Low oil pressure at idle?

DOGPOWNDRZ

MEMBER
2001 TOYOTA CAMRY
2.2L
4 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
250,000 MILES

2 months ago, I replaced the oil pump gasket and oil pump seal, I did not replace the crank seal or the cam seal. The oil leak has stopped not leaking a drop. A month later after the job, I started to notice low oil pressure light when idling also when trying to retrieve the PC valve grommet it broke into pieces and fell inside the valve cover. I guess what I'm saying is my problem could be any number of these things right I did run the oil low right before I fixed the gasket maybe was about two quarts to three quarts low. Oil pressure light didn't start coming on until a month or two after the gasket job.

1 Reply

STEVE W.

MECHANIC
13,493 POSTS

Running the engine low on oil could have damaged the crankshaft bearings which would cause low oil pressure at idle. One of the first things to do would be to put a mechanical gauge on it to verify that it really has low oil pressure, and it isn't a bad switch for the light. Once you have determined if it's really low pressure you need to determine what the problem is, A worn pump or worn bearings are the common reasons, The solutions though are generally rebuilding the engine with new parts. If the rest of the engine is in good shape it might be possible to only replace the bearings but with 250K on it I would look over the rest of the car in terms of rust, transmission and the rest before I rebuild or replace the engine. This guide might explain things a bit better than I did:
https://www.2carpros.com/articles/high-or-low-engine-oil-pressure