Low oil pressure and slight over heating issue - Page 2 - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

Bo White · 06-23-2020, 01:02 AM

Optimum oil temp is 230-260*

Greenhornet2 · 06-23-2020, 07:55 AM

Do what you said and change the oil and look at the filter, the little shavings might just be from rubbing on the dipstick tube. I'd change the tstat or test it to make sure it isn't sticking and check for water pump flow. hot engine cold radiator. I think the lower oil pressure was due to the heat.

Dbunch9 · 06-23-2020, 05:53 PM

Already bought another 160 t stat cause I forgot they’re only $30, also bought tin snips for the oil filter. I’ll do this when I’m off on Friday or Saturday and report back. Thanks for the input guys

Russell James · 06-23-2020, 06:42 PM

Is it tuned properly before all this happening? To rule out the tune being way rich as the cause of gas in oil.

Gas in oil will show as high oil temp - not lubing well. And as low pressure hot. It should only be 250F when pushing it hard, like a 20 minute track session can easily get you to 270+. But normal easy driving, it should be where you normally see it <230F.

With new oil... start diagnosing the causes of low coolant and gas in oil.

Pressure test cooling system. Will it hold pressure? Put a gas analyzer probe in the top of radiator (create a little space of air by lowering coolant a bit). Idle engine, are hydrocarbons showing up by probe. Or bubbles shown in coolant.

Are the spark plugs sooty black?

If the plugs are sooty black, the ecm is way over fueling. One cause I’ve seen before is low coolant. Look where the coolant temp sensor is... top of #1 cylinder. If an air pocket there...ecm not picking up correct temp. Ecm thinks engine is cold - adds tons of fuel, when it’s actually overheating. Overheating due to an air pocket can crack things - block, head... Cracks can put gas in the coolant, especially at the top of the block. Put a scope camera in cyl #1 look for cracks in cyl wall. Pressurize radiator with camera in there.. watch for coolant running down cyl wall.

My wild guess is a cracked block around the top of #1. Especially if plugs look black sooty from overfueling. it can all start from an air pocket or low coolant. Aluminum blocks hate air pockets. Overheats the top of the cylinder, while the ecm thinks the engine is cold - pouring the fuel to it. Then all the sudden everything is way too hot on the gauges.

If the cooling system was opened recently and not bled out air pockets...might get lucky. But if last time it was opened up, cooling system bled and topped off properly... and now it showed low on the tank...it went somewhere. No external leaks, no coolant in oil... it went out the tailpipe as combustion and got there through a crack. A blown head gasket is obvious, all kinds of warning lights, cloud following you... A little crack can be the culprit that causes weird symptoms... like missing coolant, overfueling (because of sensor placement), erratic temps.

Dbunch9 · 06-24-2020, 03:36 PM

https://imgur.com/dI3Abm0
Here’s what my plugs look like from when I changed them a month ago. I thought they looked fine ��*♂️ Cars had to same tune for over 2 years no issues

xc_SS/RS · 06-24-2020, 08:50 PM

Yeah I would bet it’s the thermostat. Pull yours out and toss it in a pot of water on the stove to see what temperature it opens up at

Dbunch9 · 06-25-2020, 03:17 PM

Ok update, swapped the thermostat and got the car running with the radiator cap off and let as much air out as I could till the coolant temp was steady around 185-195. Went for a ride around the neighborhood and it crept up some, highest I saw was maybe 205-207 and a couple times when it was at 207 the idle oil pressure was around 26-28, lower then usual but not alarming. I think it’s all fixed now and good to go. I live in Orlando FL and it’s 97 feels like 106... so to keep coolant temps under 210, oil under 225 and basically normal oil pressure I feel the issue is solved. I think what happened the other day was my thermostat was just starting to have problems and I caught it immediately, and I noticed today my oil pan towards the front of the car is pretty saucy with oil so I wonder if the temps got a lil warm and it’s Maybe a half quart low on oil so it showed abnormally low oil pressure when it got hot. Sorry I panicked but better safe than sorry! I appreciate everyone’s help and input

InFiD3ViL · 06-25-2020, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dbunch9

Ok update, swapped the thermostat and got the car running with the radiator cap off and let as much air out as I could till the coolant temp was steady around 185-195. Went for a ride around the neighborhood and it crept up some, highest I saw was maybe 205-207 and a couple times when it was at 207 the idle oil pressure was around 26-28, lower then usual but not alarming. I think it’s all fixed now and good to go. I live in Orlando FL and it’s 97 feels like 106... so to keep coolant temps under 210, oil under 225 and basically normal oil pressure I feel the issue is solved. I think what happened the other day was my thermostat was just starting to have problems and I caught it immediately, and I noticed today my oil pan towards the front of the car is pretty saucy with oil so I wonder if the temps got a lil warm and it’s Maybe a half quart low on oil so it showed abnormally low oil pressure when it got hot. Sorry I panicked but better safe than sorry! I appreciate everyone’s help and input

Well hopefully it is solved now. Just keep a close eye on it and maybe take it easy for a little while. And yes, it is disgustingly hot down here now.

