what is "normal" oil pressure
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 1,456
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From: Bothell WA
Re: what is "normal" oil pressure (Mark85Vett)
Oil pressure will vary with oil temperature and engine speed. I would guess that you should have a pressure of somewhere around 40 psi under the conditions of hot oil and 2000 rpm. Now if the oil wasn't really hot, I'd expect more like 50 psi. I believe I've seen it mentioned that GM considers the minimum oil pressure to be 20 psi. That seems really low to me. I'd rather not see anything under 30 psi. What oil pressure are you seeing and what's the oil temperature?
- Mark
- Mark
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2000
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From: Wilmington DE
Re: what is "normal" oil pressure (Mark VerMurlen)
In addition, a higher viscosity oil like 10W-40 will give you a higher pressure than a lower viscosity oil like a 5W-30 at the same oil temperature and RPM. :D
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Oct 1999
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From: Nashua NH
Re: what is "normal" oil pressure (Mark VerMurlen)
It's my brother-in-laws car...he said that he sees around 40 in normal driving at highway speeds, but in the city, when the engine is turning, say 12-1400 RPM its in the 30's, and when idling, it's around 25. I consider that OK, but he's concerned about lower end issues at under 50,000 miles on the ticker...
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 1999
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From: At the beach in little Rhody
Re: what is "normal" oil pressure (Mark85Vett)
A good rule of thumb is 10 psi/1000 RPM. If you are running Mobil-1, the 100 degree C viscosity is about the lowest of all the synthetics. Mobil-1 10W-30 is about the same. Try Amsoil or Redline (I prefer Amsoil) because the viscosity at temperture is much better then Mobil-1 for the same weight oil. I would not go to a heavier oil then 10W30. However, his numbers really do look OK.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2000
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From: Charlotte NC
Re: what is "normal" oil pressure (Mark85Vett)
It's my brother-in-laws car...he said that he sees around 40 in normal driving at highway speeds, but in the city, when the engine is turning, say 12-1400 RPM its in the 30's, and when idling, it's around 25. I consider that OK, but he's concerned about lower end issues at under 50,000 miles on the ticker...
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2002
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From: Flower Mound TX
Cruise-In V Veteran
St. Jude Contributor
Re: what is "normal" oil pressure (Mark85Vett)
Just did my first oil change on a new 2002 Vert. After change (Mobil 1 5W-30 and UPF44), pressure is ~ 35 at idle, and in the 50's under throttle. From what I've seen, this is a normal reading.
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Team Owner
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From: Dallas TX
Re: what is "normal" oil pressure (vettenuts)
A good rule of thumb is 10 psi/1000 RPM. If you are running Mobil-1, the 100 degree C viscosity is about the lowest of all the synthetics. Mobil-1 10W-30 is about the same. Try Amsoil or Redline (I prefer Amsoil) because the viscosity at temperture is much better then Mobil-1 for the same weight oil. I would not go to a heavier oil then 10W30. However, his numbers really do look OK.
Drifting
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 1,917
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From: Southern NH
Re: what is "normal" oil pressure (vettenuts)
25 PSI at idle is very normal. The GM service manual states the minimum pressure at 1500 RPM is something like 6 or 8 PSI (I don't have it in front of me but remember from previous questions it's in this ballpark. :flag
2nd Gear
Joined: Apr 2019
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2002 Corvette oil pressure
Hello all! My gauge is pinned at 80. A mechanic friend of mine said, more than likely it's just the oil pressure senser. I checked the digital gauge and it's reading 117psi. What should the readings be at? It would normally be reading around 30 on the needle gauge, but the 117 has me concerned. Will I be able to drive this to my shop for repair? Any ideas? Thanks.
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2017
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From: Orlando Florida
Sending unit. Drive to the repair shop, or do the repair yourself, many an instruction set and suggestions for remote mounting of the sending unit, should it fail again. A couple of threads that note which replacement sender is the best.
2nd Gear
Joined: Apr 2019
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Thank you very much for your input. I was just nervous to drive it for about a half hour, 8 miles to work.
