Slippery Situations
The owner of a twin-engine trawler was concerned because one of his engines consistently had 10 pounds less oil pressure than the other. The engines were identical and had about the same hours. Why would there be a difference, and what was the correct pressure?
Pump it up
The process of efficiently converting fuel into mechanical energy requires precisely machined parts in close proximity, lubricated with a thin film of oil. This oil slows wear and helps cool hot parts.
A geared oil pump gets that oil flowing from the sump throughout the engine the same way our hearts move blood throughout our bodies. As the oil moves through the parts and passages in the engine, pressure builds (measured in pounds per square inch, or psi, in the United States).
If the pressure is too low, those moving parts create friction that can heat them up, swelling them to the point that no oil can pass through. This condition can cause moving parts to fail or the engine to seize. If the pressure is too high, there is likely a clog somewhere that may be starving a critical component of lubricant; or, perhaps, too thick an oil has been used. Oil pressure that is too
