Oil Pressure

[damnfinechim]

Howdy guys,

Just a quick question. I have searched a few threads on oil types and oil pressure on the 400 chims and fear that mine is running a little high. Will usually sit at around 70 - 80 on idle (when warm) and 90 under load. ALl others that I have been reading seemed to sit around 30 - 50??

Whacha Thinks?

Also, any thoughts on Castol GTX Magnetic Engine Oil? Never really heard it mentioned here before.

Nighty night.

Corey

[hut49]

Those are nonsense figures so I guess something's up with your sensor/gauge or your measuring in SI units rather than psi.

Should be around 15-25 on hot tick-over and 35-45 at full chat. There's no absolute value and give or take a bit depending on age, type of oil, temperature etc.

If the figures you quote are real psi you'd have every gasket/joint leaking like like a sieve.

Re oil presume you mean Magnatec. I'd only go for a fully synthetic oil taking count of the thrashing I generally give it and the temperature the v8 operates at. But that is just my opinion. Maybe Magnatec is a fully synthetic oil for all I know. Interesting that the Castrol site recommends Edge Sport 15W-50 for Chimaera/Cerbera V8s but adds "Additional engine oil recommendations: GTX MAGNATEC FOR MODERN ENGINES 10W-40 / EDGE SPORT 10W-60 may replace 15W-50. EDGE SPORT 10W-60 may be used in all engines"

>> Edited by hut49 on Monday 3rd October 23:13

[kenny chim 4]

I use Magnatec 10/40 and have done for a few years. And, yes, it's fully synthetic.

[halfman]

I know when my oil pressure sender went it was reading high, I suppose this is to stop heart attacks.

[harrow_chim]

I had a similar problem with mine a few years back - very high oil pressure. I ignored it for a bit assuming it was the sender/gauge - having got a new sender I found that was not the problem. The garage then confirmed the readings were correct by using a purely mechanical pressure gauge. The readings were probably only 10psi less than yours and it did not blow any oil seals at all.
My advice would be to get it checked out very quickly by using an accurate mechanical gauge. If the readings are correct then you could have a blockage somewhere in that expensive engine of yours and some bearing/s will not be getting their fair share of oil.
But then it might just be a knackered sender. Get it checked out sooner rather than later.
In the end mine had the oil pressure relief valve modified to bring the pressure down as a blockage could not be located even after having half the engine stripped and checked. 20k miles later the engine still sounds sweet to me and still goes like brown stuff off a well polished digging implement.
Nick

[damnfinechim]

Cheers guys, Ever useful as always!

Will get it checked this weekend hopefully. Is this something that would be preferrable at a TVR Indie or something my local should be able to resolve?

Corey

[harrow_chim]

Your local man should be able to cross check the pressure readings and change the sender if necessary - beyond that I would go down the indy route.
Nick

[damnfinechim]

Cheers Nick

[twerlie]

When hot mine sometimes drops to 10psi on tickover....! Is that ok???

[damnfinechim]

halfman said:

I know when my oil pressure sender went it was reading high, I suppose this is to stop heart attacks.

Let's hope so... :-)

Nice looking mota halfman, dont see many blank chim's around

he says hoping it is actually black

[parrot of doom]

twerlie said:

When hot mine sometimes drops to 10psi on tickover....! Is that ok???

If its really 10psi (regardless of what the needle says) - I would say not. The manual says 10psi and under, switch engine off, pull over, call rescue truck.

[halfman]

yep its black, but don't ask me which type of black!

[twerlie]

parrot of doom said:

twerlie said: When hot mine sometimes drops to 10psi on tickover....! Is that ok??? If its really 10psi (regardless of what the needle says) - I would say not. The manual says 10psi and under, switch engine off, pull over, call rescue truck.

How do i know if the needle is correct or not??? - I have had the car for 3.5 years and it had always been that way?

[parrot of doom]

Best thing would be to take it to your nearest indy and have them check it out.

Better safe then sorry when it comes to oil pressure.

[harrow_chim]

twerlie said:

When hot mine sometimes drops to 10psi on tickover....! Is that ok???

I agree 10psi sounds a bit low especially for a serpentine engine - but if it's been like that for 3.5 years it can't be imminently life threatening.

[damnfinechim]

twerlie said:

parrot of doom said: twerlie said: When hot mine sometimes drops to 10psi on tickover....! Is that ok??? If its really 10psi (regardless of what the needle says) - I would say not. The manual says 10psi and under, switch engine off, pull over, call rescue truck. How do i know if the needle is correct or not??? - I have had the car for 3.5 years and it had always been that way?

Oi!! Get your own Post!!!

Just kidding.

I'll swap ya some of my high pressure for your low pressure...... we should both be sweet after that!!

>> Edited by damnfinechim on Wednesday 5th October 12:06

[tone]

Mine reads at the top of the guage when cold and drops back (to around 80) when warmed through. It does, however, read 15 psi when switched off

I think, therefore, that I treat it as a general - ball-park - indication.

[david beer]

My oil pressure read minus 10-15 before starting the engine, so it under read by the same amount. A 10k resistor across the sender and it reads zero before start up and 55 at max. Of course if you had a variable R you could set it up to suit.

[FlipFlopGriff]

Just changed the sender as it read 5-10 at tickover and around 20 tops. New one starts at 80 and goes down to 70 after a few seconds after which it hardly moves. Can this do any harm? - I'm going to get another (if they're in stock) or put the old one back on anyway.
FFG

[harrow_chim]

If you're lucky the next one you buy will read somewhere in between the others and give you a nice warm feeling that everything is alright under the bonnet.

Nick