Correct oil pressure?

I put in the new oil lines to the guage last night. (P/O put in an after market guage drilled extra hole in dash) So I re used original. ON start up 80lb pressure is that ok?(same as a/m guage) Also the guage seems a little sticky on shut down. does anyone no if this is normal

Ideal cold: 75PSI start and perhaps that running above 2000 warm but 55-60 is okay.
idle should be 55 or above cold

Ideal hot: fire off - as above warm - 75 above 2000
idle hot should be 40 or so

These engines will run very well with pressures a little lower than these though.

Do a search for several threads about three or four months ago. The subject was pretty well thrashed out, including many comments concerning oil coolers.

Jack

If you are seeing 80 PSI, and your gauge is correct, then it means that your oil pump is putting out enough oil to open the release valve. The valve is set at 80 PSI (or pretty close to that). With a good mechanical gauge you can actually watch it open and close (it flutters +/- 2 PSI right at 80 PSI).

And, your gauge's calibration may be a little off. That is not impossible and not necessarily a bad thing. If it is, it may just be that your gauge's calibration falls with the maker's (Smith's) acceptable range of error.

The key here is that you get something close to what is ideal on both ends ~ at speed and at idle. And you seem to be. It is far more important that your gauge is showing you that situation than if the same gauge was showing you 40 PSI at speed, and 5 PSI at idle. That would reflect a far more serious problem with oil pressure in your system, than if the gauge's calibration is a bit optimistic, but in the ball park. Could even be that your gauge is spot on and that should be a reassurance that your oil delivery is A-OK.

From Bentleys "Green" Manual, page 49. For the 18g & 18GA

System Pressure: Running..... Between 50 & 80 psig
: Idling........ Between 10 & 25 psig

Oil pressure relief valve ........70psig

I don't see any figures listed for later engines. Not that it's not there. Just that I don't see it.

I'm not sure how they can list 80psig when they say the relief valve is 70psig, unless they're acknowledging that they're not precision, calibrated parts (which they aren't).

IMHO, 65psig is just fine. Anything higher is a waste of power required to pump the oil up to higher pressures. To me, a boast of 80psig pressure is just a waste of power!

Agree with Derek. Once you have reasonable oil pressure, volume is more important than increasing pressure any more. I believe you can buy pumps that have the same or slightly higher pressure, but a fair increase in volume. I also believe you can change the pressure relief valve pressure by change the spring which holds it on the seat. All my cars have always run ~60psi at start-up. Never had a problem.