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Oil Pick-up tube/screen...clean or replace?
- Thread starter Dave138
- Start date
Dave138
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Phoenix, Arizona
I can't say that I saw much of a difference. I had the mechanic that I brought it to for the pressure test do an oil change while they were at it and I specifically asked for 10w30. I don't think I'll be going back there. I'm thinking about trying Rotella 15w40.
ParadiseXJ
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Paradise, CA 95969
5w/20 is for Hondas. Toyotas and Nissans. Drain that oil, run some MMO through the system, and get some 10w/30 at least, 15w/40 even better, especially for a high mileage XJ. Change the filter out for the quality filter. When I did this, my pressure improved (a lot) immediately.
I would recommend the Shell Rotella T5 Synblend 10w-30 with a NAPA Gold filter. The T5 10w-30 is about 20% thicker but still thin enough to be called a 30w. 15w-40 is probably fine in Phoenix. It wouldn't be the greatest for cold starts in higher elevations/colder climates for year round use. Rotella T6 5w-40 is better for that.
old_man
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Loveland, Colorado
I like the Rotella 15w40. My stroker had low oil pressure from day one. It has never caused a problem. I switched to the Rotella 15w40 and my hot idle is around 20 and hot drive is around 45. I have a high lift cam and the extra ZDDP in the Rotella is welcomed. I have around 170k on the stroker now.
Green Mesa XJ
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Pensacola, FL
X2
I use rotella t6 in a 300k 4.0 and the in-laws gunked 08 v6 with good results, also the Subaru wrx guys also swear by it.
used to get it from Amazon subscribe and save but their prices recently jumped.
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Dave138
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Phoenix, Arizona
Ok, so here's what I've done so far; sorry if this is long winded, I appreciate any feedback that is offered.
I came to the conclusion that if I'm going to go through the trouble of dropping the pan and replacing the gasket, then I may as well put a new pump in there (maybe a hv.) Since that's not a financial possibility at the moment I chose to try a cheaper solution a put some thicker oil in there. I replaced the cheap filter with a NAPA Gold and changed the oil using 4 quarts of Rotella T5 15w40 and two quarts of T5 10w30 (that's what wal-mart had and I was a little apprehensive about the 15w40 anyway.)
Drove it around for about an hour locally and this is what I found:
Cold start: 45psi
Cruising at 50mph approximately 1400rpm: danced between 20 and 30psi
2000rpm: 40psi
While driving around a dirt road with some minor hills it went up and down a bit but mostly stayed around 20psi.
After trip in the driveway
Hot idle: just over 10psi
holding throttle at 1600rpm: 35psi
I'm hoping that the dash gauge is reading just lower than actual, and I know that I have to clean the connections for the cluster considering that my speedometer goes all willy-nilly sometimes and I need to hold down the trip meter just to get the cluster to come on after I start her up. I plan on replacing the sending unit and buying a cheap mechanical gauge; I no longer trust the mechanics that I had check it previously.
Any thoughts are appreciated.
I came to the conclusion that if I'm going to go through the trouble of dropping the pan and replacing the gasket, then I may as well put a new pump in there (maybe a hv.) Since that's not a financial possibility at the moment I chose to try a cheaper solution a put some thicker oil in there. I replaced the cheap filter with a NAPA Gold and changed the oil using 4 quarts of Rotella T5 15w40 and two quarts of T5 10w30 (that's what wal-mart had and I was a little apprehensive about the 15w40 anyway.)
Drove it around for about an hour locally and this is what I found:
Cold start: 45psi
Cruising at 50mph approximately 1400rpm: danced between 20 and 30psi
2000rpm: 40psi
While driving around a dirt road with some minor hills it went up and down a bit but mostly stayed around 20psi.
After trip in the driveway
Hot idle: just over 10psi
holding throttle at 1600rpm: 35psi
I'm hoping that the dash gauge is reading just lower than actual, and I know that I have to clean the connections for the cluster considering that my speedometer goes all willy-nilly sometimes and I need to hold down the trip meter just to get the cluster to come on after I start her up. I plan on replacing the sending unit and buying a cheap mechanical gauge; I no longer trust the mechanics that I had check it previously.
Any thoughts are appreciated.
