What is the correct or best oil press

[JRGN]

Wanting to know what the cencious, of what is the correct oil pressure that our cars should be running, reason I am asking is that I have finished rebuilding the motor and broke it in, the oil pressure is high very high with the motor cold it runs about between 60 and 70 at idle and can get up to 90 or better at 2500 rpm when the motor is hot it is 60 to 65, I am running mobil syn 15-50 but on going to use 10-30 syn in hopes to bring the pressure down with a lighter weight oil, the front cover has been sent off to TA performance and was blueprinted and the motor was put together with very tight clearances. What are some of the groups thoughts. Jr.

 

[turboman38]

I have 8000 miles in my rebuild and have a higher volume oil pump in an after market cover. Mine was around 25 when the motor was new @idle with 10W30 in it. I run 10W40 Castrol (non synthetic) and on a very hot day (90 and above) with high humidity my oil pressure is around 15.

 

[ESP Products]

oil pressure

Oil pressure of 80 psi +/- is normal at cold start-up. Hot idle, about 800-900 rpm, should be about 20+/- psi. When cruising at about 60 mph your rpms are at 2000-2300 and your oil pressure will be abour 45 psi. Generally speaking the ouil pressure should rise anout 10 psi for every 1000 rpm.

Hope this helps,
John @ ESP

 

[JRGN]

Re: oil pressure

Originally posted by ESP Products
Oil pressure of 80 psi +/- is normal at cold start-up. Hot idle, about 800-900 rpm, should be about 20+/- psi. When cruising at about 60 mph your rpms are at 2000-2300 and your oil pressure will be abour 45 psi. Generally speaking the ouil pressure should rise anout 10 psi for every 1000 rpm.

Hope this helps,
John @ ESP

Thanks John, the reason is that at hot idle it is 40 psi and when cruising it runs about 60 at 1800 rpm a friend said that when the pressure gets to be above 60 the bypass opens up and bypasses the filter is this true.

 

[PaulRV6]

How does one get that much oil pressure? I am fighting a problem with too little pressure and here you got a concern with too much pressure. Wish I had that concern!!

paul

 

[AZ Vic]

I'd like to know if it bypasses at 60 as well. cold mine pegs at a 100, warms up and at idle is 20-25, 60 at cruise and 85-90 at WOT. That is with 15-50 full syn.

It has a Kenne Bell deep sump (7 qt) pan and high volume oil pump.

If you find out one way or another please let me know...

Thanks,

Vic

 

[Quickturbosix]

If it wont come down cant you just change the spring in the pump?

 

[JRGN]

I talked to TA performance, and they said I could cut a ring of the spring off and that should lower the psi, I have the adjustment screw almost all of the way out and really didn't want to go into the pump assembly, but once the friend said that the oil bypass opens up at 60 or better psi I got a little worried, I surlly don't want to be running unfiltered oil thru the motor or want to be blowing gaskets or better yet a oil filter gasket out of the turbo saver

 

[ESP Products]

Hello again,
To start off, regarding the high PSI situation; what changes have you made? What did you modify, upgrade, or swap? 40psi at idle is too high for us. The By-Pass valve in the oil pump housing has a spring (we usually use 60 psi) that opens to recycle the oil back to the pump. But just like the thermostat in your engine, because it opens at 160 degrees does not mean you will run at 160 degrees. Cold oil will make more pressure.
When up to temp. you should be running 20 +/- psi. Cutting a spring like TA said may correct a symptom, but what is the problem? We suggest finding the problem. Further in the oil pump housing is another by-pass, the oil filter screws onto it (if the cooler was not there), that one will open and allow dirty oil to pass through. That will only open when the oil filter is blocked up.
The high-volume timing cover will not cause the trouble, it's high vol. not high pressure. Our engines run stock and hi-vol. timing covers, thrust plates, new oil pump housings, various cleasances, and the 60 psi spring.

Hope this helps,
John @ ESP

 

[WSLN 6]

I run Castrol 5w50 synthetic and I see 65psi cold, and about 22psi warmed up at idle.

 

[JRGN]

Originally posted by ESP Products
Hello again,
To start off, regarding the high PSI situation; what changes have you made? What did you modify, upgrade, or swap? 40psi at idle is too high for us. The By-Pass valve in the oil pump housing has a spring (we usually use 60 psi) that opens to recycle the oil back to the pump. But just like the thermostat in your engine, because it opens at 160 degrees does not mean you will run at 160 degrees. Cold oil will make more pressure.
When up to temp. you should be running 20 +/- psi. Cutting a spring like TA said may correct a symptom, but what is the problem? We suggest finding the problem. Further in the oil pump housing is another by-pass, the oil filter screws onto it (if the cooler was not there), that one will open and allow dirty oil to pass through. That will only open when the oil filter is blocked up.
The high-volume timing cover will not cause the trouble, it's high vol. not high pressure. Our engines run stock and hi-vol. timing covers, thrust plates, new oil pump housings, various cleasances, and the 60 psi spring.
Hope this helps,
John @ ESP

Thanks John, when I had the motor built I fill like I went with the best stuff I could find and read about on the board, the front cover is a HV from TA performance that had everything that they do to it for better oil flow, other than that the motor was built to pretty tight specs like 1.5 on the mains and rods, it has the cooler that runs the 2 braided lines to the rad (which I got from you) what do you think that would cause such type of pressure. Thanks Jr.

