Low oil pressure makes me nervous

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cannucky said:
I run a 15 / 50 full synthetic but it's so thin it's like mineral oil .
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Just for info, there is a reason for this.... full synthetics have a much more stable viscosity over a wide temp range. The lower weight viscosity number is tested at 100F, so down at room temp, the standard oil has thickened up while the full synthetic has not and so that is why it seems thin and runny when you pour it. That seemingly 'runny' synthetic will actually be MORE viscous at 200F than a 50W standard oil will be at that high temp.
 
You could argue a lot of things...but arguing over oil viscosity, that takes a lot of free time and a dose of crankiness. Save your breath and blood pressure. Its about clearances and app, I run 20 50w, before that i ran straight 30...in my near stock slants and 318's
I make enough hp that any 2-3 hp at 6900 from a 10 wt just doesnt mean a damn thing to me. Think of guitar strings, picks, sticks...diff weights,length,and firmness for different styles of playing etc..
 
nm9stheham said:
Just for info, there is a reason for this.... full synthetics have a much more stable viscosity over a wide temp range. The lower weight viscosity number is tested at 100F, so down at room temp, the standard oil has thickened up while the full synthetic has not and so that is why it seems thin and runny when you pour it. That seemingly 'runny' synthetic will actually be MORE viscous at 200F than a 50W standard oil will be at that high temp.
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The styrene molecules are formulated to never thin more than the lower grade number and never thicken more than the higher grade number. Synthetics are a more uniform molecule than conventional oil, more stable under extreme load and pass through filter media better.
All my years in parts gave me oppurtunity to speak to many company reps. Learned a lot.
Couple things to pay attention to, semi synthetic/synthetic blend is about 5% synthetic

Cheap oil is exactly that. You get what you pay for.

Pick any forum,any make and you will find almost the exact same discussion. End result is always the same. Car guys are crazy. Just not as crazy as horse people....
 
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Buy a good guage, that way you'll really know what the pressure is. Especially for after you build and install the 340.
 
Y'all should listen to RRR! He works at a part store and sells oil on a daily basis! If anybody is qualified to tell us what to do, it's him!
 
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vntned said:
Y'all should listen to RRR! He works at a part store and sells oil on a daily basis! If anybody I qualified to tell us what to do, it's him!
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RRR has a good handle on things, but I would add this.
If it were me driving an older V8 with big clearances (which this motor obviously has) and was in the situation the OP is in with his oil pressure, I would fill it with straight 50 Valvoline and drive it home.
From San Fran to where he lives he's not going to run into any overly cold weather, but is going to be doing some slower pulls in higher temps as he get into the LA area and on home.
Anyone can disagree all they want :D but this is what I would do if I were in the OP's situation.
 
vntned said:
Y'all should listen to RRR! He works at a part store and sells oil on a daily basis! If anybody is qualified to tell us what to do, it's him!
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Pretty sure not much has changed with dynosaur oil since the 90s when I ran a Car Quest.

dibbons said:
Keep in mind, the Mexicans don't throw anything away, run their tires down to the cords, and run their cars until they die and can't be resurrected without a saintly miracle.
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Mexicans? That's me!
 
like someone just said, us horse people are crazy. some just plain crazy. mostly on the left coast! ha

wow. I run Rotella 15-40 in everything year round, the Cummins and all the old mopars, have for years,,, mostly wore out engine, have a oil gauge and the idiot light since I am an idiot. ha ... funny how they never die. synthetic oil.... what the heck is that!!! Ha I must lead a charmed life.
 
So what is the oil pressure at idle ? Normal ? How much pressure is normal ? Still don't think you can use a direct read oil pressure gauge ? Its not the money......is it ?
 
With the current 40 wt Quaker State, the hot oil pressure at idle right now is halfway between zero and the first graduation on the factory oil pressure gauge. At speed it doubles to the first graduation when hot (except going up that long, steep grade as I explained above when it was reading the same as at hot idle). A second (aftermarket) oil pressure gauge would be fine, but the dash gauge is working and like I said above, all factory gauges have been restored and function.
 
RustyRatRod said:
But who the **** needs 50 or 60 weight oil? NOBODY.

