zx beast Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 I am running 20w50 in my car, and when the car is ideling the pressure is about 50psi, and when I get on it it goes up to 75 or 80. but the pressure def isnt low because the 20w50 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freakshow Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 If you have to run 20w50 to keep oil pressure, you might want to consider picking up a spare engine, for when you go to start your car, and a main bearing decides to take a spin on the crank. I only run 15w40 in my 200,000 mile s10 with a 4.3. 20w50 is a way thicker oil than I would run in anything this side of a diesel. I would have to say that your clearances are way out of spec, pressure gauge or not, with that thick of oil, you need a rebuild. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islanddozer Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 You can run your motor on 20-50 But everytime you start it it takes 2 secs to build pressure. That is 2 secs too long and will hurt your motor every start. Think about it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsaprothing Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 I was just about to make a thread, then I saw this one. my 83 is doing the same thing. it was only doing it the first 10 mins after startup, but now the gauge says zero and the light turns on at almost every stop light. it doesn't waver when i'm on the freeway though, or when i'm driving past 35-40mph Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zx_drift Posted February 24, 2009 Author Share Posted February 24, 2009 low oil pressure at idle means a few things... the pressure relief spring in the oil pump could be damaged. there could be excessive wear between the bearing journals on the crankshaft.. I'm gonna get a mechanical gauge to make sure that I know for sure what the numbers are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsaprothing Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 so I changed my oil to 10w 30 today and everything seems fine and back to normal. so from reading thru this thread, does that mean i'm leaking oil from somewhere? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islanddozer Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 so I changed my oil to 10w 30 today and everything seems fine and back to normal. so from reading thru this thread, does that mean i'm leaking oil from somewhere? Leaking oil from somewhere ? Glad everything is back to normal. Good choice on the weight. I take it that you were running it on a thicker oil too ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 You can run your motor on 20-50 But everytime you start it it takes 2 secs to build pressure. That is 2 secs too long and will hurt your motor every start. Think about it Please note source on this information, since 20W-50 is supplied FROM THE DEALER for some motor applications. Are you making a blanket mechanical statement, or an application specific statement about the L engine? There's guys on here with decades of race experience that don't warn against using 20W-50. I'd guarantee the problem is gauge related to some level. The stock gauge acts funny under low oil level, but we've ruled that out. Unless the screen is blocked (which I doubt since you just did an oil change) then the problem lies in the sender or the gauge itself. I've always felt that OEM electrically driven gauges (especially from the 60's-80's, even into the 90's on some makes) are more like educated guesses, not reliable information to bet your life on. I've been driving for almost a year now with my volt meter pegged at 16.5 volts....... I haven't changed the battery once and it's still doing fine. The gauge is wrong, it's that simple. Oh, and for those wondering, I don't think he's running 20W-50 in ORDER to get oil pressure, but simply to keep it from burning off so fast. I do the same thing in my 280ZX. It's been burning oil since I got it, and I've put 10k on it already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islanddozer Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 I don't get what you are saying gollum. You drive a oil bunner and put 20-50 in it so you don't burn it fast. Right? Run it what ever you like. Been a diesel mechanic for 30 years and know a fair bit about oil and how to read S.O.S ( scheduled oil samplings ) on million dollar engines. All my expierence tells me it takes longer to pump a thicker oil. Add carbon from years of service and you have flucuating oil pressure. Take it as you will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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