the filter may have collapsed internally. But that is just a guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JG2020 Posted May 28, 2021 Author Share Posted May 28, 2021 I can't imagine that the oil is the issue. I'm thinking the filter may have collapsed internally. But that is just a guess. I ordered a few motorcraft filters last night. Is it possible to swap out a filter w/o draining the oil? The filter is pretty high above the pan. Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 I ordered a few motorcraft filters last night. Is it possible to swap out a filter w/o draining the oil? The filter is pretty high above the pan. Thanks again! Yes, you can change the filter w/o changing the oil. You'll lose about 1 quart, but it is cheaper than dumping new oil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JG2020 Posted May 28, 2021 Author Share Posted May 28, 2021 Yes, you can change the filter w/o changing the oil. You'll lose about 1 quart, but it is cheaper than dumping new oil.Great . That’s what I thought. I will report back. Is it strange that I get 20psi at 65 mph and 1900 rpm on my mechanical gauge but the stock gauge shows in the middle of normal? On Fri, May 28, 2021 at 8:52 AM Gary Lewis [via Bullnose Enthusiasts Forum] <redacted_email_address> wrote: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FuzzFace2 Posted May 29, 2021 Share Posted May 29, 2021 Fram filters are called "the orange can of death" for a reason. I use Motorcraft filters. I'm not saying that is your problem, but it might make a difference. So I'd change it and see if there's a change. 100% change the filter for anything but a "orange can of death"! When I had the oil changed on my 02 Dodge from a quick change place a short time later I had the same issue, low oil PSI. When the dealer did the oil change and used a different filter never had that issue. I go with NAPA gold filters on my pick up. Pick up a good filter and 1 qt oil. change the filter and add the oil and you should be ok. Dave ---- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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