Too much oil pressure on the beater?

Discussion in 'Street/strip 400/430/455' started by CJay, Aug 7, 2018.

  1. CJay

    CJay Supercar owner Staff Member

    I guess thats a good thing right? :D Better than too little!

    The beater is running a TA assembled timing cover. It runs about about 25-30 lbs of oil pressure at idle and about 50 lbs at 2500. Its got a 40 lb relief spring. Doesnt really go beyond 50 lbs. I don't beat on the car, honestly its just used a cruiser. I always thought the pressure was too low. Id rather see I put a 60 lb spring in it and the pressure is about 40 at idle and pegs at 70 lbs cruising at 2500. Isnt that too much? Im using the stock relief spring cap.

    What I was thinking was to reinstall the 40 lb'er and add the TA adjustable relief spring cap to get a happy medium between the two. What say you? Am I obsessing over nothing?

    Leave it with the 60lb spring, its not going to hurt anything or swap spring and turn down the pressure a little?
     
  2. Schurkey

    Schurkey Silver Level contributor

    You don't need more pressure.

    You don't need as much pressure as you currently have.

    Your oil is too thick. Consider thinner oil (5W-30, perhaps) What viscosity are you currently using?

    Alternative Theory: Your oil pressure gauge is inaccurate, reading too high. Have you verified this gauge with another?

    Every PSI of added oil pressure stresses the front cam bearing, the cam and distributor gear, the distributor gear roll pin, and the pump itself. Of that group, I'd worry least about the pump, and most about the cam bearing and roll pin.
     
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  3. CJay

    CJay Supercar owner Staff Member

    Exactly my thoughts. I think I may be overthinking this. 50lbs just seems a little on the low side at cruise. And it wont move much past there as the rpm increases. So at 3k- 3500, Im still around 50 lbs

    Actually, I run conventional 10w-30 in it with a zinc additive.
     
  4. 300sbb_overkill

    300sbb_overkill WWG1WGA. MAGA

    As far as I have ever experienced a higher pressure "relief" spring hasn't ever altered the idle pressure, it is to limit the max pressure only. When the pump creates more than what the relief spring is rated for, the extra pressure is released through the bypass valve.

    Like Schurkey said with the thinner oil and the 60 psi relief spring should give you a better pressure psi range for your RPM. To dial it in, try different oil thicknesses to get the curve you are most comfortable with.
     
  5. CJay

    CJay Supercar owner Staff Member

    Not sure I want to put in oil thinner than 10w-30 especially in this heat. Im going to try the old school method. Im going to try putting in the 40lb relief spring and shimming it slightly so I get 60 lbs at 3k. See if I can get it just a tad higher than it was. The 60lb'er is just too much. The clearances in this engine must be tight as hell! My 71 idles at 15 lbs
     
  6. 300sbb_overkill

    300sbb_overkill WWG1WGA. MAGA

    johnriv67 likes this.
  7. B-rock

    B-rock Well-Known Member

    This has me concerned. My 455 with stock cover idles at 32. 29 if my water temp gets over 200 deg. It runs at 60 with any kind of throttle. This is with 20/50 oil.
     
  8. CJay

    CJay Supercar owner Staff Member

    That's for the heads up on that but it looks like that TA's original post is from 2006. The TA cover I have is from 2016. You'd think that they sent the right spring in mine although anything is possible. I took the spring it came with out anyway and installed the lighter 40 lb spring in there which coincidentally is red. The coils on that spring are spaced pretty far apart unlike the white 60lb spring.

    And just as a matter of fact, the TA cover they sent me uses the shorter of the two sizes of relief springs.
     
  9. hugger

    hugger Well-Known Member

    It's fine, you can try some 15/40 Rotella oil see what it does, Ive put thousands of miles on engines with Valvoline 20/50 and they didn't mind it.
     
    B-rock likes this.
  10. hugger

    hugger Well-Known Member

    A distributor oiler is a good addition to any Buick engine Imo also, easy and cheap to do And can save you alot of headache
     
    sean Buick 76 likes this.
  11. Schurkey

    Schurkey Silver Level contributor

    Why in hell would a person install maple syrup for oil, trying to get MORE than 10 psi per 1000 rpm?

    Modern racing engines are run harder than street vehicles, and are using LESS than 10 psi per thousand.

    But, no...We need crazy-thick oil, and uselessly high oil pressure. Then we need unobtanium front cam bearings and aftermarket distributor-gear oil squirters to stand up to the cantilevered forces from the cam gear/distributor gear interface.
     
    Last edited: Aug 7, 2018
  12. BadBrad

    BadBrad Got 4-speed?

    5W30 over here. When at temperature on a 100+ degree day driving the pressure needle goes up and down with the throttle position but only as low as about one and half hash marks on the factory gauge. I have the T/A high volume pump. Despite what everyone says should be the case I can modulate idle pressure with that spring. When I first ran this pump setup I found idle pressure too high for my liking; took a turn or two out of the spring and now it settles in just right.
     
  13. Jim Weise

    Jim Weise EFI/DIS 482

    Your fine Jason, don't worry about it.

    What I find amusing is that the timing cover is worth about a much as the rest of the car.. HA..


    JW
     
  14. CJay

    CJay Supercar owner Staff Member

    Thanks, I just laughed out loud on that one. :D
     
  15. dynotech1

    dynotech1 Well-Known Member

    Your right about running oil that is too thick for the sake of oil pressure, but you can't compare an engine with wet sump oiling vs a dry sump engine.
    Modern race engines have prioritize oiling systems where our Buicks don't. The 10psi/1000rpm still applies with most modern wet sump engines.
     
  16. CJay

    CJay Supercar owner Staff Member

    So I just wanted to update this thread. And the picture is naturally sideways....sigh.....:rolleyes: Anyway, the white spring is the standard 60 lb Stage 1 relief spring I had in my toolbox. The TA cover I have takes the "short" style springs. The short red spring all the way on the right is the one I had in the car with the stock, non adjustable plug. That yellow spring in the middle I tested in the car gave me way too much pressure. Yellow one must be a 70 lb cam bearing wiper outer:D

    So I put the red 40 lb spring back in with the TA adjustable plug and put 3/4 of a turn on it . That gave me just about 60lbs at 3k. So I gained about 10 lbs at 3k rpm. Am I being too OCD on this?

    KIMG1587[1].JPG
     
  17. Doo Wop

    Doo Wop Where were you in '62?

    Rotella has no Zinc in it now as do most other diesel oils. Gov't mandated.
     
  18. hugger

    hugger Well-Known Member

    Last edited: Aug 30, 2018
  19. Jim Weise

    Jim Weise EFI/DIS 482

    The issue with diesel oil is that it contains little to no anti-foaming agents.. as they are not required in low rpm diesel engines. I noticed Rottella foaming on the dyno years ago.

    Oil is the single most important item to safeguard your investment. You should be using a dedicated High Performance oil, designed for your engine. Hard to find at one point, but there are several good products on the market now, readily accessible.

    Driven by Joe Gibbs racing is the choice for all engines here at TSP, for both break in and general use.

    Convenience should not be a factor in your oil strategy. Trust me, pulling the engine to repair it, is very inconvenient.

    JW
     
  20. 300sbb_overkill

    300sbb_overkill WWG1WGA. MAGA

    Although it can be if one would step up to a roller cam then regular off the shelf modern oil would be just fine.
     

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