oil pressure

[chevy94ss]

hey guys.. ive got an 85 cutlass w/ a sbc (it was in it when i bought it) with only 6,*** mile on it so far. anyways when cruising the oil pressure is good, about 30-50 psi. when the engine is warm and been running for atleast 30 min. the oil pressure sits at less than 10 psi. btw new walmart oil press. gauge w/ sending unit put on when motor was put in. is this normal or anything i need to check. any ideas are appreciated.

btw... my timing chain cover gasket is leaking a little bit (will change it as soon as time allows) would this affect the oil press. any?

 

[1fast87olds]

try changing ur oil see what that does it could be the oil is thinned out just my 2 cents

 

[87GP]

You didn't say what grade oil you have in there or what the outside temp is.

Just to give you an example, I changed the oil in my 71 ford torino gt conv with a 351C 4v and used castrol gtx 10-30. Had some laying around from the case I bought. On startup I had almost 60psi. Drove it around a little and it came down to 20-30. After about an hour in temps in the mid 90's it dropped down to maybe 5psi in gear at idle. So then I got out my manuals and read that I should be using 20w-40 above 32*. So after an other oil change things are back to normal.

And be sure to use a premium brand instead of the blue light special. For the $5 savings it's not worth worrying about.

 

[chevy94ss]

sorry about the info.. im using castrol gtx 10w 40(which i use in all my cars, 94 impala ss and my old 93 suburban) and the temps outside are in the lower 100's. so what brand and weight would you reccomend?

 

[mrapii]

I would try a 20W-50 good brand name oil and I would almost guarantee that your hot idle oil pressure will increase to an acceptable level.

 

[Footbrake]

oil

Yes 20/50 is a good oil for viscosity, also a Fram HP series filter will maintain good pressure

 

[87GP]

IDK I think 20-50 is kinda thick for an engine with only 6,000 miles on it.

 

[Chevyman85]

For starters I'd stick w/ 10w-40. The oil your running is a good brand. Most SBC run low oil PSI at idle. My engine runs about 5PSI when its warmed up. I have a high volume pump, and this is very common. I've built two SBC's and both have done the same at idle. I wouldn't worry about it. If your cruise PSI is low thats a different story. If your between 30-55PSI then you're fine. I would also stay away from synthetic oil until your motor is completly broken in. I ran strait 30SAE in mine for the first 6000.

 

[RedHotRegal]

Try some lucas oil additive. It will help with oil press. and wont hurt your fresh engine.

 

[87MonteSS]

Try some lucas oil additive. It will help with oil press. and wont hurt your fresh engine.

That's exactly the same thing as going to a heavier weight oil. You don't need to do that on a fresh engine. Your idle oil pressure is fine, just as others have said.