5s-fe losing oil pressure (help) - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

bt6 · 04-08-2005, 03:33 PM

Hello everyone,

I've got a Gen 3 Camry 4cyl. About three months ago while driving down the freeway my engine lost all oil pressure....well since then my engine has been rebuilt twice and when I got it back the mechanic swore up and down that everything was ok.

On my way home from school the same thing happened, as I sat at an intersection the oil pressure dropped and the oil light came on. WTF is going on here, what would be causing this to happen?

Any help is greatly appreciated on what the problem may be, cause I really don't want to sell my car.

Thanks in advance,
brian

fredk · 04-08-2005, 07:35 PM

ya need another mechanic

TadS · 04-09-2005, 07:46 AM

Is there a leak? If so, where is the oil going? It has to be going somewhere.

Mike Gerber · 04-09-2005, 08:47 AM

Was the oil pump replaced during either of the 2 rebuilds? That is the most likely culprit, if you are actually losing oil pressure. Do you hear any strange engine noises when you get these pressure drops? Are you sure you are actually losing oil pressure when this happens, or is the oil pressure sending unit or it's wiring simply faulty? A tech can simply replace the sending unit temporarily with a mechanic gage to actually get a true oil pressure reading. This should cost very little.

Mike

bt6 · 04-09-2005, 12:53 PM

Mike,

Thanks for the answers. The oil pump was supposedly replaced both times. I'm pretty sure it's not the sending unit because I have an aftermarket oil pressure gauge as well and both are reading low pressure.

there seems to be a lot of valve chatter since it happened. It will hold pressure for a little while but after driving around for about 25 minutes it will drop when the car is in gear, sitting at idle.

Thanks again for the help,
brian

ag6286 · 04-09-2005, 05:53 PM

soundz like your mechanic doesnt know how to replace freeze plugs properly

fredk · 04-09-2005, 08:17 PM

freeze plugs?

88 LE · 04-10-2005, 08:30 AM

^^

Freeze plugs have nothing to do with low oil pressure.

Their purpose is to prevent the block from cracking, should the water/coolant inside the block freeze.

Water expands as it freezes, so the freeze plugs pop loose.

I'm with Mike, I would start by checking the oiling system (pump, pickup, etc..).

Mike Gerber · 04-10-2005, 09:45 AM

Brian,

The mechanic who rebuilt the engine should replace the oil pressure sending unit with the mechanic gage and take it for a ride. He should be doing this for free, especially if he is the one who rebuilt the engine both times.

Just curious, does the aftermarket gage get it's signal from the same source as the OEM sending unit? Just thinking outloud here.

88 LE also has an interesting thought here. It is possible that something is clogging the oil pickup down in the pan area. A tech could take off the oil pan gasket and remove the pickup and check it for obstructions.

Mike

88 LE · 04-10-2005, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Gerber

88 LE also has an interesting thought here. It is possible that something is clogging the oil pickup down in the pan area. A tech could take off the oil pan gasket and remove the pickup and check it for obstructions.

I've seen it happen.

My buddy had a valve lash cap fall off from a 351W. It broke into little chunks.

A chunk of it was in the oil pickup, we unbolted the oil pickup and you could hear it rattling around inside.

Another chunk of it got into the oil pump and seized it.

Some nasty stuff.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bt6

there seems to be a lot of valve chatter since it happened.

Probably due to your low oil pressure issue, which caused the valve train to not be sufficiently oiled.

fredk · 04-10-2005, 12:22 PM

ya need another mechanic

500KCamry · 04-10-2005, 03:33 PM

When oil pressure was lost, did you hear it, i.e. valve chatter? If not, your problem is the sending unit ... they do fail. Otherwise,

Is the oil the correct grade?

Is the filter clogged?

The oil pump can be changed without removing the pan, was it really changed?

I'd remove the pan though, and clean it of sludge and make sure the pickup strainer is removed and cleaned too. The pan gasket is made from silicone, a couple of the front pan screws are difficult to put in. The engine can be temporarily tilted to get them installed.

***zoni*** · 04-11-2005, 12:42 AM

i guess the oil pressure sender to be bad... if its the same used in the oem AND aftermarket gauge.