Thanks for the tip on the Mike Forte
oil pan adaptor, Bob! I had figured I'd have to cobble up a bunch of brass adaptors, it's good to know that someone else has taken all the guess work out of it for me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bobcowan
Good operating oil pressure should around 45psi or so. It will drop a bit at idle, but not too much. Too much oil pressure is not necessarily a good thing. The oil should be "thick" enough to maintain proper oil pressure. Whatever viscosity that might be. In the winter, you should run a fairly low winter weight. Since we rarely drive our cars in sub-zero temps, a 15W is probably fine.
I use 5W-30 true syntheitc year 'round. Maintaining proper oil pressure isn't a problem. When hot and on the track, it runs about 45-50psi. I tear the engine down every two years. The bearings look excellent after two years of abuse. I replace the bearings (just because) but I'v never had to cut the crank. Obviusly, crank and bearing wear is not an issue. |
I suspect my engine has a high-pressure oil pump and that it is already at the limits of the relief spring once I get the RPM's above an idle. I would rather use a high-volume pump, but for now it has what it has, so I'll deal with that until it is time to tear it down. At this point the only place where I have any oil leaks is the valve cover, so I know the pressure is not adequate to force oil past the front/rear seals, etc. It is totally street driven, and rather tamely for the most part as I know the local police would love to nail me for anything they can....I was on my way to a car show in Beaumont, TX and was stopped by a DPS officer for having an expired registration. It took 2 minutes to show him my receipt from the new registration the day before, but it took an hour to get away from him after that, he was a "car guy" too and wanted to talk cars.
As for the
synthetic oil, I've been a bit reluctant to use it since I put it into a new Mitsubishi Eclipse I bought for my daughter (after 12,000 miles with normal petroleum based oil) and the car developed a severe oil consumption problem. I know it would be better from the standpoint of heat tolerance, and probably from the standpoint of wear protection, but that little experience I had with the
synthetic oils has me afraid to try again.
Once I get the valve-cover gaskets and the thermostat replaced, I'll experiment around with oil viscosities to see which meets the guidelines you posted. I don't mind "only" 45 at full pressure, but would want at least 30 at an idle when at operating temperature.
I once had a '66 Cadillac with the 429CID V-8...the pressure required to illuminate the "idiot light" for low oil pressure was 8PSI, no kidding! I mention that b/c I guess it just illustrates how little oil pressure is required to maintain a decent film on the bearings and other operating parts, but I would still like for the low RPM oil pressure to be better than "minimum".
At some point I plan on installing an Oberg oil filter "downstream" from the canister filter...right now I use Purolator's "99%" efficiency oil filter (reportedly designed for the
synthetic oils), but I like the idea of the Oberg as a "fail-safe" should the bypass function on the canister filter be triggered, and particularly if I were to install an oil cooler in the scoop below the fishmouth (radiator opening).
Cheers!
Dugly
