oil pressure too high?

[black86roadster]

oil pressure to high?

The oil pressure guage on beloved 86 convertible, has been showing me
psi between 50-70, that seems fine at highway speed, but at idle?
normally I see between 20-40 psi at idle depending on temp.

where is the sensor on this car? Is this typical of a bad sensor?

I guess its better to have to much pressure than none at all......

 

[MBDiagMan]

These pressures sound fine. It is normal for your oil pressure to go down at idle. It also is temperature dependent since the oil gets thinner as it gets hotter.

Sounds like your engine is in good shape.

Have a great day,

 

[Ken]

You're saying the oil pressure is high at idle, as well as being high at highway speeds, correct?

The pressure sensor and fuel pump cut-off switch, which is related to the oil pressure, are located behind the distributor.

 

[drags1998]

I would say that your press. is NORMAL. It sounds like the readings I get with MINE!!!!! WOOOOOOW Ihope its OK!!!!!

 

[tnovot]

Oil Pressure readings:

Sounds to me like Ken has correctly interpreted the question.
Also, Black86 is concerned because his oil pressure readings are different than what he used to see.
Sorry I can only attempt to clarify the question and not be able to offer much of a solution at this point. Other than the sending unit, I can't think of anything which would give you these different readings.

 

[Im1ru2]

Me Too!

My 86 coupe w/72000 mi on it runs pretty much the same :cool . I thought it ran high but found out it's normal, it just keeps the engine well lubed!!

 

[jpshark]

What he is saying is it's 50 to 70 all the time and that it didn't used to be that way. This is not normal. Typically, the pressure will drop to 20 to 30 depending on temperature, viscosity and level. Check your sending unit behind the distributor. If it's not black, it's one of the suspect ones that was on GM's shelf for quite some time. Replace it with a black one. In fact, you may want to replace it whether it's black or not.

Good luck.

 

[marks350]

I had the exact xame problem with my 86 conv. The pressure went to 60 - 80 lbs. I bought a mechanical gauge, hooked it up and it showed my pressure between 30 warmed up at idle and 58 at 2000rpm. The spec is between 50 - 65 at 2000rpm. I went to pepboys and bought a new sender and after I hooked it up my gauge read low. 12 - 30 lbs...........frustrating to say the least. The sender from pepeboys was $24. (borg/warner) I took it back and bought the AC/Delco sender from the dealer. Guess what.........you get what you pay for. Oil pressure 30 at warp up and in the 40's and 50's while driving. The difference is it list for $60+. If you have a contact at the dealer you can get it for $35+. You do have to remove the wiper motor to get to it. The senders behind the distributor. You remove the nut that holds the wiper motor to the wiper arm. You need to remove the little door in the vent below the wipers to get to it. Remove the 2 plugs to the wiper motor, the 3 retaining bolts and lift it up an lay it on the side. There's still a wire attached from the bottom but it has enough slack to lay to aside. Remove the one wire plug and use a deep socket to remove. Since it's a one wire sender you don't use any teflon tape or you'll lose the groung. The one I bought from GM had some type of sealant on it from the factory.

Good luck, I hope this helps. (It's a cheap thing to try anyway)

 

[vader86]

What hasnt been stated is the temperature at these pressures.

It is normal for mine to run 50-60psi at idle until the engine reaches 150-160 (oil) and from that point it drops until finally idling in the 20s when hot.

Cruise pressures should stay between 50-60 always, anytime your foot is on the gas.

 

[bradfordsvettes]

this has been in threads before and the general rules of thumb is approx 10lbs per 1000rpm there are variations but if you fall somewhere close to these figures you should be fine , the figures will be higher in a cold engine and if you have a high volume or high pressure pump steve