5.3 low oil pressure

530

Asked by Dkelly46 Jan 09, 2019 at 11:27 PM about the 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LT Crew Cab 4WD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

My 5.3 keeps dropping oil pressure. I have
replaced the oil pressure sensor and the screen
and it ran fine for about 20 minutes then dropped
pressure again. Any ideas what step to take next?

12 Answers

530

I'm going to do a manual pressure test but I believe it's getting normal pressure and oil. Not acting sluggish or running rough and no engine noise. It's got 128k miles

23 people found this helpful.
530

Yes if I put it in neutral and bring the rpms up to like 4k it will bring the pressure gauge up to like 20 pounds then it drops back down. I'm wondering if it could be the relief valve in the oil pump. Seems to be dropping pressure once the truck gets warm. I also live in north Dakota and it's like -7 outside but I have a block heater so should help with oil getting thick

30 people found this helpful.
435

I had a truck exactly like that. It had that problem but ran fine. I unhooked the negative battery cable overnight and hooked it back up and had no more problems, the gauge read 40lbs, and it was fine for the 4 years I had it after that

29 people found this helpful.
510

Listen guys & gals, if your Silverado oil pressure gauge drops to zero, but your truck is running fine, JUST INSTALL AN AC DELCO PF64 OIl filter! My 2010 Silverado LT oil pressure gauge was hovering around zero back up to normal back down to zero. I installed the above mentioned filter and have not had a problem since! Right after installing it, I drove the truck from Ohio to Central Florida and to date still no problems with the pressure gauge! Cheap fix. This will fix the problem for many of you. Good luck

43 people found this helpful.
510

I have a 05 siverado that's been having the low oil pressure problem driving and sitting still changed the sending unit now the pressure is 40 at 2ooo rpm drops to 0 at idil and warning comes on slight tapping noise when running that doesn't go away engine seems to heat up faster than normal doesn't over heat just doesn't take long to get warm I'm not a mechanic please let me know what you think

51 people found this helpful.
340

how long can you drive a 5.3 engine that has a low pressure warning sign on it

34 people found this helpful.
340

Dkelly46. This is a long shot since it’s been a year but what did you find for a fix? I have an 09 Silverado 5.3. Starts up @ 40-45 psi. As the engine warms it will get down to 15 @ idle. 20 while driving. Then trips engine light.

34 people found this helpful.
300

I am having the same problem.. Pressure switch is good, did a mechanical gauge and same. took reading at the filter and it is good pressure (40 at idle) compared to 5 or 10 on top of engine. I replaced the oil pump and still same problem. I did not change the pressure relief valve. Has anyone found that to be a culprit?

30 people found this helpful.
200

I know this is late for a lot of y’all but these 5.3s have a common problem with legit low oil pressure. The pick up tube to the oil pump has a o-ring that gets worn. I’d replace it before anything.

20 people found this helpful.
60

My 2010 just started doing this. This is the first 5.3l I’ve had do it. This motor has 105k. My last 2 5.7L trucks averaged about 10PSI while driving. Both of those trucks ran well over 250k. I was once told Chevy trucks are known for this but will still function properly for many many miles as long as you service it properly. My first 5.7 had 270k and didn’t leak or burn a drop of oil. I know that doesn’t answer the questions. I’ll keep you posted as to what happens with the 5.3L

6 people found this helpful.
60

WrenchTuner9k is correct. The o-ring will suck up one side or compress due to the oil pick- up tube is inserted into the pump at an angle from the factory. To correct this; when replacing the o-ring, shim the supports for the pick up tube with washers to the windage tray. This will allow the tube to be inserted straight in and the o-ring to be flush.

6 people found this helpful.
60

09 Silverado oil pressure dropping off, it did not seem to affect the motor. I wanted to fix it so I added a quart of diesel fuel to the warmed up engine crankcase, let it idle for five minutes shut it off for five minutes, I did this sequence four times, then drained the oil, put in fresh oil and filter, no more oil pressure issues,. I believe the cleaning agents in the diesel as well as the flushing procedure cleaned that filter on the sensor. I now do the diesel flush on every second oil change, I add the diesel let it idle for five then drain it. Bob

6 people found this helpful.

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