Oil Pressure Spike on V6 ?

[scrming]

Originally Posted by Susantroy1

Mine has been the same sense I got it. I never gave it a second thought Higher revs = higher oil pressure who knew

I think part of the issue/confusion is normally when you have a gauge/meter it typically is not normal for the needle to go PAST IT... If the temp gauge were to go past the last marking would you think that normal?

[Susantroy1]

Originally Posted by scrming

I think part of the issue/confusion is normally when you have a gauge/meter it typically is not normal for the needle to go PAST IT... If the temp gauge were to go past the last marking would you think that normal?

We are talking about oil pressure not water temps... As you stated in an earlier post these analog gauges are not calibrated. Reason for my lack of concern is that the gauge is fluctuating with differing RPM's. now If I'm at idle and the gauge is pegged than I'm concerned and would look at other indicators/performance in the car to evaluate if there is a problem but to have one gage operate according to RPMs I'm not concerned when all other systems/performance indicate no trouble. Perhaps... the V8s oil pressures are lower than ours and this gauge was created for them and we were an after thought

[CamaroSpike23]

Originally Posted by Dave the Mule

My 2LT now has about 1000 miles on it. It shows 70 when the engine is cold but works its way back down to around 30 when it warms up. I think I read somewhere on one of these threads that a 70 psi reading some of the time is normal.

It's good you drained out the 10w30 and put the proper 5w30 back in. I doubt that the thicker oil did any damage.

10w30 and 5w30 are the same viscosity at operating temp, its only during startup that they differ in viscosity

30 psi at idle is normal. 70 psi during acceleration or under load is normal

[Abygale]

Originally Posted by CamaroSpike23

30 psi at idle is normal. 70 psi during acceleration or under load is normal

Yep, this is exactly what my car does as well. It appears to be very typical.

[faninc]

Mine does to...thanks for this post. Concluding we are all ok! Put the pedal to the floor and do not worry about that guage anymore.

best
J

[Maclain]

Took it in to the dealer monday, 6 hrs later they call me and say it's ready.

The service manager said they replaced the sending unit. Just to confirm, because he said nothing else, I asked "OK great, so the sending unit was bad?"

His response: Oh, yeah, it was a bad sending unit.

Drove it off, warmed it up, and it's doing the same thing. Under acceleration, the guage needle goes beyond the max 70 psi.

Thanks for all the responses.... CamaroSpike, I hope you're right.

Just makes sense that if it was normal to hit 70+ psi, the guage would go to 90 or 100.

Again, thanks for all the responses folks.

--Maclain

[faninc]

well now you know its normal...two guages would not both be broken the exact same way. Enjoy

[Toastylicious]

Ya but the owners manual specifically says to not put 10w-30 in this vehicle because it might cause harm to the engine, if I read it correctly.

[Maclain]

I apologize for not responding with the end results.....

The dealership (Classic Chevy in Sugar Land, TX) called me and said there is a GM service bulletin regarding the issue, due to numerous customer inquiries.

The service bulletin states that the V6 engine is a high pressure engine, and the oil pressure guage maxing is normal.

My guess is that the V8 engine operates at a lower oil pressure, and the oil pressure guage was originally designed/calibrated for the V8, and GM just used the same guage for the V6's to save money.

Thanks for all the responses and help everyone.

Mac

[J_Dog]

Hi, I just picked up my 2LT last night, I put about 160 miles on it so far. Doing the same thing you guys are talking about. Bought mine at Buff Whelan Chevrolet in Sterling Hts. Mi. Taking it in Monday for them to have a look anyways. I am concerned. I have NEVER had a oil pressure gage in 20 years in a lot of different cars act this way. It is NOT acceptable in my opinion.

[OUR72GTO]

There is a service notice on this........... Says to ignore it. I have for 6000 miles with no problems.

[J_Dog]

Can you send me a link to the service bulletin you guys are talking about ?
Thx

[Moriartii]

Correct me if I am wrong but doesnt the oil pump have a shaft that hooks in somewhere and spins. This is how the oil is picked up or suctioned up into the engine based upon how fast this shaft spins? I forget what it is called and where it hooks into but it is all relative to rpms. Faster the engine revs the faster the oil pump spins which equals more pressure? This sounds totally normal to me.
Cheers
K

[J_Dog]

OK, I found the official GM Service Bulletin :

#PIP4690: Oil Pressure Gauge Normal Operation - keywords 3.6 3.6L cold DI engine gauge high LLT PSI reading start up - (Aug 27, 2009)

Subject:Oil Pressure Gauge Normal Operation

Models:2010 Chevrolet Camaro
Equipped with 3.6L LLT Engine

The following diagnosis might be helpful if the vehicle exhibits the symptom(s) described in this PI.
<A href="http://gsi.xw.gm.com/si/showDoc.do?docSyskey=2334016&from=bcpi#ss1-2334016">Condition/Concern:

Some owners may comment that the oil pressure gauge is indicating that the engine appears to be operating with very high oil pressure.
<A href="http://gsi.xw.gm.com/si/showDoc.do?docSyskey=2334016&from=bcpi#ss2-2334016">Recommendation/Instructions:

Under various engine operating conditions 60 psi (413 kpa.) of oil pressure may be displayed on the oil pressure gauge. This should be considered as normal operation. In addition, during a cold engine startup (especially during cold ambient temperatures) the oil pressure gauge may display at 70 psi (482 kpa.) or all the way to the right. This condition should also be considered as normal operation. As the engine and oil warm up, the gauge should begin to return to around 60 psi (413 kpa.).
Important: Because these operating pressures are considered normal operation, no repair attempts or parts should be replaced.
Please follow this diagnostic or repair process thoroughly and complete each step. If the condition exhibited is resolved without completing every step, the remaining steps do not need to be performed.
GM bulletins are intended for use by professional technicians, NOT a "do-it-yourselfer". They are written to inform these technicians of conditions that may occur on some vehicles, or to provide information that could assist in the proper service of a vehicle. Properly trained technicians have the equipment, tools, safety instructions, and know-how to do a job properly and safely. If a condition is described, DO NOT assume that the bulletin applies to your vehicle, or that your vehicle will have that condition. See your GM dealer for information on whether your vehicle may benefit from the information.

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