Oil pressure drops when idling on hill

[xander569]

This has happened three times this week... I am sitting at a red light in town on a really steep hill and the oil pressure dips down to red, light comes on and it says shut off engine now.

Is this normal for sitting on a hill? If I give it some gas the pressure goes back up and the light goes off.

But should I really have to give it some gas while sitting on steep hills? Or is something else wrong here

 

[04ctd]

high mileage usually equals low oil pressure.

on a hill = all oil at one end of oil pan + low oil level = no oil near suction/intake.

so, check your oil level, and report back your oil level & mileage.

hth?

 

[xander569]

It is a very high mileage vehicle, but I checked the oil level and its high it was just changed not long ago.

If you could explain, how does giving it some throttle help if the oil isn't near the suction point? Is this potentially dangerous for my engine?

 

[fire730]

I had to drop the oil pan on an 07 with 36k miles cause the light would come on sometimes. The pan was full of sludge. I cleaned it out and replaced the pickup and it's been fine since. I just got the truck back in the shop for other problems the other day and it now has 45k miles and the light hasn't come on since.

So high mileage or not if you are not the original owner and know if the oil changes were done regularly get it checked by a mechanic or check it yourself before you burn up the motor.

It's really not that hard to drop the pan but I did have that one on a rack. The crossmember unbolts and the pan comes out easily. Better than an OBS.

 

[xander569]

I had to drop the oil pan on an 07 with 36k miles cause the light would come on sometimes. The pan was full of sludge. I cleaned it out and replaced the pickup and it's been fine since. I just got the truck back in the shop for other problems the other day and it now has 45k miles and the light hasn't come on since.

So high mileage or not if you are not the original owner and know if the oil changes were done regularly get it checked by a mechanic or check it yourself before you burn up the motor.

It's really not that hard to drop the pan but I did have that one on a rack. The crossmember unbolts and the pan comes out easily. Better than an OBS.

We've always had the truck and its been babied since day one... But this is something I'll have to check out. Thanks for the help!

 

[fire730]

Since you know the service history of the truck I would try just replacing the sending unit first.

The NNBS trucks don't seem to have issues with the clusters like the NBS trucks did. So I would start with the sending unit.

 

[GM Customer Service]

This has happened three times this week... I am sitting at a red light in town on a really steep hill and the oil pressure dips down to red, light comes on and it says shut off engine now.

Is this normal for sitting on a hill? If I give it some gas the pressure goes back up and the light goes off.

But should I really have to give it some gas while sitting on steep hills? Or is something else wrong here

This is the first time that I have heard of this problem. I would recommend taking it to the dealership and seeing if they can diagnose the problem for you. They will be the best ones to actually see what is going on. Let me know how it goes, or what you figure out.
Breanne
Chevrolet Customer Service