What happens when engine oil gets too hot?

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asked Mar 22, 2020 in Other-Cars/Transportation by Gage654 (320 points)
What happens when engine oil gets too hot?

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answered Mar 22, 2020 by Shelde (49,390 points)
When engine oil gets too hot the engine oil thins out and as the engine oil continues to get too hot the engine oil then degrades.

When that happens the engine oil loses it's ability to properly lubricate the engine parts which can then lead to a seized engine.

Oil naturally gets hot and thins out which can cause the oil pressure to drop but if the oil thins out too much then it can not lubricate the engine properly.

If you notice your engine oil getting too hot then you need to shut the engine down to prevent damage to the engine.

An engines oil pressure reading should be a minimum of between 25 PSI to 65 PSI.

When you first start the engine the engine oil pressure should be around 60 PSI to 65 PSI but sometimes it may be a little lower than that and it's okay if it is.

But as your engine warms up your engine oil pressure can naturally drop because as the engine oil warms up the oil gets thinner which creates less pressure.

So you might see the oil pressure drop to 40 PSI or even as low as 20 to 25 PSI.

My engine oil pressure in my truck is at 60 PSI when I first start the engine but after I drive for around 20 minutes and the engine heats the oil up the oil pressure actually drops to around 5 PSI which is not great but it's still in the safe zone.

As engine bearings get miles on them and wear out they increase the clearances which can cause a drop in engine oil pressure.

As long as you got at least a few lbs of oil pressure you should be good to go.

If your oil pressure drops to actually zero then you'll hear tapping noises in the valves which means you should shut the engine off.

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