Temp & Pressure

[76L82]

Looking for someone who may know at what Oil Pressure and Water Temperature my 76L82 (bone stock) should be running at under normal aor tmeperature and driving conditions. Thanx

 

[JohnZ]

It should run about 195-200 degrees (195* thermostat), and oil pressure should be about 15-25 psi at idle and 40-50 psi on the highway - at least that's what it was when it was new.

 

[76L82]

JohnZ - Thanks John...for an engine with 95k on her, she seems to be right where she needs to be.

 

[Stallion]

Say that your oil pressure is running under that norm (don't worry, mine's not...I'm just curious ), what would be the cause to that problem?

 

[Wolverine]

According to the owner's manual, the correct thermostat for a '76 L82 is 180* The L48 uses a 195* thermostat. I have a 180* thermostat in mine and the temp is right on the money.

Brian

 

[Stallion]

I'm not sure what temp my thermostat is at, but my engine runs real nice. Doesn't hit 200* hardly, and if she does, not much more at all. She runs really cool.

 

[clar2001]

160 degree stat never goes over 165 temp oil presure 30 city 40 hiway after a long hiway drive will go down to 25 at idle I have had new engines that did the same thing 95k plus on this one maby 195k who knows

 

[JohnZ]

160 degree stat never goes over 165 temp oil presure 30 city 40 hiway after a long hiway drive will go down to 25 at idle I have had new engines that did the same thing 95k plus on this one maby 195k who knows

You're not doing your engine any favors by running a 160* 'stat, with a good cooling system that will let it run at 165*; that's not hot enough to let the oil heat up enough to boil off condensate and blow-by contaminants - that stuff just stays in suspension in the oil and creates more acidic sludge. You should run at least a 180* so the oil gets hot enough to boil that stuff off. 160* thermostats haven't been specified for decades - they were invented in the 30's and 40's for cars that ran the cheap old alcohol-based anti-freezes that would boil away at 180*. When I ran a gas station at night when I was in college in the early 60's, we used to keep a barrel of the old blue alcohol anti-freeze on sawhorses out back with a spigot in it for the college kids who couldn't afford "the good green stuff" for their school beaters during our cold winters.

 

[clar2001]

OK point taken will switch to a 180" stat was concerned about running to hot with all the talk about vettes allways being to hot ....................