Slippage is oil leaking from a pressure outlet to a low-pressure area or back to an inlet. A drain passage allows leaking oil to return to an inlet or a reservoir. Some slippage is designed into pumps for lubrication purposes. Slippage will increase with pressure and as a pump begins to wear. Oil flow through a given orifice size depends on the pressure drip. An internal leakage path is the same as an orifice. Therefore, if pressure increases, more flow will occur through a leakage path and less from an outlet port. Any increase in slippage is a loss of efficiency.
