Erratic oil pressure
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 18,346
Likes: 1
From: D / FW
Benpup,
Just buy a cheapo plastic oil gauge and tape it to the dash until your good gauge goes screwy then toss it.
I once bought a car with a recently rebuilt engine that had low oil pressure. Of coarse the seller told me he had put another gauge on it and "it's fine, the gauge just needs recalibration". Yeah, right. It was a gorgeous car and a great deal so I decided to take a chance he was telling the truth. (Trust though verify.) I trailered it home and bought a cheapo aftermarket oil pressure gauge from one of the parts stores for about $20 and plumbed it up. Both gauges read exactly the same thing. (That lie'n sack a...) The oil pressure was indeed only 20 psi when warm when it should have been more like 45 at idle. Since the motor had a recent rebuild I suspected the worst. However, it turned out to be a spongy $2.00 bypass spring. I replaced that little spring and pressure went right up to spec! Then it was on to the rich carbs. But that is another story.
Just buy a cheapo plastic oil gauge and tape it to the dash until your good gauge goes screwy then toss it.
I once bought a car with a recently rebuilt engine that had low oil pressure. Of coarse the seller told me he had put another gauge on it and "it's fine, the gauge just needs recalibration". Yeah, right. It was a gorgeous car and a great deal so I decided to take a chance he was telling the truth. (Trust though verify.) I trailered it home and bought a cheapo aftermarket oil pressure gauge from one of the parts stores for about $20 and plumbed it up. Both gauges read exactly the same thing. (That lie'n sack a...) The oil pressure was indeed only 20 psi when warm when it should have been more like 45 at idle. Since the motor had a recent rebuild I suspected the worst. However, it turned out to be a spongy $2.00 bypass spring. I replaced that little spring and pressure went right up to spec! Then it was on to the rich carbs. But that is another story.
That little bypass spring is the achilles heal ! It is the weakest link !
It's hard to beat a mechanical Oil gage in my books !
