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8 Things You Should Know About Oil Consumption and Oil Pressure

25 Oct 2019, Posted by McPherson Oil in Oil Tips

As your engine gets older, you may be looking at switching the type of oil you use.  Whether changing brands or viscosity, you’ll need to measure the difference in oil consumption between your original solution and the one you are changing too.  Here are some other things you should know about oil consumption and pressure:

  1. Oil consumption can change in the short term when switching from one product to another of the same viscosity. The consumption should stabilize after about three oil changes and, generally, there shouldn’t be any long-term effects.
  2. When switching from a 15W-40 to a 10W-30 or 5W-30 oil, there can initially be a slight increase in oil consumption. The increase can be higher for older engines.
  3. When switching from a 15W-40 to a 10W-30 or 5W-30 oil, there can initially be a slight increase in oil consumption. The increase can be higher for older engines.
  4. Switching from a CJ-4 to a CK-4 or FA-4 oil may cause oil consumption to decrease over time.
  5. By only tracking oil consumption after making a change in products/ formulations, the new oil’s performance will be more challenging to measure (i.e., the same amount of oil consumption may have been present with the previous oil).
  6. If an oil top-off is more than 3 to 4 quarts/500 to 1,000 miles, it’s on the higher end of oil consumption. If this level of consumption continues to increase, it should be investigated before any after treatment damage is done.
  7. Changes in oil pressure can vary from one engine to another, so there isn’t one standard figure to measure against.
  8. Expect oil pressure to drop when switching from a 15W-40 to a 10W-30 or 5W-30 oil. Changes in oil pressure are not a cause for concern as long as the oil pressure does not drop to <10 psi in driving conditions. As long as there is oil pressure, there is oil flow.

McPherson Oil is an authorized ExxonMobil distributor in Alabama, North and Central Georgia, Arkansas, Florida Panhandle, the greater Chattanooga area and Mississippi and Louisiana Gulf Coast.

Source: ExxonMobil