And if you think you do, you're a bigger idiot than I thought.
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Lol, try running a TurboII on a road course for 1 1/2hrs and another 8-10min on the skid pad & get back to Me on that...........................
 
vntned said:
Y'all should listen to RRR! He works at a part store and sells oil on a daily basis! If anybody is qualified to tell us what to do, it's him!
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my late uncle used to blend oil for Sunoco. some of u people are off on ur thinking, and a couple are just full of it, according to what he used to tell me. He did it for about 35 yrs., all the diff brands around here came right out of the same refinery, w/ just the brands additive bein diff. I`m running 20w50 in my 505 w/ tighter bearing clearance than I wanted. As soon as I think the rings are seated, I'm going to 20w50 syn. I have full time oiling to the top end, a lot of oil loss around the lifters because I couldn`t get the bores bushed around here-go figure.
 
famous bob said:
my late uncle used to blend oil for Sunoco. some of u people are off on ur thinking, and a couple are just full of it, according to what he used to tell me. He did it for about 35 yrs., all the diff brands around here came right out of the same refinery, w/ just the brands additive bein diff. I`m running 20w50 in my 505 w/ tighter bearing clearance than I wanted. As soon as I think the rings are seated, I'm going to 20w50 syn. I have full time oiling to the top end, a lot of oil loss around the lifters because I couldn`t get the bores bushed around here-go figure.
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By the way, low oil pressure made me nervous too !
 
barbee6043 said:
like someone just said, us horse people are crazy. some just plain crazy. mostly on the left coast! ha

wow. I run Rotella 15-40 in everything year round, the Cummins and all the old mopars, have for years,,, mostly wore out engine, have a oil gauge and the idiot light since I am an idiot. ha ... funny how they never die. synthetic oil.... what the heck is that!!! Ha I must lead a charmed life.
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I must really be nuts. East-coaster, horse farm owner, run CQ/Valvoline 15-40 in everything except my tractor and mowers. 4cyl Dodge, 6 cyl Chrysler, 6 cyl Hyundai, V8 Mopars have all run 15-40 since getting under my maintenance. Cheaper by the gallon...lol.
 
moper said:
I must really be nuts. East-coaster, horse farm owner, run CQ/Valvoline 15-40 in everything except my tractor and mowers. 4cyl Dodge, 6 cyl Chrysler, 6 cyl Hyundai, V8 Mopars have all run 15-40 since getting under my maintenance. Cheaper by the gallon...lol.
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yeah, I ran that first, needed a little more pressure . will go back to it in colder temps. My favorite used to be phillups 66 , 20w40, I ran it in my new 68 - 383 S- barracuda as a kid, worked well yr round.
 
Totally Off-Topic: have you guys ever heard of REALLY high-viscosity oils?
In locomotive steam engines, they used 600-weight "steam oil". It closely resembles molasses, and pours like it. The rod-to-crank clearance in a locomotive engine was in the range of .01"; don't know why the clearances were so large.
In antique car transmissions using straight-cut, non-synchro gears, they used what is now generically called "LUB 134": 1600-weight! This was because the viscosity of the oil would tend to bring the countershaft gears up to the same speed as the main shaft, in order to minimize clashing, parasitic losses be damned! That LUB134 will hardly pour at room temperature.
 
I have to wonder about the accuracy of your in dash gauge. could it not be accurate even though you state all have been restored.. I realize to tee for both gauges can be a pain, ( try doing it on the slant), and I, like you, like having my oem dash gauges functional but I also like the info a good "real" gauges gives me also. something to think about.
I am not racer, ( never been on my plate $ wise) but, is not how the oil is distributed in a "race" application more important than the viscosity of the oil???? just wondering.
 
My brother in law worked in the automotive section of a Wal Mart for 8 months. He said anything over 10w-30 can cause oil starvation to the battery terminals.
 
seabee said:
My brother in law worked in the automotive section of a Wal Mart for 8 months. He said anything over 10w-30 can cause oil starvation to the battery terminals.
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ahhhh, the reason I spray my battery terminals every week with nutbuster, sorta lke WD 40 but better!!!!
 
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