Scott inquires>
>Does anyone out there definitely *know* that readings on the pressure gauge
>of 10 to 20psi when hot at 800 rpm idle are dangerous? My experience says
>they aren't.
>
>Anybody with me?
You bet! A low reading at hot idle (especially with inappropriately thin
oil) is normal for an older engine and certainly does not indicate
impending disaster. When the oil's that thin, it takes very little pressure
to circulate it and maintain the oil film around moving parts. My father's
'42 International pickup has had _no_ measurable oil pressure at hot idle
for at least 25 years, but it towed most of my cars home a time or two.
At Brit car shows I've seen a Spitfire idling with no oil for hours on end,
proclaiming the miracle of some magical additive which has little or
nothing to do with it.
--
Gary Schneider, Nicolet Instrument Technologies
phone: 608-276-6172, Fax: 608-273-5061, Internet: gschneid@nicmad.nicolet.com
|