High oil pressure.. is this bad?

Hey everyone! New to the tundra community. I’ve read a lot about low oil pressure but there is not too much out there about high oil pressure.

At idle it’s a little below the half way mark, when I accelerate even a little it jumps to 3/4, and if I start going 70(2000ish rpms) it goes over 3/4 almost to the top tick. I know technically I’m within operating norms according to the owners manual but would love some advice. My concern is that if I start to haul ANYTHING I’m going to stress the engine to a breaking point.

I did an oil change - nothing. My next thought is the oil pressure sending unit but I’m not sure if it’s that since the gauge moves with rpm’s and acceleration.

trucks info:
AC
2000
4.7 V8
2x4
128,000 miles

I’ve attached a photo of me driving this morning coasting with the oil pressure at 3/4. Granted it was a cold morning..

 

What weight oil are you running?

 

5w-30. I took it to Toyota yesterday to get an oem filter and oil

 

Maybe you have a clogged PCV valve/system and the blow by gas pressure is building up inside the crankcase. If so, not good as it can lead to blowing out oil seals. When was PCV valve tested and or changed? This is a routine maintenance item often overlooked and it's sad because the cost is really low. I would immediately pull out the valve and start it up to see if anything changes, you may get a little mist of oil out of the port so throw a rag over it for containment or if there is a hose leading to the valve just drop the open end into an empty bottle. Good luck!

 

For pro knowledge on the subject @empty_lord....

 

Need some more data here...

so you just bought the truck? it has been showing high oil pressure since you bought it? When the key is on (truck not running), where does the needle sit? Does the oil pressure drop once the motor is warmed up compared to first started cold? What history do you know of the truck, such as if the motor has been rebuilt?

Crankcase pressure doesn't correlate to oil pressure, but you are free to disconnect the pcv to see if that makes a difference.

The only real way to tell what is going on would be to remove the sending unit and put in a temporary mechanical gauge to check the actual pressure.

 

Just got the truck a few days ago. It has been like this since I bought it. When the truck is off the needle drops to below the “L”. When it warms up the oil pressure does go down but not by much.

I’m taking it in to get the timing belt replaced. I asked them to check the oil pressure. I’ll see what they say!

 

Where does it sit after it warms up at idle? Like after your drive, when you put it in park and idle, where is the needle then? My 2000 4.7 at warm idle

 

Idle will typically be right at the half mark. One reason I was concerned is because everyone else typically has low oil pressure where im the opposite

 

Cold oil pressure is always like that, on all vehicles where oil pressure is created by mechanical pump controlled only by crankshaft speed and small built-in pressure relief valve (no computer BS). I.e. this is good and what you actually want to see.

 

Like our own blood pressure - Neither High or Low is Good.

 

Cold, or fully warmed idle?

 

Cold idle is a bit above the half mark. Warm is right at or a little below the half mark.

 

Also, pressure is the result of resistance. It could be plenty of things but I would start by the simplest and check oil pressure with a know accurate gauge. If it normal on the gauge then you move on to the next easiest thing. To me that would be the oil pressure switch. As mentioned above, check your PCV valve or just replace it. If the pressure is high on the gauge then there is a restriction in the oil path.

 

For what it's worth, I switched from 0-20 to 5-20 on my last oil change and definitely noticed a significant oil pressure increase on cold mornings until it warms up.

 

Not overfilled? Cold pressure will be much higher than warm pressure typically. As long as your not pegging the gauge hot, it should be fine

 

I just tried changing out the PCV valve and my oil sending unit. Sadly neither fixed my high oil pressure on the gauge. Do y'all think it might be the gauge or is that unlikely?

 

Might try posting some video footage of the cluster at different temps and RPMS so others can view, compare, and comment or advise further. You could check compression and or do leak down tests in each cylinder to see if one particular cylinder is vastly different than the others. Good luck!

 

It very well might be the gauge. The gauge clusters in the first gens aren't great. Get a gauge pressure reading on it, that will tell you everything.