Just been for my first drive round the back lanes. Wow, it's a great experience! I spent about 20 minutes getting the hang of it, but taking it real careful.

The oil pressure stayed up at about 75 psi, which I thought was a bit high. What is the normal running oil pressure for a 1992 1.8 Zetec? It normally is about 90 psi on start up, but I thought it would drop down more than 15 psi when at running temp.

Also the water temp gauge never got above 70 Deg C. Is this low? Maybe it is being over cooled? Is that a problem if it is? I know that to run efficiently the engine should be at the right temp, but what is the right temp for this engine. The temp sender is in the thermostat housing.

There is a big smile on my face anyway.
Keith.

not sure about the oil pressure but the water temp does seem a little low, normal operating temperature is around 85 degrees and then fan on at about 95 degrees. maybe you have an extra-ordinary thermal efficient engine that converts more thermal energy into mechanical energy than normal?

Oil pressure sounds normal, my temp never gets too high either unless I'm sitting in traffic? Not sure why?

I don't know any specs, but oil pressure sounds normal.
For the coolant temp the first thing to do is verify the gauge is reading the correct temp. Most automotive gauges are very poor. Compare actual engine coolant temp to the guage reading.
If it is actually 70*C that is too cold. I would expect your engine would be at least 85-90*C ideal. Too cold will create sludge in your crankcase so try to avoid it.
Cheers.

Oh ya...... Congrats on getting the little car going
I'm jealous.

Oil pressure sounds great.
Water perhaps a bit low but you need to consider where the sensors are etc. Sometimes you need to tinker with different thermostats etc. For now though get some miles in and make observations over time. I found i had to establish what the norms were for my car over time. At first you are hyper sensitive to it all.

Once you get on a track everything you learn about the norms go out of the windows.


The experience of the first time the engine starts is only topped by the first proper registered drives out in decent weather.