low oil pressure

[Jesh]

okay guys, i need some feedback, my car started to make some noises that sounded like my balance shaft bearings are fried, and now at idle my oil pressure light comes on. i parked the car until i can fix the problem, just looking for some feedback, anyone else have this problem? and what did it turn out to be? oh and i just replaced my rod bearings less than 1000 miles ago.

 

[BoostedAWD91]

I would check the oil pressure sending unit. Do u have a aftermarket oil pressure gauge? If not i would either buy one or rent one to test it to see what the pressure is. My buddies car has his oil light come on when his idle drops alittle low, but its fine.

 

[Jesh]

lol... that is one of the many parts on my list. but this is making sounds VERY noticeable! but only in the 2-3k rpm range. i don't think its the sending unit.

 

[BoostedAWD91]

yeah well no the sound wouldnt be the sending unit, that is just a possibilty for the oil pressure light. As for the sound i would pin point exactly where it is coming from. Make sure all the pullies are tight if the noise is coming from the timing belt side.

 

Drain the oil and look for bits of metal or powdery residue, that should tell you if you have bearings or something internal going out.

 

Go get a mechanical gauge and KNOW if you have low oil pressure. As for the rod bearing noise, did you check to ensure the rod big end did not have excessive taper or out of round? Did you check the clearance? If the big end was deformed then the new bearing could be fitting in there very funny.

 

[Jesh]

when did i say the rod bearings where making noise?

 

Quoting Jesh:
some noises that sounded like my balance shaft bearings are fried, ...i just replaced my rod bearings less than 1000 miles ago....



You didn't. However you also did not say "I got out my stethescope and isolated the noise to my balance shaft bearings." You said you thought it sounded like those. I brought up the rod bearings because you say you just changed them, and now you have this problem.

Based on your response, I would assume that you did not in fact check your rod ends. This brings me to my next question, which is why did you change them in the first place? Clearly you thought there was something wrong with them, were worried about excessive clearance etc. If you were worried about wear, you should have checked for wear. (Also on the crankshaft journals). Clearly you thought this might have some bearing on the problem, as you mentioned it.

If you had correctly checked both the crank journals and the rod ends, you would not have bothered to post that you had changed the bearings, as you would have no cause for concern.

In addition, loose bearing (any and all bearings) clearances are the only cause of low oil pressure, as the restrictions in your lubrication system are what create pressure. Given that you just changed the rod bearings, and now have low oil pressure, and a noise, it follows that your bearings could be the source of your problem.

Also. If you did not measure the rods and crank, how do you know that your engine did not have a crank that had been ground? You don't. If the crank had been ground, and you put in stock bearings, they would be flapping around in there something terrible, making a noise and causing low oil pressure.

My advice remains accurate. Verify your actual physical oil pressure, and find the source of your noise.

 

[Jesh]

just to start, i started to have noises a while back from the bottom half of my engine so i suspected the rod bearings, and figured it wouldn't hurt to change them just a maintenance precaution. the sound did not go away or change at all. i also inspected the crank bearings while i was there and they all seem to be fine. i didn't bother to check the balance shafts because i did not think of it at the time. this is my reason for suspecting the balance shaft bearings, i apologize for not being more detailed in my first post. and yes i would love to know what my oil pressure is but i don't have the money or access to one at the time. and thank you all for the advice, this is a awesome site and i plan on being here alot, due to the fact that my car breaks every 14 seconds