so far, just plain old 30 weight Quaker state, plus I have added a bottle of ZDDP...

changed oil after initial start up and run in at elavated rpm per all the suggestions about this step...

now on my second refill, putting some gentle around town miles on it before getting up to speed.

most recently, the oil pressure seems to be acting a bit more "normal" per my guage... steady at 60-65 when at idle, then goes down and back up when under way...

thanks for the responses.  hope to toss up some pics of this long restoration soon.

Mark

"God Bless Texas"location: Houston,TX

Mark: You never said what type & weight oil you are running?

Paul

I agree with John and there are many debates on the subject. But when the industry started tightening the clearances on motors they had to thin the oil, otherwise if it flowed to slowly through the bearings it had the propensity to heat up. if oil is too thin for the looser clearances of older motors, it flows too fast and doesn't give a good cushion on parts. Clearances, oil viscosity, and flow rate have to all go hand in hand for the best protection.

55 Vicky & customline

58 Rack Dump, 55 F350 yard truck, 57 F100

59 & 61 P 400's, 58 F100 custom cab, 69 F100, 79 F150, 82 F600 ramp truck, 90 mustang conv 7 up, 94 Mustang, Should I continue?

Higher than normal oil pressure can be an indication of tight bearing clearance. Just because you have 70psi doesn't mean that oil is moving across the bearings. Pressure doesn't guarantee flow. In a worn out engine oil is flowing very quickly due to extra clearance. The pump can't keep up and pressure drops.

Insufficient side clearance on the rods can raise oil pressure but can also burn up bearings due to a lack of oil flow. If the oil can't flow through the bearings it stagnates and eventually overheats.

Since you probably don't have an aftermarket crankshaft its doubtful that the beariings are tight at the rod journal radius.

I agree, drain the oil in a clean pan and look for debris and signs of overheated oil.

http://ford-y-block.com 

20 miles east of San Diego, 20 miles north of Mexico

Howdy,



Before you get too excited about your pressure, you might try a different gage to verify that you in fact do have "high" oil pressure!



Regards,





Rick


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1955 F-600/272/E4OD// Disclaimer: No animals were injured while test driving my F-600 except the ones I ran over intentionally!

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I'm running 70-75 on the road and 50 at idle with 10w40 oil. 5,000 miles on the engine, it 1st fired up at those numbers and they've never really changed. Good flow at the rockers so I'm happy with those #'s. Gary

       

Gary, 55 Vicky, St. Germain, Wisconsin

 

70 psi sounds a bit unusual. Wonder if it might be a concern because of the possibility of erosion. Has the pump been modified? As I understand it, volume is more important than pressure. I might be inclined to hook up a 2nd gauge temporarily.. Than again maybe it's just fine?..

Paul

So, if plenty of oil gauge pressure, and oil doesn't overflow the heads (test rpm/time?) then no restrictors likely needed. Makes sense.

6 VOLTS/POS. GRD. NW INDIANA

Oil should not get all over with the rockers oiling as originally designed. It is when the shafts are pressurized that the oil overflows the head. Others will say otherwise but that is my firsthand experience. A restrictor placed at an area before the oil reaches the shaft should not cause it to flood.


Lawrenceville, GA

I installed 1/16" restrictors in my rocker stand in a vain attempt to boost pressure to worn-out mains. Fresh motor will have deeper cam groove, so I will likely have to adjust the orifice size eventually, and balance pressure between rockers & mains.

I read reports of those who cannot run engine with rocker covers removed without an oil mess. Never had that problem, though oil pours out the drain tubes prodigiously. I'm just wondering how much rocker flow is really adequate? If I end up with a very high gauge pressure reading with restrictors removed, should I leave them out to maximize rocker cooling/lubrication? SHOULD a properly balanced system fling oil with the covers off, I wonder?

6 VOLTS/POS. GRD. NW INDIANA