Oil pressure gauge

[CAE79]

I have a 1985 Ford Bronco 351. Where should the gauge be reading when the engine is hot?

 

[Seabronc]

On most older engines it will read in the lower 1/3 of the idiot gauge. If you have a mechanical guge that reads in PSI then about 25 LB. At idle after running for a while a high milage engine it may go as low as 5 to 10 PSI on a mechanical gauge and nearly 0 on the Ford gauge.

Sometimes a low reading is just due to a bad sending unit, they are noted for that. If it is high milage you can improve the pressure by using a higher viscosity oil. Mine for ex. is getting pretty high in milage and I have used 20W50 for two years to put off having to take it off the road to rebuild the engine. Even with that when hot and setting at a light for a while it will drop to about 10 PSI.

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[snowman74]

Wow Fred, 20W50? I've used 10W40 for 170,000+ miles. My pressure is around 35. Is that bad?

Snowman74 >-

 

[Seabronc]

Wow Fred, 20W50? I've used 10W40 for 170,000+ miles. My pressure is around 35. Is that bad?

Snowman74 >-

Sounds good to me, it all depends on wear and oil pump condition. Other than the low readings when at idle my engine is strong and maintains 25 to 35 PSi when off idle and hot, at start up it is in excess of 50 PSI. I just don't want to take it down right now. I'm considering alternatives like a new short/long block for a quick turn around but I'm hoping to wait till I get ready to do my next round of restoration. The whole front end, (new fenders, grill, front trim, bumper and hood), will get changed then so pulling the engine will be real convenient.

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[Lump1713]

I finally put a 1000 miles since I bought my truck a month ago. now it has 167045 miles on it and the oil pressure is still good. Its at half of the gauge (between R and M in normal) i still haven't had a chance to changed the pil yet tho... /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> I gotta get that done like soon...