Previous owner didn't change oil often...
 

Hello,
I got my Z from a previous owner at 50,000 who claimed to change the oil often, and right before I got it. Right away when I first got it, I noticed that there would be a grinding sound on startup, so I looked on here and a lot of people had the same problem, so I didn't think it was related to oil pressure. I drove it for like 4 months and then I noticed after hard driving that oil pressure would dip to like 18. At this point, I booked an oil change and drove it in and the tech was like, 'your oil pressure is LOW'. My question is, given that I drove it for 4 months with low pressure, what can I do in terms of additives or procedures to mitigate the extra wear I caused? How much damage did I actually do?

P.S. I already know I'm a dumbass, so save it.

I will save what I have to say then

as will I, as the caption under your title encompasses it :P

Low oil pressure indicates internal engine problems such as main and rod bearings. These can not be fixed with a $5 bottle of Magic Seal.

Obviously not, but after the oil was changed the pressure is now normal.

But that doesnt indicate whether internal damage wasnt done

vq 35 blocks can be found for about 2-300 dollars, if you swap it yourself, it really won't cost that much, do a compression check before taking out the motor though.

if its normal now and it runs ok f it dont worry about it

agreed. the engine pulls hard to redline and no odd sounds though. I guess I should just keep driving until it manifests some symptoms? I've since changed the oil regularly and driven another 5k miles and it runs perfect.

A oil change fixed low oil pressure. With respect no it did not.

lol, let me clarify exactly what happened. the previous owner used mobil 1 synthetic, and believing that he'd just done the oil change 4 months ago, I went to the mech and when he said 'the oil pressure is low', believing that the engine was burning oil (revup) I told him that I thought it was doing so. He changed the oil to motul of a slightly higher viscocity. Now, the oil pressure reads around 22, 23. I've heard numerous stories of people running mobil 1 and idling at 15 due to its viscosity.

At what engine speed did you see 18psi oil pressure?

The manual says the oil pressure at idle should be at least 14psi. 2K at least 43, and 6K at least 57

Does it still have the grinding sound at startup?

at idle. the grinding sound has dissappeared. That's why I didn't suspect low levels of oil, because I know others have idled at 15, but the oil level was low...

The obvious question is: Why didn't you check the oil level on your previously owned car?

because it was a mistake. I admitted as much in my first post :)

This thread is confusing...

If your oil pressure is now normal after an oil change, and it was low beforehand, I can think of a couple possible causes.
- the oil level was low. Not enough volume of oil to keep the oil pressure up.
- the viscosity of the oil was too low.

I don't think the problem was using Mobil 1. Many owners use it without a problem. My guess is that the oil was just too low. Maybe your Rev-up is burning oil and it had been a while since the prior owner changed the oil? Maybe he didn't put enough oil in during the oil change?

I wouldn't worry about it at this point but just make sure you check your oil level regularly and keep an eye on the oil pressure for a while.

Sounds like your oil was low before you changed the oil. If it got low enough that the pressure sunk and caused grinding thats VERY BAD.

Also why did it get low? Is it burning or leaking?

I would check your oil every week or so and keep some spare in your trunk.

Jeeze all these nut busters.

There is nothing you can do aside from pulling your motor if you want to fix what damage may have happened. Unless you plan on doing so, just keep an eye on your oil pressure/oil level and away you go.

Throw some thicker oil in there once the weather warms up, it will help with sealing things up and will also hold up better to your hard driving. I run Mobil1 15W50 and beat on it all day at the track in 30 degree weather. Just be extra gentle on your car when its still warming up since it takes longer to throw the thicker oil around when its cold. Once it has been warmed up give it another minute or two, then have at her.

thanks everyone!