>this would generally be due to the oil warming up and thinning a
>bit. it is expected, and in most manuals you'll see them give
>oil pressure values with the engine warmed up. as long as your
>gage always shows some sort of pressure (more than say 15psi), i
>wouldn't be too concerned about it.
Keep in mind the difference between oil PRESSURE and oil FLOW. The oil pump
is a "positive displacement" pump, which means that (at a constant RPM) it
pumps a constant flow of oil (i.e. gallons/minute). Thus if the oil gets
thinner or the resistence to its flow decreases (from bearing clearances
getting larger due to wear), the pressure will go down. But the same amount
of oil is still moving thru the engine, so it's not really such a big deal.
Doug Braun
'72 Spit.
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