Skip to Content

What Causes High Oil Pressure In A Chevy Truck? [ Reasons To Know ]


High oil pressure in your truck can be detrimental to its functioning. In case you notice that your Chevy truck is encountering high oil pressure issues, it’s imperative to find the reasons and fix the issue.

In car engines, high pressure of oil can cause internal issues in the vehicle. While oil happens to be an indispensable element in your car, it’s imperative to maintain the right oil pressure.

In this article, you will learn the common reasons for your Chevy truck might have high oil pressure. Besides, we will explain the symptoms which would help you identify the issue.

What does high oil pressure mean?

As a Chevy truck owner, you should have noticed that your vehicle has several small channels and passages throughout it. The engine oil works in order to seal, lubricate, clean, and cool down the truck.

At times, these channels tend to construct. As a result, the oil tends to come under pressure. Due to the impact of this excessive pressure, different parts of the vehicle start sustaining damage.

To prevent this wear and tear, it’s important to maintain the right pressure level in your truck’s oil. High oil pressure in your truck can lead to serious issues, like passage blockages.

What causes high oil pressure in a chevy truck?

High oil pressure in your Chevy truck tends to be a severe issue. So, you need to inspect some areas and fix the problem. We have briefed up the common issues, so that you can inspect the oil pressure in your truck and make it ready to hit the road.

1. Blocked or clogged filter

High oil pressure in your Chevy truck might stem from a clogged, blocked, or damaged oil filter. In most cases, this happens if the oil filter in your truck is old. However, if your oil filter sustains a blow due to a moving object during driving, this can also happen to new filters.

You can easily fix a clogged or blocked oil filter. You need to change the oil and replace the filter to address the issue.

2. Wrong viscosity in oil

Choosing an oil with the right viscosity level for your Chevy truck is crucial. In case you use the wrong oil in the engine, it can lead to high oil pressure. Make sure to adhere to Chevrolet’s recommendations when choosing the engine oil.

3. Wrong oil pressure sending unit

The pressure-sending unit of your Silverado dispatches a signal to the PCM (Powertrain Control Module). It informs the module about the appropriate pressure of oil in the engine. In case this sending unit starts malfunctioning, the reading would be false. Eventually, this leads to a high pressure reading.

It is easy to replace this unit, as the engine components would be working perfectly fine. What you need is a manual gauge to measure the oil pressure. Jack it into the port where the normal oil pressure sending unit is present.

This way, you can get the correct oil pressure reading in your Chevy truck. In case it is the same as the reading of the electrical oil pressure unit, you need to get the issue diagnosed.

However, you need to work on the sending unit with normal reading. Check the wiring harness around the component, ensuring that it doesn’t have any damage or crack.

You need to ensure that the component remains plugged into the sensor tightly. The contacts should not have any sort of corrosion. Replacing the sensor would help in these situations.

4. Cold start

When you start the truck initially, it might have a high oil pressure. It’s natural for the fluid to remain thicker in these situations. Until you warm the engine up, the pressure would remain higher.

Gradually, it would start thinning up. After the engine warms up, you would notice the oil pressure coming down to around 40 pounds. Initially, it might be as high as 65 pounds. However, if you notice the oil pressure remaining high consistently, you need to address the issue to a mechanic.

5. Problem in pressure relief valve

The function of the pressure relief valve in your Chevy truck is to direct the oil in case the pressure mounts up drastically. However, at times, the pressure relief valve might be stuck closed. The oil would continue rising, as it wouldn’t find any other place to accommodate itself.

6. Blocked oil passages

Debris and grime tend to develop around the passages around the engine. At times, these accumulations grow so dense that the oil passages develop blocks.

In these situations, you don’t have any easy solution around to bail out your engine. Although experts recommend flushing the system in these conditions, it might not work too well.

Is it OK to drive with high oil pressure?

No, you shouldn’t drive with a high oil pressure in your engine. Excessive pressure from the oil can blow the oil filter off or rupture it. This occurs when mostly Chevy truck drivers use a thick oil to start a cold engine.

It’s normal for the pressure relief valve to falter in these situations. Extra oil pressure tends to overload the drive mechanism of the oil pump to such an extent that the shaft breaks or the gears sustain damage.

Besides, driving your Chevy truck with high oil pressure might lead to the leakage or failure of the gasket, or dislodge the seals.

When you don’t have a proper bypass valve in the truck’s oil filter, it might cause a collapse of the filter medium under excessive flow rate and pressure. Apart from this, it results in a wastage of power as the oil pump remains under high pressure.

How do you fix high oil pressure in a chevy truck?

We have discussed all the reasons leading to high oil pressure in your Chevy truck in this article. As you note, there can be different reasons that cause this problem.

The solution to high oil pressure issue in your truck largely depends on the cause of the technical glitch. Accordingly, the solution can be simple or complicated.

  • In case you have issues like blocked oil passages, you might not be able to sort out the issue yourself. However, you may try and check whether you have cold start problems. As we have explained, you can find a solution to the problem when the pressure comes down.
  • If the problem lies in the oil pressure sending unit, you may have to get the component replaced.
  • Also, you need to use oil of the most appropriate viscosity in the engine. With all these basics right, you can do away with high oil pressure issues in your Chevy truck.


Before we conclude, it’s worth noting that the engine oil you use directly affects the oil pressure. This explains why Chevrolet has recommended a specific type of engine oil for its trucks.

It would be advisable to follow these instructions to ensure proper functional conditions for your truck. Excessive viscosity of the oil would make the engine struggle, as the oil wouldn’t easily move to all the passages. This would eventually lead to a spike in the oil pressure.

Also, choosing a low-viscosity oil implies that you might have overheating issues with your engine. Besides, a thinner oil would fail to protect all the components and eventually leak.

In the first place, truck owners need to follow the prescribed instructions of the brand when it comes to the oil selection. In case you face high oil pressure issues in the engine even after that, you need to address the issue to your mechanic.