 

[ESP Products]

Good Morning,
One important thing I forgot about. Your gauge, have you checked it? Your hot idle is at 40 and cruise is at 60 'ish, which all sounds good - relatively speaking. Have you considered that your gauge is off?
I had a customer at our shop that lived in Conn. and would not leave until we checked his gauge because his gauge was reading 3-5 psi and hot idle. We told him the gauge was bad and to go home, but he insisted. We let the engine cool, installed a gauge (quickly at 11:00 pm) and showed him the oil was up at 15-17 psi. He thanked us and drive home. So did we, and straight to sleep.

Hope this helps,
John @ ESP

 

[Lee_Burough]

Is 15-50 a good idea?

I'd rather use the factory recommended oil viscosity....That makes oil available a lot more quiclkly on start up, when one third of all engine wear occurs. But I drive mostly in a cruising situation, and do not take it to the track.

Tell me, what do you gain with the higher viscosity oil? The newer cars have tight engines like our 3.8, and they still are recommending 10-30 or 5-30 oils. My neighbor wants to use some 0-30 in his 02 Cobra after he talked to some engineer he knows at FORD. What gives?

Another issue. Experts on the oil boards I've read are not high on multi viscosity oils with a range of more than 20 or 25 between the low and high numbers, meaning the 15-50 or 5-50 will lose its ability to change viscosity as those twisty fibers in the oil break, get chewed up, and broken down.

When those plastic fibers in the oil begin to break down, you're back to the base number viscosity in the oil. meaning you end up with 5 or 10 or 15 weight oil in your engine sooner than you think. If that happens, what have you gained?

Oil pressure is not everything. You want every hole in that engine full of clean, circulating oil. That is best accomplished with lower viscosity oil (oil that will go through the filter when its cold) and a good pump.

I used to use higher viscosity oils to keep the oil pressure up, but stopped when I read that my RAT motor does better with normal viscosity oils for better cooling and lubrication to every small hole in that block.

 

[SYTECH]

Gauge Error

I'll second the gauge error scenario

I had the engine rebuilt in my 87 GN in December of 2002

After a good break in period (3000 miles) I noticed that the oil pressure gauge (VDO) read about 8 psi at hot idle

I had a mechanical gauge hooked up instead of the VDO gauge and the error was 13 psi

Instead of reading 8 psi, the mechanical gauge read 21 psi

I slept alot better after that discovery........

Good Luck

Ray

 

[ThikStik]

Has anyone heard of higher viscosity oils causing turbo to burn oil at idle.? It supposedly can pool inside turbo and get past seals.
My car may be doing this-Im going to a light oil soon to verify.

 

[JRGN]

Originally posted by ESP Products
Good Morning,
One important thing I forgot about. Your gauge, have you checked it? Your hot idle is at 40 and cruise is at 60 'ish, which all sounds good - relatively speaking. Have you considered that your gauge is off?
I had a customer at our shop that lived in Conn. and would not leave until we checked his gauge because his gauge was reading 3-5 psi and hot idle. We told him the gauge was bad and to go home, but he insisted. We let the engine cool, installed a gauge (quickly at 11:00 pm) and showed him the oil was up at 15-17 psi. He thanked us and drive home. So did we, and straight to sleep.

Hope this helps,
John @ ESP

John I checked the gauge tonight at work and it is rite on the money as far as psi goes, so I am going to try a lighter weight oil and see if that does anything different. Thanks again Jr.

 

[FAMLYKAR]

Slippery subject

I agree with lburou, (and not just because he sold me my 87 turbo Ltd )

Here in Wisconsin the national radio guru Matt Joseph-"All About Cars,"is a super scientist and says to never go over a 20 multi-viscous range. He recommends:

1. Synthetic first- far superior lubricity, higher temperature specs, and stays thinner in the cold for easier starting. (Should not start using synthetic after about 50k miles if motor was using regular oil. Synthetic will probably leak because it is "thinner.")

2. 10W-30 is best oil for a Wisconsin all year car.

Any wider range and the oil will not be as slippery. More additive is needed to get the range larger than 20, and the additive is not a good lubricant.

Just my opinion

 

[Red Regal T]

AS OTHERS HERE HAVE SPECULATED, 15W50 IS TOO HEAVY. JUST GO TO THE 10W30 THAT YOU HAVE ALREADY CONSIDERED AND YOUR PROBLEM WILL BE SOLVED. THANKS JOHN!

 

[Red Regal T]

AS OTHERS HERE HAVE SPECULATED, 15W50 IS TOO HEAVY. IT IS WINTER, AFTER ALL. JUST GO TO THE 10W30 THAT YOU HAVE ALREADY CONSIDERED AND YOUR PROBLEM WILL BE SOLVED. THANKS JOHN!

 

[JRGN]

Originally posted by Red Regal T
AS OTHERS HERE HAVE SPECULATED, 15W50 IS TOO HEAVY. IT IS WINTER, AFTER ALL. JUST GO TO THE 10W30 THAT YOU HAVE ALREADY CONSIDERED AND YOUR PROBLEM WILL BE SOLVED. THANKS JOHN!

Drove the car to work tonight so that the motor will be hot when I get home so I can change the oil and go to a lighter weight oil in the morning. Thanks again for all of the replys Jr.