Will synthetic oil help stop or slow down dropping oil pressure?

Answer 1

Engine oil pressure depends upon three basic things: volume of oil delivered by the pump, the leakage of the oil from the system (usually meaning bearing clearances), and the viscosity of the oil. Generally, low oil pressure is caused by bearing wear, which increases the bearing clearances, and allows the oil pressure to bleed down excessively, usually showing up at idle with the warning light coming on. I doubt that using a synthetic oil would make any difference unless you're using a higher viscosity oil. Products that claim to raise oil pressure are generally viscosity modifiers- just really thick oil- that tends to retard the pressure leakage. However, using thick oil can cause problems since it can thicken in cold weather and make an engine hard to start. Low oil pressure can be caused by other things, such as: low oil level, a clogged oil filter, a stuck oil pressure relief valve (usually in the oil pump), faulty oil pickup tube (this is the tube that sticks into the oil pan), or even by fuel contamination (some mechanical fuel pumps can leak fuel into the engine when their diaphragms fail, thinning the oil). So it's hardly a simple task to diagnose this condition or rectify it.