John M. Trindle writes:
> On Sun, 9 Jul 1995, Jon N Swanson wrote:
> > I have a '73 with approx 120k miles on it. Unknown history of any engine
> > rebuilds. I currently have 10W40 oil in it. When I start it cold it keeps
> > the oil pressure up around 60psi constantly. After it warms up, it holds
> > 50psi for 3000RPM+, 40psi for 2000RPM, and drops to 15psi (gulp!) or so
> > (tough to read the guage that low...) when idling around 1000RPM.
> >
> This is normal. The oil pressure relief valve should limit your reading
> to 70 psi when cold.
>
> The rule of thumb is 10 psi for every 1000 rpm.
Uh-oh. Does anybody know why I get
- 75 psi at cold idle
- 50 psi at hot idle (well, actually 1000 rpm)
- 70 psi at anything above idle on a hot engine
(Bone-stock and mostly original [like, I replaced a few gaskets] '74 18V.)
I can think of two scenarios:
1. I have an incredibly sturdy and well-cared-for engine which, even
though it has 114K on it, is far from needing a rebuild.
2. My gauge is flaky.
(I suppose both could be true. Unlikely, but it could happen.)
Related question: Why does my gauge oscillate between 50 and 70 psi at
hot idle? This only happens maybe 30% of the time, and I haven't been
able to correlate it to anything.
--
Todd Mullins
todd@nutria.nrlssc.navy.mil On the lovely Mississippi (USA) Coast
'74 MGB Tourer
"A life lived in fear is a life half lived."
|