Why does My Oil Pressure Go Up When I Accelerate? Understanding Oil Pressure!

When cars accelerate, the oil pressure goes up. This is a normal occurrence. But you should know why it happens because the oil pressure is important for the durability of the car engine and for healthy maintenance. So, why does my oil pressure go up when I accelerate? Mainly, this happens because of the higher demand for lubrication when accelerating. However, in this article, we will discuss more on this topic and let you know what happens and why it happens in that instance; accelerating.

What is High Oil Pressure on a Vehicle?

Oil cools down and lubricates all the components in the engine. So, high oil pressure is an important factor in a vehicle. High oil pressure is natural; from that, you can say whether the engine receives proper lubrication and cooling function. The oil pressure will be indicated on the dashboard.

Oil pressure is measured according to how the oil pumps through the passages and channels of the engine. If the engine does not receive an adequate amount of oil or it is on low pressure, the components won’t receive proper lubrication. That will cause additional friction and overheating. So, the engine parts will have a higher possibility to wear.

Symptoms of High Oil Pressure

Although the oil pressure should be high, which is natural, too much pressure will be an annoying issue for the engine. If the oil pressure is above the recommended level, you should take steps to prevent that. So, let’s see what are the symptoms of that to identify them easily.

1. The easiest way to identify this problem is to check the pressure gauge on your car’s dashboard. Contact a professional mechanic to fix the issue if it is above the adequate amount.
2. When there are oil leaks, that can also result in high oil pressure. Usually, oil leaks happen when the seals are blown out due to excess temperature and pressure levels occur in the vehicle. You can see oil spots under the vehicle and can sense the burning smell of oil.
3. Hearing various sounds from the engine is another symptom. When the engine gets overheated due to acceleration, it will cause faults in the engine. And that will make the oil pressure rise up higher.
4. Also, if you notice the vehicle is consuming more oil than before, that might also be because of high oil pressure.

If you witness one of these symptoms, check the engine for high oil pressure causes.

Potential Risks of High Oil Pressure

When there is high oil pressure, that might be a risk for the vehicle. Given below are such potential risks that can happen.

• Blocking of Oil Passages: If your vehicle constantly gets high oil pressure when accelerating, this might block the oil passages due to the collection of debris, sludge, etc., frequently. Then the oil will be blocked from flowing, and it will cause low oil pressure and less lubrication for the engine parts.
• Worn Oil Pump: The oil pump will damage due to high oil pressure. And it will cause bad issues for oil pumping and pressure levels.
• Explosion of the Oil Filter: If the oil pressure is too high, that might even cause an explosion of the oil filter. The engine oil will be lost when that occurs.
• Failure in the Engine: When the engine is subjected to high oil pressure situations, that will damage the parts of the engine, causing malfunctioning and faults in the engine. And it will decrease the efficiency of the engine.

Why Does Oil Pressure Go Up When I Accelerate?

While you are driving, the oil pressure normally goes up to function the engine parts without any faults. When the speed increases, the oil pressure also increases with speed, and the rise of the oil pressure has a direct relationship with your driving pattern and the speed of the vehicle.

When accelerating, you have to put on much effort on the accelerator. And the vehicle starts to increase the velocity with time. Then the engine has to do more work and work efficiently to accelerate or increase the speed of the vehicle. The RPM will increase while the motor of the engine and the fuel pump starts to speed up their work.  

For efficient working, those parts need to be lubricated. So, here comes the oil pumping through its filters and passages to lubricate the engine parts properly. And that’s why the oil pressure keeps rising when the vehicle is accelerating. 

In a nutshell, we can say that oil pressure goes up for proper lubrication of the engine parts when accelerating.

Causes for Oil Pressure to Rise When Accelerate

If you are experiencing excessive or higher oil pressure instances, below are the reasons for that to happen:

• When the oil filter and the passages get dirty due to the deposition of dirt and debris in those parts, that will block the oil flow. So, the oil tries to flow at high pressure to avoid the blockages on its path.
• If the oil you use or the engine is thick, has more viscosity or is higher in density, then that will also cause higher oil pressure because it faces more resistance than oils with lesser viscosity.
• Also, there might be faults in the pressure relief valve for this to happen. If it malfunctions, it will not be able to release the oil properly under adequate pressure levels.
• When you are purchasing the parts for your engine, make sure that you buy or use quality products that are compatible with your vehicle. If not, they might cause malfunctions that might lead to wearing and tearing off, which can result in high oil pressure. 

How to Fix High Oil Pressure in a Vehicle?

To fix the excessive oil pressure of high oil pressure situations, the first thing you should consider is the good maintenance of your vehicle and the engine.

Check for the collected dirt and debris in the oil pumps, filters and passages and clean them out. Regular service is needed fact to maintain the oil pressure at a proper level.

If the oil pressure rises up while you are driving and the dashboard shows signs of overheating as well, slow the speed and avoid accelerating for some time until the vehicle gets cool down.

If your pressure gauge on the dashboard constantly shows high oil pressure levels, there might be a fault in the pressure gauge. Bring your vehicle to a professional mechanic and fix the possible issues that might cause it.

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Video Credits – Aj Montague

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