I got a 78 vette original L48 350 only mod is an aluminum intake and a slightly larger cam..or thats to the best of the owners knowledge ..it has 75k original miles, again to the best of my knowledge .. ive had it a few months it runs great but for what im used to seeing the oil pressure seemed a little low to me ..
right at start cold it idles at 40psi ... cold it still doesnt climb above 40 at shifts ..(4spd factory rear end 3.08 i think? not very low ) so im guessing 3000 -3500rpms when i run the gear out just a little long ....tach needs a new board its on order. ive never really tached it out but it seems safe to say it looks like 40 -43 or so is the hard limit on my pressure seems to jump around fine with a little rev once warmed up and idling till it hits the magic 40-43 then stops solid.
warmed up its holding around 17-20 idle and about 35-40 at shift points ( NOT a synthetic oil)
now i know the factory oil gauge isnt very acurate so I HAVE confirmed these with a mechanical gauge ..attached right beside the distributer ...factory electric is at the filter.
the engine runs at 160- 180 degrees will get
up to 190 ish at sustained highway speeds 65-80 never gets over 180 idling in traffic. running 10w40 oil atm moment and its a recent oil change.
im about to change the oil pan gasket so an oil pump change isnt a big deal ..but my questions are
1. do these numbers look normal and or safe ? its been years since i even had a V8 I used to play with hot rods alot in high school ( 20 years ago )and seems like i always had better pressure on my cars. 60-70 or so at running speeds and 25+ at idle
2. what type pump should i look into putting on it or is it fine as is? ..and if its not ,what numbers should i be looking for on pressure this car is NOT hot rodded and i want the longest possible life out of whats left on this motor?would putting in a new stock pump be of any benifit ?are these pumps prone to any gear wear within the first 100k miles?
3. is there some sort of pressure bypass that could be failing to allow my pressure above 40 if this is a low number for this engine?
4. and if i go with a high volume/pressure pump will i have clearance in the stock pan without modifying baffles ect?
Thank you for your time any info would be great.!
Shane
right at start cold it idles at 40psi ... cold it still doesnt climb above 40 at shifts ..(4spd factory rear end 3.08 i think? not very low ) so im guessing 3000 -3500rpms when i run the gear out just a little long ....tach needs a new board its on order. ive never really tached it out but it seems safe to say it looks like 40 -43 or so is the hard limit on my pressure seems to jump around fine with a little rev once warmed up and idling till it hits the magic 40-43 then stops solid.
warmed up its holding around 17-20 idle and about 35-40 at shift points ( NOT a synthetic oil)
now i know the factory oil gauge isnt very acurate so I HAVE confirmed these with a mechanical gauge ..attached right beside the distributer ...factory electric is at the filter.
the engine runs at 160- 180 degrees will get
up to 190 ish at sustained highway speeds 65-80 never gets over 180 idling in traffic. running 10w40 oil atm moment and its a recent oil change.
im about to change the oil pan gasket so an oil pump change isnt a big deal ..but my questions are
1. do these numbers look normal and or safe ? its been years since i even had a V8 I used to play with hot rods alot in high school ( 20 years ago )and seems like i always had better pressure on my cars. 60-70 or so at running speeds and 25+ at idle
2. what type pump should i look into putting on it or is it fine as is? ..and if its not ,what numbers should i be looking for on pressure this car is NOT hot rodded and i want the longest possible life out of whats left on this motor?would putting in a new stock pump be of any benifit ?are these pumps prone to any gear wear within the first 100k miles?
3. is there some sort of pressure bypass that could be failing to allow my pressure above 40 if this is a low number for this engine?
4. and if i go with a high volume/pressure pump will i have clearance in the stock pan without modifying baffles ect?
Thank you for your time any info would be great.!
Shane