Crazy high oil pressure on today's cars?

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Bonnewagon

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So I spent a lot of time installing my antique Hawk brand oil pressure gauge into my 2005 Sunfire with a 2.2 Ecotec motor. When I started the motor the 80 psi gauge pegged!?! I shut it down and looked up the specs in the factory manual. "Minimum" pressure for a warmed up motor @ 1000 rpm is 50- 80 psi!?! Holy cow! That's crazy- I'm not used to that. In fact hot idle was around 600 rpm and the pressure was still 45 psi.. Is this the new normal? Some oil pump!
P7030443_zps9sfscvxo.jpg
 

TURNA

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Did you put the sender between the 2&3 cylinders/ the is the most accurate spot on those engines.
 

Bonnewagon

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No, I used the stock pressure sender spot back by #4. It is just an on/off idiot light sender and I need a real gauge. Where else is there a spot? I saw only one other possible spot by #1. There was an Allen head plug that looked like it was in the oil gallery.
 

pontiacgp

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I think the higher oil pressure reading come from closer tolerances in the new engines
 

Bonnewagon

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Steve- maybe- but remember when the average V-8 had about 10 psi at idle? Why it threw me was that when I had the same gauge in my '99 Sunfire it only hit 70 psi with 20-50 oil cold. Hot it dropped to 30 psi and 60 psi @ 3000 rpm was normal. That 2.2 motor is not all that much different from the new 2.2.Both require 5-30 and advise against heavier oil.
 
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TURNA

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Do you know where the balance shaft is? At that level follow it down the side of the block between 2&3 there should be a plug there.

The oil galley's are smaller in the head then in the block and that causes the high pressure readings. from what I was told.
 

TURNA

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Steve- maybe- but remember when the average V-8 had about 10 psi at idle? Why it threw me was that when I had the same gauge in my '99 Sunfire it only hit 70 psi with 20-50 oil cold. Hot it dropped to 30 psi and 60 psi @ 3000 rpm was normal. That 2.2 motor is not all that much different from the new 2.2.Both require 5-30 and advise against heavier oil.


Yes never use anything higher than 30W in these engines.
 

Bonnewagon

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Turna- which side? Front or back? I have 2 of these and yet not much wrench time. I did a thermostat on one and I had to remove the exhaust manifold just to get at it.
 

L67ss

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Steve- maybe- but remember when the average V-8 had about 10 psi at idle? Why it threw me was that when I had the same gauge in my '99 Sunfire it only hit 70 psi with 20-50 oil cold. Hot it dropped to 30 psi and 60 psi @ 3000 rpm was normal. That 2.2 motor is not all that much different from the new 2.2.Both require 5-30 and advise against heavier oil.
Actually they were engineered for 10w30. The 5w30 was an attempt at added mpg
 
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