Dbunch9 · 06-25-2020, 06:17 PM

Yeah I think it’s good. Gonna change the oil again anyways and see if it helps. If it does keep the pressure up a few more psi back to normal... I need another oil pan gasket which is ridiculous because I put a new one in 2 years ago when I did the cam swap

06-23-2020, 07:55 AM	#16
Greenhornet2 Drives: 2011 Camaro 2SS LS3 Whipple Join Date: May 2019 Location: Connecticut Posts: 1,925	Do what you said and change the oil and look at the filter, the little shavings might just be from rubbing on the dipstick tube. I'd change the tstat or test it to make sure it isn't sticking and check for water pump flow. hot engine cold radiator. I think the lower oil pressure was due to the heat. __________________ Whipple 2.9 CAI ID1050x injectors ZL1 Pump JRE FPCM JMS Voltage booster JRE Rough Idle blower cam BTR .660 springs CHE trunnion kit 1 7/8 Speed Engineering Borla Atak JRE scoop 1.5" lowering springs BMR trailing arms and toe links Cradle inserts 704WHP 603WTQ 93 octane

06-23-2020, 06:42 PM	#18
Russell James Drives: '15 SS 1LE, '69 Z28 drag car Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Mich Posts: 4,482	Is it tuned properly before all this happening? To rule out the tune being way rich as the cause of gas in oil. Gas in oil will show as high oil temp - not lubing well. And as low pressure hot. It should only be 250F when pushing it hard, like a 20 minute track session can easily get you to 270+. But normal easy driving, it should be where you normally see it <230F. With new oil... start diagnosing the causes of low coolant and gas in oil. Pressure test cooling system. Will it hold pressure? Put a gas analyzer probe in the top of radiator (create a little space of air by lowering coolant a bit). Idle engine, are hydrocarbons showing up by probe. Or bubbles shown in coolant. Are the spark plugs sooty black? If the plugs are sooty black, the ecm is way over fueling. One cause I’ve seen before is low coolant. Look where the coolant temp sensor is... top of #1 cylinder. If an air pocket there...ecm not picking up correct temp. Ecm thinks engine is cold - adds tons of fuel, when it’s actually overheating. Overheating due to an air pocket can crack things - block, head... Cracks can put gas in the coolant, especially at the top of the block. Put a scope camera in cyl #1 look for cracks in cyl wall. Pressurize radiator with camera in there.. watch for coolant running down cyl wall. My wild guess is a cracked block around the top of #1. Especially if plugs look black sooty from overfueling. it can all start from an air pocket or low coolant. Aluminum blocks hate air pockets. Overheats the top of the cylinder, while the ecm thinks the engine is cold - pouring the fuel to it. Then all the sudden everything is way too hot on the gauges. If the cooling system was opened recently and not bled out air pockets...might get lucky. But if last time it was opened up, cooling system bled and topped off properly... and now it showed low on the tank...it went somewhere. No external leaks, no coolant in oil... it went out the tailpipe as combustion and got there through a crack. A blown head gasket is obvious, all kinds of warning lights, cloud following you... A little crack can be the culprit that causes weird symptoms... like missing coolant, overfueling (because of sensor placement), erratic temps. Last edited by Russell James; 06-23-2020 at 07:07 PM.

06-24-2020, 08:50 PM	#20
xc_SS/RS Drives: 2010 Camaro SS/RS Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: somewhere in MD Posts: 4,883	Yeah I would bet it’s the thermostat. Pull yours out and toss it in a pot of water on the stove to see what temperature it opens up at __________________ 2010 2SS/RS Z/28 intake, NW, FAST 102, speed engineering LT's, some exhaust, ATI -10% pulley, GM flex fuel injectors, DSX flex fuel sensor, MGW shifter, HP Tuners, some suspension work, stickers and a little weight loss. 12.63 @113.53

06-23-2020, 01:02 AM	#15
Bo White Drives: 2015 Summit White 2SS 1LE Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Vance Alabama Posts: 8,019	Optimum oil temp is 230-260*

06-23-2020, 05:53 PM	#17
Dbunch9 Drives: 2010 Camaro 2SS Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 294	Already bought another 160 t stat cause I forgot they’re only $30, also bought tin snips for the oil filter. I’ll do this when I’m off on Friday or Saturday and report back. Thanks for the input guys

06-24-2020, 03:36 PM	#19
Dbunch9 Drives: 2010 Camaro 2SS Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 294	https://imgur.com/dI3Abm0 Here’s what my plugs look like from when I changed them a month ago. I thought they looked fine ��*♂️ Cars had to same tune for over 2 years no issues

06-25-2020, 03:17 PM	#21
Dbunch9 Drives: 2010 Camaro 2SS Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 294	Ok update, swapped the thermostat and got the car running with the radiator cap off and let as much air out as I could till the coolant temp was steady around 185-195. Went for a ride around the neighborhood and it crept up some, highest I saw was maybe 205-207 and a couple times when it was at 207 the idle oil pressure was around 26-28, lower then usual but not alarming. I think it’s all fixed now and good to go. I live in Orlando FL and it’s 97 feels like 106... so to keep coolant temps under 210, oil under 225 and basically normal oil pressure I feel the issue is solved. I think what happened the other day was my thermostat was just starting to have problems and I caught it immediately, and I noticed today my oil pan towards the front of the car is pretty saucy with oil so I wonder if the temps got a lil warm and it’s Maybe a half quart low on oil so it showed abnormally low oil pressure when it got hot. Sorry I panicked but better safe than sorry! I appreciate everyone’s help and input

06-25-2020, 06:17 PM	#23
Dbunch9 Drives: 2010 Camaro 2SS Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 294	Yeah I think it’s good. Gonna change the oil again anyways and see if it helps. If it does keep the pressure up a few more psi back to normal... I need another oil pan gasket which is ridiculous because I put a new one in 2 years ago when I did the cam swap