Normal oil pressures

I'm running 15-40 Delvac.
Normal oil pressure at idle says @ 18. When I'm driving it's @ 40-45.
It's winter here (just above freezing this morning). I usually let it warm up until the high-idle kicks off.
Today I had to run out on short notice so I only warmed it up for a minute or so.
I was going up our hill and looked over and saw 60! on my oil pressure gauge. Never seen it much above 45. I was waiting for something to blow. lol And I was very easy on the throttle after I got up the hill and until the pressure got down to @ 40.
I guess I should switch to 5-40 for winter but this oil's only got about 1k on it. And 5-40 is harder to find and is more expensive.

Is 60 crazy high and likely to "blow" something?
What numbers are you guys seeing on your gauge under normal conditions?

I still use 15/40 year around. Should go to a thinner oil in winter if it is super cold like where you live.
We have been having some super cold this winter here in northern Nevada, lots of Snow, and out here where live, old timers say never seen this much snow...think if I add it all up, close to 40".
Nights own in the teens and single digits some nights.

When it is that cold, the 15/40 gets thick like Molasses till it warms up.
So being cold and thicker, your Mechanical Oil Gauge will show much higher pressure. Then as it warms up the pressure will drop which is normal and OK.
So no you will not blow up your engine with 60lbs of pressure.
One thing that freaks people out if they have a mechanical gauge, when the engine idles, the PSI will be low till they accelerate and it goes up. The needle will fluctuates with RPM`s.

If you have the factory Oil Gauge, they are no all that great, but do not show PSI.
When mine works, it is right of center when cold, then as it warms up it reads low.

Living in Main, you would do the engine some good to use your Block heater, does not heat the oil, but having the block, Coolant warm will warm the oil quicker as it circulates.

Seems like I read, the Oil Pumps on our IDI Engines are a volume Pump more that a pressure pump.

Edit: Copied this from a thread, about low Oil pressure at idle.
I`ll post that thread at the end of this thread.

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Don't be alarmed if you install an aftermarket gauge and find low pressure. The engines idle with about 7 psi and run with 30, if I remember correctly. The magic is that the oil pumps put out a LOT of volume, so high pressure is not necessary, perhaps even counterproductive.







Goat

I do usually use a block heater but only for a couple of hours before I'm going somewhere. When I know that I'm going somewhere. So...not today.
Never seen 60 before so I was freaking out.

Original owner since new in 1988:
Oil pressure has remained the same since day one and always running 15w-40 here in SE-Pa. and sometimes we get some single digit winter temps.
Mobil Delvac for a loooong time then switched over to Walmart Super Tech 15W-40 and only change the oil and filter once a year (June) as I barely put 1000 miles a year on the truck.
Hot Idle 18-20 psi
Hot running down the road 42-45 psi

HammerDown said:

Original owner since new in 1988:
Oil pressure has remained the same since day one and always running 15w-40 here in SE-Pa. and sometimes we get some single digit winter temps.
Mobil Delvac for a loooong time then switched over to Walmart Super Tech 15W-40 and only change the oil and filter once a year (June) as I barely put 1000 miles a year on the truck.
Hot Idle 18-20 psi
Hot running down the road 42-45 psi

Click to expand...

Just saw where you are from.. I bet you hear airplanes and fire trucks from Tinicum all day.

HammerDown said:

Hot Idle 18-20 psi
Hot running down the road 42-45 psi

Click to expand...

That gives me peace of mind that mine is normal. Thanks.
And I won't stress too much if I see 60 on a cold truck again. But I'll try to avoid it whenever possible.

More than 5 less than plus a half of summertime spec's (idle cruising)
...
The issue To look 4 is the SUDDEN CHANGE OF PRESSURE...

I also use Wally World 15W/40 Super Tech engine oil. It`s good oil made by a major refinery.


Goat

I usually run Tractor Supply brand stuff as it's often the cheapest (and I've read tests on it being as good as any of them) but I grabbed a deal on Delvac (at Tractor Supply) and bought 20 gallons.
But I'll be looking for a deal on some 5-40 for next winter.

Today finding that much 15/40 on the shelf is rare.
When this Covid garbage started and the fear of shortages of everything etc.....
Diesel/Gas was going up in price faster than a Prom Dress coming off in the back seat of a 55 Chevy.

But Oil on the shelves stayed the same price for quite a while before going up lil by lil.
I started to pick up a couple 2 gal jugs at Wally World when we were there. Think I did have 30 gal of the stuff along with Power Stroke FL-1995 Filters. have a good dozen of them. WW had them for $9.44, now don`t see them on the shelves.
Now don`t see the 15/40 very often either.

But man do they have the shelves loaded up with that DEF k rap.


Goat

Just out of curiosity I let the rpms get up high when I had just left my house this morning and the engine was still cold. I got it up over 50psi of oil pressure at 2500rpm. I’m sure my neighbors loved it lol. I’m also running delo oil.

I noticed faster starting revs when I switched to Synthetic 5/40. (Had it on hand) I’ll likely stick with that since it’s not my daily.

Apples to Oranges, I had a mild sbc with Hi Press/ Hi Vol. and that thing always pegged a 60 PSI gauge except at hot idle (45). All through high school it drank oil, but never leaked it besides the typical sbc seepage.

Hey Brian, I’m further north than you and have a bunch of buddies way way north where I grew up. Most all run 15-40 as well. I’ve noticed a huge difference when I had PSD vehicles..but now that nothing I own is ran off injectors with high pressure oil..I didn’t notice a difference.

It’s been warm the past 3 years...-40* is hard no matter what oil you’ve got!

On other vehicles if the pressure gets too high is swells up the oil filter and can blow it off. But I have ever heard that happening on a idi yet on here.

hacked89 said:

Just saw where you are from.. I bet you hear airplanes and fire trucks from Tinicum all day.

Click to expand...

Nahhhh, I'm a little too far in to always hear the air traffic and only sometimes local firehouse sirens. But when I boated on The Delaware River the overhead air traffic was every few minutes.