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Normal oil pressure for 5.3

399K views 40 replies 25 participants last post by  RedSLEd 
#1 ·
Can someone tell me the normal oil pressure ranges I should be experiencing. 103k. Valvoline high mileage 5w 30w. Napa gold filter. Little bigger than stock. Thanks.
 
#4 ·
I run 5W30 Mobil One in my 2003 5.3 with 100K on the clock. 40 psi at idle hot, and 55 psi at highway speed.
 
#6 ·
Don't use speed as the factor, use rpm's.

Here is some info that may help Oil Pressure

Low oil pressure is not necessarily bad....in fact it can be very beneficial within reasonable limits.
High oil pressure is not necessarily good....in fact it can be a cause of great concern.

Circulation of the oil is produced by a pump and not a compressor. The most important criterion for good lubrication is oil flow and not oil pressure. The oil pressure will vary considerably around the engine, declining with distance downstream from the pump.
 
#8 ·
So at idle it should be around 6 PSI or less? :shock:
Mine is about 25 at warm idle in Park, 20 at warm idle in Drive and slightly over 40 at 200RPM warm while normal driving.
 
#10 ·
You're fine tex50. If I had a engine running 3-4 psi at idle, I'd be looking for an overhaul. Tolerances are a lot tighter than they were 40 years ago. Thats why recommended oil weights should be used. In general, "Safe" has always been 10psi per 1,000 rpm, not "recommended" that low.
 
#11 ·
Noone said it was recommended? Or that i agreed with the spec. Im just telling you what gm will do if you bring your truck to them. They will read from the warranty statements and i promise you no service will be done unless 6psi per 1000 is noted with a mechanical gauge. Trust me, i thinks its absolute bs! Why does my 99 and 08 5.3s idle at 35-40 psi and my 10 idle at 25? Somethings not right, but gm will tell you its within spec.
 
#13 ·
Its based on rpm not speed. Ive also been told its kinda a good thing bc these trucks running 20/25 psi tend to not have the oil consumption issues that some have. Has to do with the oil pressure being to high and somehow escaping out pcv? I cant remember, i saw a write up on it explaining! Also, my old 5.3 ran higher weight oil, but due to the tolerances today, thinner oil works and helps fuel economy...
 
#14 ·
i have an 02 silverado 5.3
i have 178,xxx on odo at this point 5w30 non syn...
on cold mornings 40deg im up in the 55-60psi range

once my temps get to 140-160 the oil pressure is right at 40psi

once im up at 180-190 temps im right at the 40-42psi range crusing under 2000rpms...

these are all taken onm y daily drive to work.

the first 2 miles of driving are under idle speed

hope that helps any.
 
#15 ·
40 PSI at warm idle, goes up to 55ish at 1500-2000RPM. Don't rev much higher so I can't tell you what it goes too. Not only does a spec not make much sense between engines, I'd say it can't be set on any one given engine. My 2010 5.3 saw idle pressure drop around 5 lbs after switching to synthetic, even on a well broken in engine. Plus the gauge probably ain't that accurate to begin with.
 
#20 ·
The dealers said it's normal for the pressure to drop to 20 on a warm day when your engine is warmed up but you don't want it any lower than that.
 
#24 ·
tell me if mine is normal, 45 at cold start, 40-41 at hot idle, 43-45 while cruising.
 
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