Tahoe idle oil pressure

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LaxCoachT

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Don't take this lightly. Treat it as a serious matter, diagnose it THEN determine from that if it's not so serious.

First off- verify the condition. As the others mentioned, the gauges and sensor can be faulty. Use a mechanical gauge to verify the pressures. You can connect the gauge to the sensor port. If you do, you might as well have a new sensor on hand to replace it while you're at it.

If the pressure is indeed low, and it onset rather abruptly, dive in to the common cause(s). Low quality oil breaks down and has wilder viscosity swings and a low quality filter can cause a drop in pressure. Or, if the filter clogged up and you're now bypassing it. The Supertech should be okay since it's synthetic, but you still have to start with the easy stuff first. Change the oil and filter with good stuff and observe.

If no change, do the O-ring test. Add two extra quarts to the crankcase and drive somewhere, preferably close and not requiring high RPM, you can put the front into a nosedive, like a shallow ditch or back it up a hill. If the pressure suddenly jumps up to its previously normal range, then you've diagnosed a leaky O-ring. Drain the extra two quarts and plan your repair.

Another possibility with this generation is a cracked head allowing the coolant to mix with the oil in amounts so small that it goes undetected. It sludges up the inside of the engine. Eventually, the pickup screen gets choked off, reducing oil pressure. Do you have to add coolant ever so often, like once a month?
Wondering if this will work for a 2009?

my oil pressure dropped about a month or so ago, now runs 20-35PSI depending on RPM. Had been north of 40psi since I've owned the truck
I'm not hearing any lifter noise, but @ 225K miles I'm thinking the oring is no longer squishy & not doing it's job anymore.

Truck is 4wd, so I gotta deal with the diff to pull the pan.
Thinking about putting a new set of rod bearings in while I'm rummaging around in there.

Thanks for any advice!
Ted
 

Rocket Man

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Wondering if this will work for a 2009?

my oil pressure dropped about a month or so ago, now runs 20-35PSI depending on RPM. Had been north of 40psi since I've owned the truck
I'm not hearing any lifter noise, but @ 225K miles I'm thinking the oring is no longer squishy & not doing it's job anymore.

Truck is 4wd, so I gotta deal with the diff to pull the pan.
Thinking about putting a new set of rod bearings in while I'm rummaging around in there.

Thanks for any advice!
Ted
The 07-14’s have the same o-ring issue and yes you can test it the same way.
 

Joseph Garcia

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Wondering if this will work for a 2009?

my oil pressure dropped about a month or so ago, now runs 20-35PSI depending on RPM. Had been north of 40psi since I've owned the truck
I'm not hearing any lifter noise, but @ 225K miles I'm thinking the oring is no longer squishy & not doing it's job anymore.

Truck is 4wd, so I gotta deal with the diff to pull the pan.
Thinking about putting a new set of rod bearings in while I'm rummaging around in there.

Thanks for any advice!
Ted
When you drop the oil pan, replace the oil pressure bypass valve in the oil pan. This spring can get weak or get sludge in it over time and let oil bleed through at a lower pressure than spec. If you deleted the mechanical AFM parts, you can install an oil pressure bypass valve delete kit.
 
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