I received a reply on my oil questions from andy banta@sco.com. Just for the
record, here are my responses to that. (Thanks, andy, and everyone else.)
>I don't know where you live (couldn't make a good guess from the header).
Alliant Computer Systems Corp. is in Littleton, Massachusetts, essentially
the Boston area (pronounced "areeyer" around heah, a.k.a. Conservation of
R's) and westward. I live in Waltham, slightly less westward. I don't
drive Percy in winter, but temperatures in the fall can get down into the
lower 20's before I park him. Summer temperatures can reach the upper 90's
(especially in the last few years!), but it doesn't usually stay that high.
This recent experience with low oil pressure has occurred during mid-70's
weather. I figured by now that everyone would know we are on the upper
right coast (a.k.a. the northeast liberal fringe), and that Alliant is in
"Silicon Valley East". :-)
>Out here in the Cornballfornia during summer, you would
>need an extremely tight engine to maintain oil pressure using 10W30.
Yeah, I guess. Back in a previous life though, in a warmer southern state,
in my formative years when I got hooked on them funny furrin' sports cars,
10W-30 was more or less the standard multi-grade oil that everybody used,
and the heavy 40 stuff was considered a bit exotic.
>Also, probably better than 9 times out of 10, low oil pressure means
>worn bearings. Oil pumps, unless physically broken (cracked,
>whatever) will generate sufficient pressure even when _quite_ worn.
I'd be surprised if Percy has worn bearings, since his engine has maybe only
30,000 miles, most of which are from my ownership during which time he has
seen good maintanence. I considered a worn oil pump only because the
"mechanic" at Tri-State Triumphs told me once that they do get weak. I do
remember seeing a Spitfire break its oil pump at an autocross once, ages
ago, but that was a Mk 2 or Mk 3, back in about 1971.
Thanks again for everyone's input. I think we have beaten this dead horse
to death, so lets let it sleep for a while...
Jim Muller
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