OIL PRESSURE?

[EASTTNROVER]

Reading through all the threads on the topic, varies between 45-60 psi. Mine is reading about 80 most of the time...been driving it for a year this way and never had any issues. What would I have to do to get this right? Is there some underlying issue I will eventually have? Thanks ahead of time.

[LaneRover]

Is higher oil pressure worse? There are folks who would kill to have your 'problem'.

Could be just a difference in your gauge. Early on in Rovers people told me that as long as it was steady not to worry too much if the gauge read a bit too low (or conversely a bit high).

Brent

[thixon]

What weight/type oil are you running? Based on your screen name, I'm assuming your in TN?

Other things that it could be are a bad sending unit, or the guage itself.

[EASTTNROVER]

What weight/type oil are you running? Based on your screen name, I'm assuming your in TN?

Other things that it could be are a bad sending unit, or the guage itself.


I am in CT for now, I am running 10w-30 for the winter, I havent seen any change. I was really wondering if the pressure being too high was a bad thing. I just ordered the spin on oil adapter from AB, and thinking about getting a new sending unit. I was just curious if i was going to be messing something up in the long run... figured if it wasnt broke I wasnt going to mess with it. thanks guys.

[jp-]

An interesting question.

The answer is that too high oil pressure can blow out seals and cause additional oil seepage. If the engine is new, you may not notice any ill effects for some time. Then a seal may blow. Unfortunately, I don't know at what point the pressure reaches the seal danger point. More than likely, the oil pump was built with tight tolerances, or someone has installed a pressure bypass spring that is too stiff. Was the engine originally fitted with an oil cooler?

[jp-]

Another interesting side note, (from watching too much racing) is that high flow (and high pressure) oil pumps were tested in racing engines (Nascar if I remember right) and found to be detrimental to the engines. The bone stock pumps were ideal.

[Terrys]

In theory, as RPM increases, and so does oil pressure. It reality, it will only rise to the point at which the relief valve begins to allow oil to bypass back to the inlet side of the pump. A few things could happen to let the oil pressure rise above the relief pressure; gunk (a lot of it) between the spring Cap and the relief ball, or, plugged oil gallery(ies)
Neither is as likely as a very inaccuarate guage. If you have a guage with British pipe threads, unscrew the electric pressure sender and test it with a mechanical guage for comparison. The Pressure sender, on a Tee with the pressure switch, for the idiot light, is the one that is about 1 1/4" dia, 3/4" high, with a Lucar fitting right in the middle of the top. The idiot light switch is smaller and cone shaped, and apart from the base, is plastic.

[thixon]

My bet is on the bad sender or faulty gauge. Beyond that, the pressure bypass valve in the pump is next, followed by blocked oil gallery (ies). I'm only ordering that based on my own experience (and most of that is with other motors).

As for the pressure question, I don't think 80 lbs is going to hurt much. Like JP, I don't know at what point you'll lose a seal or blow a gasket. However, I can tell you that I built a chevey 383 stoker that made over 450 hp, tons of crank case pressure, and when you let it out the oil pressure would exceed 95lbs. It never blew seals, and blew gaskets more frequently than a normally assembled chevy 350.

Hope this helps.

[jp-]

In theory, as RPM increases, and so does oil pressure. It reality, it will only rise to the point at which the relief valve begins to allow oil to bypass back to the inlet side of the pump. A few things could happen to let the oil pressure rise above the relief pressure; gunk (a lot of it) between the spring Cap and the relief ball, or, plugged oil gallery(ies)
Neither is as likely as a very inaccuarate guage. If you have a guage with British pipe threads, unscrew the electric pressure sender and test it with a mechanical guage for comparison. The Pressure sender, on a Tee with the pressure switch, for the idiot light, is the one that is about 1 1/4" dia, 3/4" high, with a Lucar fitting right in the middle of the top. The idiot light switch is smaller and cone shaped, and apart from the base, is plastic.


Good point, forgot about the possibility of gunk in there.

[EASTTNROVER]

Thanks guys, glad to get the input...we'll see how it goes. Seals blowing... wonder how come I never thought of that? JP- What part of MS do you live in? I just left Biloxi-Ocean Springs about a year ago, that place sucks man.