88 5.0 trickflow heads,intake, headres, e303 cam.. all speced by reputable machinist.. Whats the average running oil pressure.stnd pressure hi flow oil pump.. after warming up im idleing at about 10-13psi andat 2k its about 28-30..I was told this is low and i need about 40-60 crusin... oil comes out super clean motor only has 280miles on it.. im running castrol 10-30.. I assume i am going to pull the motor again but want some other feedback first.. motor runs strong but with oil pressure problems im going to park it..
thanks for the help

 

the rule of thumb is 10 psi per 1000 rpm i believe... so 30 psi at 2k should be ok?

 

30 is just a smidgen low. Especially for a new engine. You would want to see it closer to 40 hot. Try going to a "heavier" oil, like 10W-40 and see what happens.

Of course, that's assuming your gauge is accurate.

 

I tried 2 guages and at about 850 warmed up it sits just a hair above 10psi and 30ish at 2k.. ive heard of the 10psi for every 1000rpm but looking in my trusty ford manual (hehe) it says I should have 40-60 psi warmed up at 2k.. so im not sure what to do.. should i pluck it out and remove oil pan and start looking for some problem? should i just change oil to a 10-40 or 20-50 and see what happens? thanks for you info guys

 

If this is a new engine, I would take it apart and find the problem. It would only get worse with more miles. Could be something simple, like he forgot the gasket at the base of the oil pump. Or a galley plug is leaking.

If it's an older engine, I would switch to a heavier oil and see what happens.

 

thanks bob... this is a new motor only 280 miles on it.. oil pump gasket is in.. now i have to track down where the oiling problem is,, the oil galley plugs you are refering to are where??

 

They're at the front and rear of the block. If the ones in the rear leak, you'll get a puddle of oil on the garage floor. But the front ones are behind the cam gear, under the front cover. If they leak, you just get a loss of pressure. Stock ones look like a small cupped freeze plug. They're just pressed in, then staked with a chisel.

Here's what I would do. Remove the pan and front cover. That's easy enough to do with the engine in place. Remove the oil pump. Inspect the pump and pick up very carefully. Make sure it was torqued correctly, gaskets (2)in place, etc. Check the pick up for cracks that can cause the engine to suck air. Also, measure the distance from the bottom of the pick up to the pan. If it's too close, it will restrict oil intake. Too far away and it will suck air. Should be about 1/2".

Check the galley plugs on the front of the block. You can pressure test them, but it's time consuming and messy. You have to remove the distributer, install the oil pump and drive shaft, pump pick up, and pan w/o gasket. Leave the front cover off. Add a few quarts of oil. Spin the pump until you build up some pressure. If they leak, you should be able to see it. There's a feed for the distributer gear, so put a paper towel in there to make sure it doesn't shot out and make a mess.

If all that looks good, Check main bearing clearances with plastigauge. Maybe the crank was cut and the builder used stock size bearings by mistake. Check a couple of rod bearings while you're at it. But you'll have to replace the rod bearings that you test. You'll also be able to tell if there's been any bearing damage.

If all that looks good, put it all back together with a new pump.

At this point, you've probably spent less than $50, and a whole day in the garage. If pressure is still low, you'll probably have to pull the engine out and dis-assemble to see what's wrong. Could be something like the lifter bores are worn out.

 

Thanks for the info bob.. ill be working on checking the galley plugs today and hopefully its going to be an easy repair.. no oil leaks at rear of motor so im going to assume its in the front.. but ill still check.. thanks again ill let you know what happens..

 

ok no leaks... was talking to my engine builder and he is saying the brg clearances are .01 mabey from factory and mine are .02.. a little bigger and with stock pressure pump its a little low.. he said to try 20-50 oil and see what happens. it pressure is good then run with it.. whast u think

 

I think that's reasonable to give it a try. It's cheap and easy.

If that doesn't work, switch to a high volume pump. Not high pressure, but high volume. The added volume will fill up those bearing clearances without putting a lot of strain on the pump drive.