What are the hazards of insufficient engine oil pressure?
4 Answers
Engine oil pressure insufficient hazards are: 1. Aggravate abnormal wear inside the engine; 2. Engine bearing seizure, piston burning, mechanical components cannot function normally. The reasons for insufficient engine oil pressure are: 1. Dirty and viscous engine oil prevents the oil pump from sucking and pumping oil; 2. Insufficient engine oil storage; 3. Oil thinning or leakage from engine friction pair gaps. Engine oil, also known as engine lubricant, consists of base oil and additives. It serves to lubricate and reduce friction, assist cooling, seal against leaks, prevent rust and corrosion, and provide shock absorption for the engine.
I just finished fixing my friend's car and ran into low oil pressure issues—this isn't just about a warning light flickering. If the oil pressure doesn't come up, those metal parts inside the engine will grind dry, and you can actually hear the clattering noises. It's especially damaging to the crankshaft bearings and connecting rod bearings; over time, the entire engine might need a major overhaul. The scariest part is sudden pressure loss during high-speed driving—it could lead to immediate bearing failure, with smoke billowing out and the car stalling within a few hundred meters. If you hear rattling noises while driving or the oil light keeps flashing nonstop, get it checked ASAP—chances are the oil pump's about to fail or the filter's clogged solid. Don’t think an oil change alone will fix it; you’ll need a thorough flush with cleaner to clear out all the sludge in the oil passages.
Last time I was driving my old Passat on the highway when I suddenly noticed the engine sounded muffled. I glanced down and saw the oil pressure gauge was almost at the bottom. I quickly pulled over and found out the oil pan had been damaged and was leaking, leaving just a trace of oil. This situation is particularly prone to causing dry friction between the camshaft and cylinder walls, where components that normally float on an oil film end up grinding directly against each other. In a short time, it can scrape grooves into the bearing shells, and in severe cases, the piston rings can even fuse to the cylinder walls. Even if you're lucky enough not to break down, opening up the engine later would reveal it full of metal shavings, with repair costs that could amount to half the car's value. Now, every time I go over bumpy roads, I first check the dashboard—a car with abnormal oil pressure can suddenly stall like it's had a stroke.
Our fleet dreads unstable oil pressure during long hauls more than a tire blowout. When the oil pump fails to deliver, the entire engine struggles, with the turbocharger being the first casualty—its blades spinning at thousands of RPM grind dry and fail. Hydraulic lifters can also seize, causing abnormal valve operation and an immediate power drop. The worst part is the subtle initial symptoms, maybe just slight idle vibration, but they become obvious during hard acceleration. You need a diagnostic tool to read real-time oil pressure: below 1.8 bar for regular cars or 2.5 bar for turbocharged models means a shop visit. I've seen scored cylinders with spiderweb-like scratches on the walls, essentially a death sentence for the engine.
