What is normal oil pressure?

WideOpenThrottle · Post by **WideOpenThrottle** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 7:42 am

Inconclusive at the moment..but was very oily around the front of the engine by the turbo oil drain/crankpulley area after thrashing it around Hamptons.Road driving seems ok.

MrGrey · Post by **MrGrey** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 8:33 pm

scratch my previous post as my low oil pressure problem is appearing pretty much consistently. when the engine is running it idles at around 1 and when its driving under load its on around 2.25-2.5.

would this suggest a tired oil pump?
if so how much are they to replace and how expensive are they?

WideOpenThrottle · Post by **WideOpenThrottle** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 9:10 pm

According to the manual anywhere between 2 and 4 is normal depending on revs....but as I have found out, different oil weights will give you different readings[even different brands of the same weight will most likely cause your gauge to read differently].

MrGrey · Post by **MrGrey** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 9:27 pm

well, I am not getting any noticeable problems (eg temp and running sound is smooth) I am only worried because the gauge is 'right in my face' so to speak, and unlike all my previous cars I have owned, I really want to look after this one

marcellarius · Post by **marcellarius** » Mon Feb 03, 2014 8:22 am

Well, if you want to be sure, get a mechanic to check it with an accurate oil pressure to confirm whether the issue is with the engine or the gauge/sender/wiring

If it is low oil pressure then the problem may not be the oil pump. The pump moves the oil but the pressure is created by the oil having nowhere to go except through the very tight spaces between the bearing surfaces.

If you have worn bearings, or perhaps a leak somewhere then it allows the oil to flow out more quickly, dropping the pressure.

4A-GE · Post by **4A-GE** » Mon Feb 10, 2014 11:09 pm

My turn to jump on in.

Whilst I love driving this thing around, it's getting to be somewhat annoying that it's ... Well, showing its age. I haven't done 1,500kms in it yet.
Now, I like looking after my stuff, so I've checked the oil regularly and it is sitting juuuuuuuust a smidge below full, so some is going somewhere it shouldn't.

My oil pressure drops to ~1kg/cm at warm idle. Cold idle is fine at 4kg/cm; shoots up and sometimes pins the needle driving gently while it's warming. Warm cruising 2000+ sits between 2 and 3kgcm. Planting it gets anywhere up to 4.
The oil is only about 1,100kms old. It is 10w40 synthetic.

Suspect rocker cover gasket leak at the firewall end of the motor, possible cam angle sensor o-ring leak?

Going to hit it with degreaser tomorrow and see if it oils up again. If it fucks me around, I'll have to take it to someone who can wrench better than I can. Anyone who's had this issue crop up and had it repaired, please chime in with what it cost.

Potential problem ideas also encouraged.

MrGrey · Post by **MrGrey** » Mon Feb 10, 2014 11:30 pm

If the rocker cover gasket is leaking then replacing it is quite easy and you can get a replacement gasket for thirty something dollars from broomfish.
Your oil pressure seems ok and within normal tolerance but if there is a small leak, then you should fix it.

Where in Auckland are you? next time I am down your way I don't mind bringing down my torque wrench and some gasket sealant if you get a replacement gasket and I would be happy to give you a hand replacing it.

WideOpenThrottle · Post by **WideOpenThrottle** » Tue Feb 11, 2014 8:21 am

I suspect modern low weight engine oils are adding to the fluctuating oil pressures and leaks as they may be too thin for the early NA's.

The service manual indicates that all you need for ambient air temps above minus 10 degrees is a 20-40 or 20-50 oil.

Since changing to 20-50 mine is steady at about 3 on the gauge.

warrior · Post by **warrior** » Tue Feb 11, 2014 9:22 am

I agree, never had any oil leaks until I changed to synthetic oils.

4A-GE · Post by **4A-GE** » Tue Feb 11, 2014 10:42 am

MrGrey wrote:Where in Auckland are you? next time I am down your way I don't mind bringing down my torque wrench and some gasket sealant if you get a replacement gasket and I would be happy to give you a hand replacing it.

Pakuranga, eerily close to Monsieur Snapfrozen. I'll take you up on that if it is the rocker cover gasket!

WideOpenThrottle wrote:I suspect modern low weight engine oils are adding to the fluctuating oil pressures and leaks as they may be too thin for the early NA's [...]

Since changing to 20-50 mine is steady at about 3 on the gauge.

Might have to give that a go too. Really hoping my pump isn't crapping out.

marcellarius · Post by **marcellarius** » Tue Feb 11, 2014 12:31 pm

The cam cover gasket isn't going to be affecting oil pressure, but it makes a mess and if left, could leak onto rubber hoses and cause a failure.

Another very common cause of oil leaks in that area is the O-ring around the crank angle sensor which hangs off the back of one of the cams.

You can get a replacement Viton O-ring for negligible money from somewhere like SIL; replacing it can be a little awkward as space is limited but it's well worth doing, especially if you have a 1.8 where a leak will lead to a failed heater hose.

WideOpenThrottle · Post by **WideOpenThrottle** » Tue Feb 11, 2014 7:20 pm

Who is and where do I find SIL? a few years ago the CAS o-ring cost me nearly ten bucks from Mazda!

4A-GE · Post by **4A-GE** » Tue Feb 11, 2014 10:41 pm

The cam angle sensor was my next guess. My civic spat a heater hose once - Fortunately it was a sohc motor so I had a decent amount of space but that didn't make it ok!

I'm in the same boat as the bloke above - I don't miiiiiiiiind going to Mazda but cheaper is gooder. Also a proper set of eyes (i.e, better acquainted with these motors than myself) would be a great help. Never been brave enough to touch anything to do with timing by myself.

marcellarius · Post by **marcellarius** » Wed Feb 12, 2014 2:06 am

http://www.sealimports.co.nz/contacts.html The guys at the Hamilton branch have always been helpful. A replacement O-ring from them probably costs under a dollar. I don't recall the dimensions but they are online somewhere. People seem to recommend Viton O-rings.

I don't have a timing light, but I figure it's going to be close enough if I scribe/mark both parts and carefully line it back up. At worst it's going to be a degree or so out, no big deal.

Advice I've seen but not taken is to also mark the position of the CAS rotor when you take it out, so that you can be sure it's going to line up with the groove in the camshaft (it only goes in one way). It can take a little bit of force, and wiggling it to actually get it to slot back in.

WideOpenThrottle · Post by **WideOpenThrottle** » Wed Feb 12, 2014 9:11 am

Loosen only slightly the two bolts on the head in front of the CAS plus the rear cam cover bolts can make this job so much easier.

warrior · Post by **warrior** » Wed Feb 12, 2014 10:34 am

4a-ge I am happy to do your timing for you if you want to come to my place and anything else you need doing I am happy to help.

Give me a yell if you want to.

What is normal oil pressure?

Who is online