3.6L oil pressure at idle

[MagnusWolf89]

Hello, wanted to ask what kind of oil pressure are you guys getting at idle after you drive your jl wrangler with a 3.6L for a while. Mine usually will stay at 30 to 31 psi while cruising and will be at 29 psi at idle until the engine oil temp gets over 200 degrees, then it will drop to about 27 psi and sometimes 26 psi after sitting and idling for a long time. Worried 26 psi may be too low. I use a mopar oil filter and amsoil signature series 0w-20. The jeep is also a 6 speed manual.

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[58Willys]

26 psi is not a proble.

 

[MagnusWolf89]

26 psi is not a proble.

Does yours do the same thing?

 

[Garry in AZ]

I live in Mesa Arizona, and in the hotter months, I also will see mid 20's for oil pressure after I've been driving a while or sitting in traffic. I think the lowest I've seen was 24psi, on a motor with less than 2000 miles on it. (2022 Rubicon)
I had the same thing with my Tacoma, it would idle when hot right around 18 psi, and it was still running strong when I sold it with over 150,000 miles on it.
I wouldn't be concerned about hot idle oil pressure until it dropped below 20psi.

Us older guys and hot-rodders are used to seeing 40+psi at idle, but with these new motors all using 0W-20 oil, it stands to reason those pressures are not going to happen.

 

[MagnusWolf89]

I live in Mesa Arizona, and in the hotter months, I also will see mid 20's for oil pressure after I've been driving a while or sitting in traffic. I think the lowest I've seen was 24psi, on a motor with less than 2000 miles on it. (2022 Rubicon)
I had the same thing with my Tacoma, it would idle when hot right around 18 psi, and it was still running strong when I sold it with over 150,000 miles on it.
I wouldn't be concerned about hot idle oil pressure until it dropped below 20psi.

Thank you, that is what I was looking for, someone who also witnessed the same thing. I live in NC so we see hot weather as well.

 

[zrickety]

Hello, wanted to ask what kind of oil pressure are you guys getting at idle after you drive your jl wrangler with a 3.6L for a while. Mine usually will stay at 30 to 31 psi while cruising and will be at 29 psi at idle until the engine oil temp gets over 200 degrees, then it will drop to about 27 psi and sometimes 26 psi after sitting and idling for a long time. Worried 26 psi may be too low. I use a mopar oil filter and amsoil signature series 0w-20. The jeep is also a 6 speed manual.

My VW low pressure warning is 17 psi...surprisingly they say 6 psi for our engines.

 

[MagnusWolf89]

So I wonder why everyone on other posts says theirs will stay at 29 psi at idle?

 

[zrickety]

So I wonder why everyone on other posts says theirs will stay at 29 psi at idle?

Anything above 6 psi is acceptable.

 

[roaniecowpony]

My VW low pressure warning is 17 psi...surprisingly they say 6 psi for our engines.

That's probably because they could get a good deal on pressure switches with a 6 psi threshold.

My 2018 service manual shows the same table as yours. The OP will be told it's within normal limits.

 

[mwilk012]

You’re going to get a lot of uniformed responses here.

You likely already know the answer.

Your engine has had problems already, right?
And is still noisy?

 

[MagnusWolf89]

So I figured out why my oil pressure was low at 26 psi, when the tech at jeep replaced my lifter tappets he left the oil control solenoid loose for the variable valve lift on bank one, the oil pressure was pushing the solenoid about 1/4 of an inch up from the plastic valve cover and it blew the three o rings out. When I tightened the solenoid back down the oil pressure went right back to 29-30 psi at hot idle. So I took the three broken o rings back to jeep and talked to management to get them to replace the oil control solenoid they left loose. Needless to say they had a very humble look on their face after blowing me off saying 26 psi was normal. I knew there was something wrong with it and finally found it.

 

[mwilk012]

So I figured out why my oil pressure was low at 26 psi, when the tech at jeep replaced my lifter tappets he left the oil control solenoid loose for the variable valve lift on bank one, the oil pressure was pushing the solenoid about 1/4 of an inch up from the plastic valve cover and it blew the three o rings out. When I tightened the solenoid back down the oil pressure went right back to 29-30 psi at hot idle. So I took the three broken o rings back to jeep and talked to management to get them to replace the oil control solenoid they left loose. Needless to say they had a very humble look on their face after blowing me off saying 26 psi was normal. I knew there was something wrong with it and finally found it.

Glad you got it sorted out.

 

[jromanmd]

So Stupid Question...After searching here and other forums, it looks like the 3.6 should have around 30-32 psi.

I just changed my oil for the first time on my 23 Rubi. I stopped doing it for years but after seeing all the horror stories, I opted to just do it myself.

Just wanted to make sure that was normal. Everything seems good and I am happy to get a change at 1600 miles. Some have speculated that its a good idea to change the oil before 3k to get any contaminants out from the Engine Wear In.

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