Cheap mechanical gauges can be inaccurate. I would test before making any decisions on what it tells you. They do have some better ones and some also have long enough hoses that you can leave it in the vehicle, tucked in by the fuse box or something like that without restoring to tons of zip ties. That way you can quickly pull over, pop the hood and check it at operating temperature. Your throttle test at 1600rpm is marginally low, spec is 37 psi. I had no success with NAPA oil pressure sensors on my 97. I went Mopar to get one that didn't dance around and float down to about 10 psi at idle. What is the oil pressure at 2000-2500 RPM? At this point I wouldn't spend any money on parts until you figure out if there's even an issue.
Last edited:
Dave138
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Phoenix, Arizona
Hey, thanks for replying. 2000-2500 was around 45-50. I didn't see the gauge go over 50psi the entire trip.
You could get a decent oil pressure gauge and test, but.. I will say on my 1997 it was dancing around 10-15 psi hot idle when I bought it. It ran very good so I guessed it was the sending unit. Oil pressure doesn't really dance. ;-) I put a good mechanical gauge on it which confirmed it. Two NAPA sending units later, both returned as defective, I bought one from Mopar and now have 20-25 psi indicated at hot idle. It never reads higher than 50 either. I was able to use a NAPA sending unit on my 2001. I wouldn't loose much sleep over it.
Green Mesa XJ
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Pensacola, FL
I had trouble with sending gauge in with the 2.8, I think it was because I ran a can of restore, aftermarket senders would fail after a sort while, problem solved with a mopar sender which luckily had the same threading as the gm motor.
The numbers seem a little low iif accurate but responding in the right way for temperature. It could be the sender I guess. But if it is running well and not making a clattering sound like is has no oil at the hot temperatures, you might just keep running it as is. Unless you know there is a problem.
If your really concerned get a good mechanical gauge at verify, and/or a mopar sender. Changing the oil pump isn't a bad idea I'm not sure you need to.
Besides the gauge reading are there any other symptoms?
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The numbers seem a little low iif accurate but responding in the right way for temperature. It could be the sender I guess. But if it is running well and not making a clattering sound like is has no oil at the hot temperatures, you might just keep running it as is. Unless you know there is a problem.
If your really concerned get a good mechanical gauge at verify, and/or a mopar sender. Changing the oil pump isn't a bad idea I'm not sure you need to.
Besides the gauge reading are there any other symptoms?
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Dave138
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Phoenix, Arizona
So I bit the bullet and I bought a MOPAR sending unit from a dealership for about $70 and threw that in. Looks like I should have started there because this is what I got from driving around for about an hour today...
Cold start: 50psi (did not see it get any higher than this)
Stayed at about 40-45 psi consistently until it warmed up and dropped to about 31psi at 1500rpm with cruise control on.
2000-2200rmp: 40-45 psi
When I pulled back into the driveway it idled at about 15psi with the engine temp just over 210. I held the throttle at 2000 for a few seconds, then 1600 to get those numbers. After that it held idle at 20psi.
It would appear as if I was over-reacting?
Cold start: 50psi (did not see it get any higher than this)
Stayed at about 40-45 psi consistently until it warmed up and dropped to about 31psi at 1500rpm with cruise control on.
2000-2200rmp: 40-45 psi
When I pulled back into the driveway it idled at about 15psi with the engine temp just over 210. I held the throttle at 2000 for a few seconds, then 1600 to get those numbers. After that it held idle at 20psi.
It would appear as if I was over-reacting?
Dave138
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Phoenix, Arizona
No strange sounds or anything that I've noticed. The only "symptom," which I'm guessing was nothing, was the last time that the gauges light came on I was driving in some deep sand and noticed an odor like hot metal, but still no noises and the engine temp was just 210 or a little under that. I have some 1" hood spacers in and I'm guessing that I was just smelling the hot engine since I had the windows down and we weren't moving. I shut the engine down for a minute or two before starting it back up, at this point the pressure gauge went back to 20psi.
Your oil pressure is about 5 psi lower under certain circumstances, but I wouldn't lose much sleep over it. Just drive it and keep up on the oil changes. My 97 XJ with unknown history does a bit better than yours, but not as good as my 01 XJ which has known history since it left the dealership, a different sensor and a different computer.
