A few weeks ago, I noticed that the oil pressure was lower then usual in my 96 Yukon. (162K miles) I had the oil filter changed and the crankcase filled with oil. The reading was a little better, 20psi to 25psi. It ran around 40psi since I bought the Yukon five years ago. In hindsight I should have had my local mechanic check out why the pressure had dropped. However, I think the bearing damage was already done and catastrophic engine failure unavoidable.
I started on a trip of 200 miles. About 15 miles into the drive I passed a couple of cars and didn't notice anything unusual. As I was passing an 18 wheeler, I suddenly noticed about half way into the pass that I was not gaining on the truck so I braked and pulled in behind. When I stepped on the gas to keep up speed there was no acceleration. WTF, I looked down at the instruments and realized the engine had quit so I pulled over to the shoulder. The engine started right up but I there was zero oil pressure. I checked the oil level in the pan and it was full.
I called my local mechanic and he came out and towed me back into his shop. It was now 4:30pm on Friday of Labor Day weekend 2015, so he didn't get to work on it until today, Tuesday. He called me and the news was not good. The crank and piston arm journals were spun and who knows what else. The engine needs to be replaced at a cost just south of 5,000 dollars. It's not worth trying to find out why this happened. Low oil pressure is serious and should have a loud alarm warning the driver to immediately have a mechanic discover why. By the time I noticed the low pressure, I believe, the damage was already done.
A few weeks ago, I noticed that the oil pressure was lower then usual in my 96 Yukon. (162K miles) I had the oil filter changed and the crankcase filled with oil. The reading was a little better, 20psi to 25psi. It ran around 40psi since I bought the Yukon five years ago. In hindsight I should have had my local mechanic check out why the pressure had dropped. However, I think the bearing damage was already done and catastrophic engine failure unavoidable.
I started on a trip of 200 miles. About 15 miles into the drive I passed a couple of cars and didn't notice anything unusual. As I was passing an 18 wheeler, I suddenly noticed about half way into the pass that I was not gaining on the truck so I braked and pulled in behind. When I stepped on the gas to keep up speed there was no acceleration. WTF, I looked down at the instruments and realized the engine had quit so I pulled over to the shoulder. The engine started right up but I there was zero oil pressure. I checked the oil level in the pan and it was full.
I called my local mechanic and he came out and towed me back into his shop. It was now 4:30pm on Friday of Labor Day weekend 2015, so he didn't get to work on it until today, Tuesday. He called me and the news was not good. The crank and piston arm journals were spun and who knows what else. The engine needs to be replaced at a cost just south of 5,000 dollars. It's not worth trying to find out why this happened. Low oil pressure is serious and should have a loud alarm warning the driver to immediately have a mechanic discover why. By the time I noticed the low pressure, I believe, the damage was already done.
- Earl R., Holdrege, NE, US