This thread is really for any Buick engine I just didn't know where to put it. I have a Kenne Bell booster plate and I have 80 cold and 30 hot at idle but when I go down the track I'm at about 150 degrees and launch at 5000 RPM's and have around 100 lbs and through the traps at 60-80 bouncing back and forth a bit. I recently bought a Melling oil pump repair kit that looks like TA's. I was going to try it on the 350 I'm building but I talkis to Jim Wyckoff and he has one on his 455 and he is around 60 when he was on the Dyno at high RPM's so just curious. I might get these KB plates remade but with that plate you have to drill some holes in the T cover and in the pump cover.
100psi seems like a lot. I have heard that being that high you run the risk of pushing out cam bearings. Maybe I am wrong. What oil are you running? I run Joe Gibbs 15/50 and have 15 to 20psi at hot idle @ 900rpm and pretty much 20 psi for every 1000rpm up to 75psi. Cold it is 80psi. If I lower the idle to 800 rpm the pressure drops to 10psi maybe a bit lower. All the oil mods were done to the block and timing cover. I run the TA booster plate and hi flow filter housing along with the adjustable regulator and a System1 filter with an SRE oil pan. With 10/40 my hot idle pressure was 5psi or lower. My bearing clearances are on the loose side so I am guessing this is playing into it. The car is 99% street driven.
I have never washed out or pushed out a cam bearing. I just recently put the screw in oil gally plugs in the front of the block. In the old days I had that KB plate and ran stock pan and then made it bigger for another quart but no other mods and it still lasted 10 years. Fred was amaised! He thought number 7&8 rod bearing would be trashed. I shifted at 6000 on that one. Oh I run 5w30 Mobil One. with hydraulic cam.
Ron, Do you street drive any of your cars? Racing is different than street driving. To get the oil to the highest temperature it will get requires a nice highway run for 20 minutes or more, although a 1/4 mile run will probably get you there too. That's when you will see the lowest idle oil pressures. Simply warming the engine till the coolant temps stabilize aint gonna do it. How high are you revving this engine? Pretty sure you don't need 100 psi, especially in a 350. And I would be concerned about the pressure bouncing around that much, maybe you are emptying the pan?
With 5-w30 I was in the 5 psi at idle category as well (my clearance are a bit on the high side Im afraid). Thickened up the oil with a few quarts of VR1 50w and now Im 10 at idle and 10 for every 1000 rpms. This is also being read from the rear oil port, so it should be the lowest point in the system. Havent plumbed up anything to the usually used front port yet, but I plan to for curiosity's sake.
I went to the 9 QT pan and got a cover from Fred. I started having trouble and found one of the pump gaskets was leaking. Now I have good pressure until 3rd gear on and it bounces from 60-80 but never drops off like before. I got the cover first and that's when I started having trouble. I usually drive the car around alot at first at the strip to totally warm it up. I'm ok with it now but just wanted to see what you guys are running. Jim and I thought it would be a good thread for all of us. So the 350's can survive with less pressure?
I am steady around 70-75 psi over the line at close to 6000 rpm. Has around 25-30 at idle. TA cover with adj. oil pressure.
with the dragster and having no oil filter, it runs 80-100psi. but there a s/c sitting on top of the 350. use to use napa/carquest 10-30. now use amsoil 10-30. engine always sees excess of 6500rpm's. bearing wear really shows up on a lot of 7500rpm runs.
Sounds like at your level you should probably spring for the crank getting heat treated and start running the hard bearings? Spin to win you can't win if you don't play! Love what you have created gsjohnny! Derek
My 350 has a deep pan and I run 3 qts Mobile 1 10-30 and 3qts of 15-50 Mobile 1. 15 lbs at idle and 70 at 6 grand. Hot. Right now I am testing 5 qts of 15-50 and 2 qts of 10-30 Mobile 1 and the pressure is up at 80 at 6 grand. But when cold I can make it hit 100 but not going to. I just think it is too much on the dist. gear. I have the TA adjustable assembly with larger oil passages in motor. If I use 10-30 my pressure is on the low side when hot after being on the highway so I started to mix it with the 15-50. I have the larger gears too and never had a problem with the distributor gear. I like to try to get the pressure adjusted to 55 lbs at around 3 grand when hot then I am sure I have over 65 at 6 grand. My pick up is like the 455 which is a square one and reaches to the larger oil pan.
Bone stock 350 rebuild (done before I bought the car); it holds 15 PSI at a hot idle, and climbs to about 60 PSI at 5000 RPM.
Now that's the kind of Hard Hitting replies that I was hoping this thread would bring up. I knew there had to be guys trying different ways of oiling the Buicks!!! Keep those replies coming!!!
need to qualify my experience; it was on the stock crank for bearing wear at 7500. the 'honda' crank is now 2 yrs old and i haven't pulled it apart to look at them. not easy pulling an engine out a dragster. also, crank as is, uses stock honda bearings which are softer. bearings wear b4 crank is a good idea.
Fox Den, Do you have pics of your set up? I was thinking about making the pan hold 3 more Qts and using the pick up that I made for the 455 or buying one. This is the pan I ran for years and the tube I ran for a while. I was going to use this tube on the 350.
Cold 70-85 psi ( I try not to go over 85 psi when cold ) Hot idle 22 psi @ 750 rpm in gear 6000 rpm 62 psi Using Brad Penn 10/30 Stock gears in oil pump Booster plate TA adjustable regulator Cross drilled crank
