Rod bearing and oil pressure 101
05-22-2003, 01:53 AM
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Could someone be so kind as to explain how a bad rod bearing would cause low oil pressure
The oil pump pushes the oil into the engine. The pressure is generated because there is a resistance to this flow. With fresh bearings, the tolerances are tight so there is more resistance to the flow of the oil, higher pressure. With a bad bearing, the clearance between the bearing increases, so there is less resistance to the flow.
Engines also have a pressure release valve to set a limit on the max pressure, without it you would blow out rear/front seals. The pressure release valve is a spring that opens as the oil pressure increase and allows the oil to bypass the engine, this decreases the resistance to the flow so the pressure drops as it opens up.
The oil pump pushes the oil into the engine. The pressure is generated because there is a resistance to this flow. With fresh bearings, the tolerances are tight so there is more resistance to the flow of the oil, higher pressure. With a bad bearing, the clearance between the bearing increases, so there is less resistance to the flow.
Engines also have a pressure release valve to set a limit on the max pressure, without it you would blow out rear/front seals. The pressure release valve is a spring that opens as the oil pressure increase and allows the oil to bypass the engine, this decreases the resistance to the flow so the pressure drops as it opens up.
