Low Oil Pressure Symptoms and Their Impact on Valve Train Components

Engine oil is the blood of your car and its pressure is very vital to the smooth functioning of your car. The most immediate and the most severe effects when oil pressure is low are usually experienced on the valve train, which is a complicated network of parts that have the duties of admitting air to the engine and disposing exhaust out of the engine. This relationship can be used to save you on the money that would be spent on fixing expensive parts and keeping your engine alive.

How Oil Pressure Affects Lifter Operation and Valve Timing

The valve train is designed to work well with the constant supply of pressurized oil. Hydraulic lifters especially require this pressure in order to automatically compensate engine expansion and wear to create zero clearance between parts. They work as mini hydraulic pistons which apply the engine oil to keep their position.

These lifters are not able to pressurize when the oil pressure is low. They do not pick up the slack resulting in clearance that is too large. This creates a sounding noise of a tick, or a tap as the pieces crash into one another. Worse still, this failure interferes with valve timing directly. The valves do not open or close as far as they should or at the very moment that they should. Such interference causes inappropriate combustion that will cause rough idle, low engine efficiency, and high power loss. The metal to metal contact may lead to high-speed wear and disastrous breakage of the lifters, lobes of the camshaft, and pushrods with time.

Warning Signs Dashboard Lights, Ticking Noises, and Power Loss

It is possible to detect the initial signs of low oil pressure and prevent serious damages to your engine. The closest danger sign is the light of the red low oil pressure warning light in your dashboard. This is an alarming warning that one should not overlook. You need to switch off the engine when it is safe to switch in order to avoid immediate damage.

In conjunction with the warning light, watch out to odd engine noises. The lifters are not getting enough oil and this is the persistent ticking or tapping sound of the upper part of the engine especially during startup or idle. This sound tends to rise with the engine velocity.

Reduction in engine performance is also likely to be felt. The engine could experience a slow performance, difficulty in acceleration, and misfire since the valve timing is impaired and the combustion process is inefficient. In case of any of the combination of these symptoms, then it is essential that some investigation is prompt.

Preventing Damage Fast Response to Oil Pressure Issues

The answer to this is a rapid and correct reaction when it comes to averting a lot of harm to your valve train and engine. When the indicator of oil pressure is on, pull over and switch off the engine safely. The cost of driving just even a short distance can be thousands of dollars.

The initial one is to test the engine oil level by dipping the dipstick. The pressure loss is frequently due to a low oil level. In case it is lower, add it to the recommended level. Assuming that the level is set correctly, and that the light is still on after starting then the issue could be a faulty oil pressure sensor, a blocked oil pickup tube, a worn oil pump or too much wear of the engine bearings.

In this case do not drive the car. Get it towed to a professional mechanic in order to diagnose it. A mechanical gauge can be used to check the readings of oil pressure and determine the precise cause. The most effective preventative is regular check-ups such as a regular change in the oil and filter with the right viscosity oil to maintain healthy oil pressure and to spare your engine key representatives of the vital valve train parts in the long term.