v8 engine oil pressure?

ButterFingers

ButterFingers

Active Member
Hi there,
What is the acceptable oil pressure for a v8 engine.
one car has almost 55/60 lbs and the other 25 + even with new oil ?
both engines are used and worn , but both pull well and dont sound in stress!
Where is the oil pressure sensor on the block, do they give a misreadings with age?
Do the oil pressure gauges give inaccurate readings with age also.
I have acceptable blood pressure and expect my steeds to have the same?? :cool:
Peter
 
If the light doesn't come on it's good enough - RV8s don't mind having relatively low oil pressure.

It sounds like one of your engines is in rude health and the other isn't quite so good.
 
Hi.
The oil pressure gauges on p6s are electrically operated.
In time resistance in wiring and more so the larger of the 2 oil pressure sensors can fail and cause low or even no reading.
Clive

If the oil pressure light is working ok and does not come on or flicker when engine is hot this will normal mean pressure is ok.
I always check any suspect car with low readings with a mechanical oil pressure gauge which means taking out one of the transmitter sensor and screwing in the mechanical gauge.
Clive.
 
ButterFingers said:
What is the acceptable oil pressure for a v8 engine.
one car has almost 55/60 lbs and the other 25 + even with new oil ?
both engines are used and worn , but both pull well and dont sound in stress!
Where is the oil pressure sensor on the block, do they give a misreadings with age?
Do the oil pressure gauges give inaccurate readings with age also.
Click to expand...

The guages in the cars aren't precision instruments, if you want to know what the pressure is then you need to use an accurate master guage. They should have 30-40psi @ 2400rpm HOT, but as said previously if you aren't experiencing problems I wouldn't worry about it.
 
harvey is as normal spot on. in nearly all engines a minimum 15psi is needed (hot or cold) to ensure crank and liners don't come into contact . if we think on es really low? have a check with a master gauge. reassurance is always rewarding.
 
I put a master guage on mine to check the accuracy of the dash instrument. In my case almost spot on.
Dash light would come on at idle. I put the SD1 gear conversion in the oil pump.
Instant oil pressure boost.
Also changed to Penrite 20w/60 oil with added zinc
Sleep better
Vaaaroom
 
GRTV8 said:
I put a master guage on mine to check the accuracy of the dash instrument. In my case almost spot on.
Dash light would come on at idle. I put the SD1 gear conversion in the oil pump.
Instant oil pressure boost.
Also changed to Penrite 20w/60 oil with added zinc
Sleep better
Vaaaroom
Click to expand...
that is the oil that I have just changed to, did wonder if it might be to thick at start up, I remember that my series one 52 land rover had adjustable oil pressure via a large bolt on the side of the sump area on the passenger side.
Does the V8 have anything like that?
Peter
 
ButterFingers said:
that is the oil that I have just changed to, did wonder if it might be to thick at start up, I remember that my series one 52 land rover had adjustable oil pressure via a large bolt on the side of the sump area on the passenger side.
Does the V8 have anything like that?
Peter
Click to expand...

Nah mate. Fires first time especialy with its electronic ignition.
Doesnt have any bolts on the pump to adjust the pressure.
Although I have heard one may replace the pressure release spring with a new higher rated one.
 
hi there, people are talking about a "SD1 conversion".
could it be explained in detail and where would the parts come from?
I assume that the pump is in the sump and that it involves removing the sump to access the bits.
Peter
 
ButterFingers said:
hi there, people are talking about a "SD1 conversion".
could it be explained in detail and where would the parts come from?
I assume that the pump is in the sump and that it involves removing the sump to access the bits.
Peter
Click to expand...
Basically, you buy a kit which adds a spacer between the front cover and oil pump housing. This allows you to install the SD1 oil pump gears which are physically longer.

A word of warning, you might need to play about with some gaskets to get the clearances correct otherwise the gears can bind. In my case the gears were shaved a few thou to fit.

V8 Tuner sells them as do other, probably most V8 specialists. Basically you get better idle pressure and after about 3000rpm you are limited by the pressure relieve valve which is absolutely fine. As Rover seemed to think this necessary, then probably it's a good thing overall.
 
As Peter said.
Bit of oil up your sleeve from lying on yer back.
Once you get the old pump out ,its quite straight forward.
There is one bolt between the pump and the engine that was a bastard to get at.
Weird bolt head pattern on mine.Didnt have the tool in my arsenal - so off to the shops.
I replaced all with a standard bolt heads on re assembly incase I had to pull it apart sometime down the line.
 
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