Oil Pressure - Engine

S

sfc76p6

New Member
Hello,This is the first post iv'e done as i only got my 3500s on tuesday,no real problems(i hope),my oil pressure runs at 30 most of the time but sometimes drops to 15 then goes back up,its never gone past 30,is this the norm?.Also its got a SD1 Vitesse 5 speed but not reading the right speed,One last thing can i run on unleaded?.
Cheers sfc76p6.
ps: Any p6 3500 Owners in the Southampton/New forest area as i would like to hear from you.
 
According to my shiny new workshop manual (it wont be like it for long!) the oil pressure, with a warm engine, at 2400 revs per minute, should be between 30 and 40 psi.


Is this reading of yours at idle?
What's it like at 2400 revs?

I think I'll go and check mine now!
 
Hi sfc,

Is the engine oil new or old? Most oil breaks down with age (and temperature) and looses its vicosity thus affecting oil pressure. Try flushing the engine and replacing with a 'quality' oil to see if the pressure reading improves. In addition check the connections to the pressure switch as a poor connection/short may give a low reading. Hope this helps and is all that is wrong.

Jules65
 
Hello again,Cheers for the advice,I will be giving the car an oil/filter change soon,what oil do you think i should use?(20/50?),also forgot to mention the tyres(185/90/14) handle like s**t,any idea's how to improve the ride.
Cheers sfc :(
 
I use a 15/50 oil in my 3500S. A bit thinner when cold (good) but the same when hot as a 20/50. The oil pressure gauges aren't that accurate so unless you temporarily attach a decent gauge, you'll never know. If it sounds fine, I wouldn't worry. If it is a bit low, what would you do?
As for unleaded, there are no wear problems using it but you will need to retard the timing to 0 degrees as the octane is lower than the old 4 or 5 star. Or use super unleaded or Shell Optimax with a smaller retardation in timing. Or use Tetraboost (real lead) as an octane booster. What compression ratio is your engine?
What's wrong with the ride and handling? Are the tyre pressures correct? Shocks ok? P6's roll a fair bit when cornering but will hang on if your nerve holds, culminating in oversteer. You can make it handle sharper with polybushes which give better feel at the expense of a little more noise and harshness. Bigger wheels with lower aspect ratio tyres make a big difference but you'll lose an awful lot in ride comfort. Depends what you want!
 
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