Pump, Engine Oil: Operation: Operation
The engine oil pump features seven vanes and a moving element (1) that continuously adjusts to maintain a regulated oil pressure supply by varying the displacement of the pump. The pump has two regulated pressure stages of operation controlled by an on/off solenoid (2). Low pressure mode regulation (solenoid on) is approximately 200 kPa (29 psi) and high pressure mode regulation (solenoid off) is approximately 450 kPa (65 psi). The Powertrain Control Module (PCM) switches the pump between stages based on engine operating conditions, oil and coolant temperatures, speed and load. Under most typical conditions, the pump will run in low mode from idle up to around 3000 rpm, and switch from low to high mode between 3000 and 4000 rpm.
The maximum oil pressure in the engine is limited to 1000 kPa (145 psi) by the relief valve (3). Pressure in the main oil gallery of the engine can be monitored with diagnostic equipment through the oil pressure sensor mounted on the rear of the oil filter module. The minimum pressure for the engine is 41 kPa (6 psi) at any operating condition. Anything under this pressure could result in damage to critical moving parts.
In high pressure mode regulation (solenoid off) main gallery oil pressure (2) is applied to the moving element (1). The main gallery oil pressure works against spring pressure (3) to move the element to a more concentric location about the pump driveshaft (4) thus reducing displacement and pump output.
In low pressure mode regulation (solenoid on) the energized solenoid opens an additional chamber (1) to main gallery oil pressure increasing the force on the spring (2) to further reduce displacement and output pressure.