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L28 oil pressure - how much is too much?


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Hey folks,  

I put an L28 engine in my 240Z a month ago and have noticed that it seems to be running a bit more oil pressure than my previous 3.0 stroker.  It is an F54 block with flat tops and an N42 head - 9.5:1 compression.  I am running the turbo oil pump on it.  

Here is what I am seeing for pressure:

1k RPM - 20psi
3k RPM - 80psi
5-6k RPM - 90psi

The oil dipstick reading is sitting about 2mm below max.  Oil is Valvoline VR1 10W30 synthetic, and the filter is a Wix.  

Video to show things:




Is this excessive, should I be concerned?  If so, what should I check? 
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A lot depends on how hot you run the engine, any special engine build specs, etc. On my race engine I had 90 psi at 7,000 rpm with the oil at 280F. On my street cars engine oil temp never got above 220 and 60 psi at 6,000 rpm was fine.

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90psi at higher rpms is pretty typical if you have the high pressure relief spings in your pump.  If it's not going higher than that I wouldn't worry too much, except for keeping the revs down until the engine warms up, which is good practice anyway.

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^^^ Buy one of those aluminum oil filter blowout rings if you run higher pressure.

 

Nothing sucks more than getting to a high rpm, and having the o-ring gasket at the base of the oil filter blow out and dump all your engine down the side of the engine (if you're lucky, and it doesn't blow UP and go on the hood, valve cover, alternator...)

 

The fit around the  base-gasket of the  oil filter giving a backup and proper O-Ring Style seal. 

 

If you notice your oil filter is bulging, take a magnet to it and ONLY buy filters with STEEL cases. There ARE aluminium ones out there, and on VW's they would blow out with cold oil!

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Cheers for the replies, folks.  Reassuring to hear that it's not really anything to be worrying about - I think I was just a little unsure since my old engine was running much less pressure at higher RPMs, but that's likely down to the difference between a tired engine and a newer engine with tight clearances, as well as the turbo oil pump.  

Good advice, Tim.  I usually  idle for a few minutes before driving, then keep the RPMs below 3k or so for the first 10-15 minutes.  Oil needs a bit more time to heat up from what I have read.

John, I don't actually know what oil temperatures my engine is running, but it's an interesting thought.  I have the provision to add another gauge in the dash as I have reworked things a little inside, so I might throw on an oil temp gauge, can't hurt.

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