Oil Pressure

[Staggard]

You can get away with a piston nipping up through overheating but seizing through lack of oil/pressure wrecks an engine and affects all contact surfaces.

[milothedog]

Ian - are the SOC saying the oil pressure warning light is of no use? Surely not. Once started the oil light goes out and never comes on (and neither does the ignition light) until the engine is switched off. I accept you point about trashing a crankshaft and I certainly don't have a spare £500 to spend. But what is the point of of the warning light otherwise?
Nigel

Robin, my comments are based on the pressures you quote in your previous post. They are, not to put too finer point on it, very low and signs of a an engine that needs some TLC.

Sorry if I have given you cause to worry but if it were my car with those pressures I would be investigating the cause and rectifying it.

For what it's worth, my car with a rebuilt engine has 40 psi idle and 55si+ when cold and 20psi idle (@700 rpm) and 55psi hot at >2500 rpm

As regards the oil light, in the trade they are know as Too late lights

Ian.

[Staggard]

The warning light flickering on tick over could help you save the engine. If it comes on doing 70 mph its generally too late that's why its IMO necessary to fit a gauge.

[StagJonno]

Not forgetting the difference that the oil type has (as I've learnt from this Forum). I'm currently on Magnatec 10W/40 and getting 42 - 45psi above 2,000 rpm when hot. Idle is 15psi. My experienced mechanic friend reckons this is fine. Next oil change will be VR1 when I'm led to expect that both figures will be higher.

Jonno

[milothedog]

The warning light flickering on tick over could help you save the engine. If it comes on doing 70 mph its generally too late that's why its IMO necessary to fit a gauge.

Back in the good old day's a 50/50 mix of engine oil and EP90 was enough to get a car in and through the auctions

I bet we could tell each other many stories from back then Graham

[milothedog]

Not forgetting the difference that the oil type has (as I've learnt from this Forum). I'm currently on Magnatec 10W/40 and getting 42 - 45psi above 2,000 rpm when hot. Idle is 15psi. My experienced mechanic friend reckons this is fine. Next oil change will be VR1 when I'm led to expect that both figures will be higher.

Jonno

I think you will be happy with your future investment Jonno.

[Staggard]

Back in the good old day's a 50/50 mix of engine oil and EP90 was enough to get a car in and through the auctions

I bet we could tell each other many stories from back then Graham

I hope you not saying that I would be involved in putting sawdust in diff's and boxes as if

[milothedog]

I hope you not saying that I would be involved in putting sawdust in diff's and boxes as if

A different heat range plug with a thread extension on it, on a cylinder that was prone to oiling up and causing a misfire

[RobinLegin]

Robin, my comments are based on the pressures you quote in your previous post. They are, not to put too finer point on it, very low and signs of a an engine that needs some TLC.

Sorry if I have given you cause to worry but if it were my car with those pressures I would be investigating the cause and rectifying it.

For what it's worth, my car with a rebuilt engine has 40 psi idle and 55si+ when cold and 20psi idle (@700 rpm) and 55psi hot at >2500 rpm

As regards the oil light, in the trade they are know as Too late lights

Ian.

The oil pressure on the Grey Lady is meant to run at 25 lbs psi when hot. I use Penrite Shelley light which I was thinking I would also use in the Stag. But see Valvolene is often the preferred choice.

Ian you now have made me worried that I need to install an oil pressure gauge - and those oil leaks!

Nigel

[milothedog]

The oil pressure on the Grey Lady is meant to run at 25 lbs psi when hot. I use Penrite Shelley light which I was thinking I would also use in the Stag. But see Valvolene is often the preferred choice.

Ian you now have made me worried that I need to install an oil pressure gauge - and those oil leaks!

Nigel

I thought you were referring to the stag hence my comments. Oils leaks such as you have are not going to affect pressure as long as it has enough oil to register on the dipstick level marks

[davidf]

At the risk of being very repetitive, there is an issue with the design of the oil pump relief valve spring which opens at too low a pressure. Search for previous posts; Seaking recently had some new ones made to a design I had years ago.

[Mrs hoskins]

Having finally got my oil pressure gauge fitted, my pressure is 15lbs at idle, and 40lbs at 60mph. She runs ok, does a pint of oil every 500 miles and doesn't leak any. Do I need to panic !? My last stag , admittedly with a V6 ford engine , did 30,000 miles at 30lbs . Any thoughts ?

[jleyton]

No need to panic That's about the same as mine which, although not brilliant, will do me for now.

However, watch out for pressure at tickover on a hot day after a hard run.

Are you using VR1 ? - although it's not helped mine, some report an improvement in pressure with this.

Cheers

Julian

[jbuckl]

oil pressure gauge in a stag = worry gauge

(incremental to stag paranoia)

I fitted one for initial start after rebuild..... took it off after run in

Having finally got my oil pressure gauge fitted, my pressure is 15lbs at idle, and 40lbs at 60mph. She runs ok, does a pint of oil every 500 miles and doesn't leak any. Do I need to panic !? My last stag , admittedly with a V6 ford engine , did 30,000 miles at 30lbs . Any thoughts ?

[mole42]

Pretty much the same as mine too although mine's 45 hot in normal driving, 15 hot at idle. I'm using VR1 which did improve the pressure a bit but I'm not sure it's a feature of that particular oil, it might just have been a 'new oil' effect!

Richard