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Old 10-04-2024, 03:31 PM   #1
KaraHasDragons
 
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Unhappy Zero Oil Pressure???

Looking to see if anyone has an experience with this- (cause this waiting is killing me anxiety)
A little background on my girl- She's a 2013 SS 1LE, approximately 74k miles. Stage 1 cam, Headers, CAI, Intake Manifold all upgraded as well as pulling the fuse on the Dual Mode NPP exhaust the 1LEs come with. All done 6 years ago. Nothing new. Only regular maintenance. No noises and I am pretty darn observant on that part. Only thing I've had to really get worked on is my AC condenser went out almost 5? years ago and the front bumper replaced 4ish years ago when some ass hat ripped my bumper off when leaving his parking spot in his newly lifted truck with tires that stick out 3" inches from his wheel well (I back into all parking spots).

So Tuesday I was drivin' around in my car. No problems. Picked my kiddo up from school. Took him to the orthodontist. Took him to the barber. THEN started her up to go home and I get a terrifying pop up (ding ding ding from her) message saying Oil Pressure Low- Shut Off Engine. I look down at my cluster and the oil pressure gauge was reading ZERO. So I shut'er off.
Got it towed to my house, made sure there was no fresh oil on the pavement where I parked, made sure there was no oil marks in my driveway where I park everyday and then pulled the dipstick. Nada, nada and a fine level.

Got her towed to my mechanic and they hooked up a manual oil pressure reader and it's reading zero.
Has ANYONE ever dealt with this? Any clue or insight to provide while I'm stressing at work, twiddling my thumbs? TIA
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Old 10-04-2024, 03:43 PM   #2
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LS3 are notorious for failing oil pumps and or the pressure relief valve sticking open. This causes a low pressure or zero pressure issue. You probably need a new oil pump. With a cam, it's highly recommended to upgrade the oil pump.
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Old 10-05-2024, 02:49 AM   #3
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Try a new oil pressure sending unit, that’s cheaper than doing a whole oil pump and a lot easier.
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Old 10-05-2024, 07:36 AM   #4
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Try a new oil pressure sending unit, that’s cheaper than doing a whole oil pump and a lot easier.
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Old 10-05-2024, 07:44 AM   #5
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New Pressure switch isn't going to help if the manual gauge is reading zero as well ( Unless they tested it wrong which is a slim chance if they are reputable shop ). I would stop starting it until you drop the pan and Check/Replace the above parts.
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Old 10-05-2024, 09:08 AM   #6
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New Pressure switch isn't going to help if the manual gauge is reading zero as well ( Unless they tested it wrong which is a slim chance if they are reputable shop ). I would stop starting it until you drop the pan and Check/Replace the above parts.
If there is no lifter chatter or abnormal noises with the engine running, why would you start down the track of worst case scenario?
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Old 10-05-2024, 09:59 AM   #7
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Well he never said how long he had it running for reading zero pressure, so noise would not always start right away, I would definitely error on the side of caution if mechanical gauge is reading zero . But feel free to test the theory of a bad sensor.
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Old 10-05-2024, 12:59 PM   #8
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Well he never said how long he had it running for reading zero pressure, so noise would not always start right away, I would definitely error on the side of caution if mechanical gauge is reading zero . But feel free to test the theory of a bad sensor.

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Old 10-05-2024, 01:58 PM   #9
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Well he never said how long he had it running for reading zero pressure, so noise would not always start right away, I would definitely error on the side of caution if mechanical gauge is reading zero . But feel free to test the theory of a bad sensor.
There should be a chattering or knocking noise even at idle if the engine has zero oil pressure. Changing a sensor behind the intake manifold is a lot easier and cheaper to do compared to an oil pump job and possibly more.
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Old 10-05-2024, 02:48 PM   #10
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I guess the OP needs to choose the route he wants to go, at this point the oil has all drained down and if believes the electronic and manual oil pressure test are both wrong and he doesn't mind replacing the topend then keep starting.
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Old 10-05-2024, 02:48 PM   #11
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Well he never said how long he had it running for reading zero pressure, so noise would not always start right away, I would definitely error on the side of caution if mechanical gauge is reading zero . But feel free to test the theory of a bad sensor.
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Old 10-06-2024, 03:43 AM   #12
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There should be a chattering or knocking noise even at idle if the engine has zero oil pressure. Changing a sensor behind the intake manifold is a lot easier and cheaper to do compared to an oil pump job and possibly more.
I disagree. If there’s truly no oil pressure the damage is already being done before you hear lifter clatter or knocking. I used to build engines professionally for what it’s worth. I’d definitely not discount 0 oil pressure on a mechanical gauge.
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Old 10-06-2024, 09:41 AM   #13
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I disagree. If there’s truly no oil pressure the damage is already being done before you hear lifter clatter or knocking. I used to build engines professionally for what it’s worth. I’d definitely not discount 0 oil pressure on a mechanical gauge.
Would you start dismantling the front end before changing a $45 sensor? I’ve had oil pressure sensors either read zero or 100 on the trucks I work on . . . and it was the sensor that went bad and not the engine.

My point is the OP shouldn’t jump to the conclusion that the engine is eating itself and several thousand dollars should be spent before trying a $50 sensor. At least drain the oil and see if there is metal.
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Old 10-06-2024, 10:48 AM   #14
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Yep I would if they legitimately put a gauge on it and it had zero pressure. I understand what you are getting at. If there was no verification that there wasn’t any pressure then swapping a sensor would make sense. With zero pressure, obviously the more you run it the more you are risking serious damage. As was said above the LS3’s are now to have oil pump issues, many of which have been documented right here on this site.
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