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OIL LIGHT
Craig81 - 20/10/04 at 07:32 PM

Hi all,

Went out in car for its first proper (legal) run last nite.

Car goes fantastic with its tuned xflow engine but i did notice the oil pressure light flicker on a couple of times!!

The sump has been shortened and im woundeing if i havent baffled it quite right. Can anyone show me a pic of a correctly baffled sump???

When the engine idles from cold, I have a indicated oil pressure of about 30psi. When the engine is warm, at idle it drops to 15 psi and thyen remains at 30 whilst driving along.

Do these values sound about right or should i think about using a hp pump??

Cheers

Craig

Alan B - 20/10/04 at 08:07 PM

Pressures do sound a little low IMO.
Is the engine re-built?
If so it could need an HP pump.

David Jenkins - 20/10/04 at 09:09 PM

Don't end up in the same boat as me! I had an oil pressure failure on my first attempt to get to the SVA (reason unknown).
Before this happened I was getting a steady 45psi, which is normal, dipping to around 25-30psi on a slow tick-over.
I replaced the pump with a HP one, and now get 65-70psi in normal running, dipping to 40psi on tick-over.
The down-side is that the higher pressure finds potential leaks a lot quicker!
David

geezer - 20/10/04 at 09:09 PM

could be pres relief valve sticking inside oil pump cos u should have more presure from cold than 30 psi , prob nearer 80 with a standard pump when cold (this is asuming ur not using 5w30 or even 0w50)
best to stick to decent 15w40(not sticky oil , but slippery). High pres pump only an advantage if you are really going to be gunning it large styl-lay.

David Jenkins - 20/10/04 at 09:12 PM

Forgot to mention - mine's a x-flow as well!

Also, following on from geezer's comments, don't forget that the x-flow was designed to work with 20W50 oil originally. You can still get it, if you search around.

David

geezer - 20/10/04 at 09:16 PM

just an after thought, i did actually run a crossflow many years ago on ep90 gear oil!!!!!! (when ur hard up youll try what u got lying round ) it nearly wound the oil pres gauge needle round its spindle but it did stop it smoking for a bit cos crosflows with std type pistons dont like to much revs, breaks up piston rings cos there too wide for high revs

Craig81 - 21/10/04 at 04:39 PM

Hi all,

Thanks for replys

Ive been running it on 5w30 as told to by the guy who sold me the oil!!!. (My fault for listerning).

Guess i should change it for something like 15w40 then!!

David, are u still up for sunday?

David Jenkins - 21/10/04 at 07:08 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Craig81
Hi all,

Thanks for replys

Ive been running it on 5w30 as told to by the guy who sold me the oil!!!. (My fault for listerning).

Guess i should change it for something like 15w40 then!!


Go for 20W50! You can get Duckhams 20W50 in Ipswich (motor factors on Norwich Road - forgotten their name)

quote:
David, are u still up for sunday?


I didn't realise (or had forgotten!) that you were local! I don't know about Sunday - really depends on the weather, as I have no protection at all (no windscreen or flyscreen). I've ridden a bike in enough rain to know that I don't want to get that wet too often!

David

ernie - 21/10/04 at 07:50 PM

I have just had 1300 crossflow rebuilt by Vulcan for race car they use Valvoline 20-50 race oil I got some at £14.00 per 5lts from Southern Motor factors 01322 556336

stephen_gusterson - 21/10/04 at 09:41 PM

my grandfather, when he was a mechanic, used to recommend duckhams.....

isnt it a strange colour.... green or summat?

atb

steve

jollygreengiant - 21/10/04 at 09:52 PM

quote:
Originally posted by stephen_gusterson
my grandfather, when he was a mechanic, used to recommend duckhams.....

isnt it a strange colour.... green or summat?

atb

steve


Not any more it's not. Sythetic based oils are probably best these days as the oil retains a slight electical charge which allows it to stay attached better to the steel parts when the engine is switched off. Castrol made a big thing about this but when they gave me the low down about it they let slip that it applies to all synthetics, castrol just picked up on it!.

Enjoy.

David Jenkins - 22/10/04 at 07:20 AM

I was given a recommendation to avoid synthetics for the first 500 miles or so - they're so good at their job that they stop old-fashioned engines bedding in! As a result they'll burn oil for the rest of their running life.

Yes - Duckhams is green - it used to be a well-regarded general purpose oil, but it's quite old-fashioned now.

David

Craig81 - 22/10/04 at 06:54 PM

Hi all,

Ive changed the oil to 15w40 (went and put it in before you guys recommended 20w50). I ran the engine again, and it still had 30 psi indicated. Now however, i think my sender is K nackered as it now reads full scale with the igtion on and the engine not running. Ive Taken the wire off the sender, when i put it to earth, the gauge returns to zero. ( the gaughe stays at full scale with the wire removed of sender)

The sender is fron ETB and has too contacts on it, one for the gauge and one for warning light. The warning light still works as it should!!!!

Any ideas

craig

rusty nuts - 23/10/04 at 04:44 PM

would be worth checking your oil pressure with a decent mechanical gauge, at least then you would know if the problem lies with the engine or with your electrical gauge which are not the most reliable of instruments. used to have one you could have tried ,that someone borrowed and hasn't returned. Rusty

NS Dev - 24/10/04 at 09:23 PM

I use Valvoline 20-50 in older high performance engines (basically anything without hydraulic cam followers, that's all the thinner oils are for) and it's great stuff, just remember to change it lots, as it doesn't have any detergent properties, i.e. is what it says, a race oil not a road oil!