You should just use 10w 30. can't go wrong with there. I am glad you are ditching the fram filter. I believe your pressure will go up when you switch filters.
lOW OIL PRESSURE
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From: Southeastern N.C.
lOW OIL PRESSURE
My 88 f-150 4x4 automatic has normal oil pressure at idle and operating speed until I drive for about 20 minutes then (only at idle in gear) the pressure drops to low until the rmp`s come back up. Maybe oil pump pick-up screen is getting plugged?And if so would useing (GUNK) engine cleaner help this?Any help would be gratefull!
Thanks,herothc2003
Thanks,herothc2003
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From: Southeastern N.C.
I am also going to install a manual oil gauge in place of the factory one,were do I install the new line? I have looked with no luck.My first time dealing with this.
Thanks,herothc
Thanks,herothc
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From: Western IL
it should be back by where the dipstick goes into the block. make sure when you put the fittings in that they're tight to prevent leaks and a misreading from your gauge, but don't break em off in the block either.
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I'd check after you get a real gauge, if you are relying on a electric stock gauge. Myself, just guessing I don't think your screen is clogged unless you have a reason to believe it could be. IE: previous owner changed oil every 29k, etc...
You may have some excess bearing clearance. When the oil thins up when hot, you may be loosing some pressure. Being the oil is thicker when cold, yet seems to flow ok, sorta rules out the screen to me. Seems flow thru the screen would actually increase when the oil got thinner. How many miles you have on that engine? Normally, I'm against using strong engine cleaners. They can cause more problems than they cure some times. I would prefer to use a good detergent oil and clean slowly. Change the oil more often if it's needed to clean em out. MK
You may have some excess bearing clearance. When the oil thins up when hot, you may be loosing some pressure. Being the oil is thicker when cold, yet seems to flow ok, sorta rules out the screen to me. Seems flow thru the screen would actually increase when the oil got thinner. How many miles you have on that engine? Normally, I'm against using strong engine cleaners. They can cause more problems than they cure some times. I would prefer to use a good detergent oil and clean slowly. Change the oil more often if it's needed to clean em out. MK
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There is 90,000mi. on this truck.I am going to install the manual gauge and see what it does.Also going to replace the Fram oil filter with a Motorcraft filter, I have heard some uneasy things about them.Also, would a 20w/50 oil be to heavy,just turning fall and we do not have many very cold days on the NC&SC coast?
thanks again,herothc
thanks again,herothc
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I put a manual gauge on today,haven`t tried it on long distance yet. Oil pressure at idle is about 45 to 50 ,is that normal ? For I have only relied on the factory (low/high ) gauge.
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Post Fiend
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Originally posted by herothc2003
I put a manual gauge on today,haven`t tried it on long distance yet. Oil pressure at idle is about 45 to 50 ,is that normal ? For I have only relied on the factory (low/high ) gauge.
I put a manual gauge on today,haven`t tried it on long distance yet. Oil pressure at idle is about 45 to 50 ,is that normal ? For I have only relied on the factory (low/high ) gauge.
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From: Southeastern N.C.
at cold idle i get 45 to 50 psi,after about 12 mi. (after good and warm) it gradually drops to about 5 psi at idle.maybe 8 or so at 2000 rpm`s.is this normal? if not could this be the screen oil pump?i don`t want to damage my motor!
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I'll tell you one thing (which I'm sure everyone knows) is that those factory oil pressure gauges are junk. Mine usually runs right below the N (real low) but then I'll turn it off and turn it back on and it'll be on the A or something of normal, and never go back down till I turn it off agian. I don't even know why I bother looking at the thing. I have know dash vents in my 86 so I might try to stick a temp. and oil psi. gauge on each side of the dash.
Redneck-Cowboy
Redneck-Cowboy
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8 lb's at 2000 is not right. The general minimum is considered to be 10lb's per 1000 rpm. And most do better than that. Do you hear any excess engine or valve noise? Myself, I don't see how the screen could be clogged if the pressure is good with the thicker oil. The oil is thinner when hot, and should flow through the screen easier. It's possible the oil pump gasket is shot and leaking. But I'm still wondering about your bearings...I'd sure check it out. If thats with the new manual gauge, something is not right. MK
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What viscosity oil are you running? I was running 5W30 and getting hot readings of 16 at idle and 36 at 2000. Switched to approximately 10w37 (this is an experimental mixture as I did not want to drain all the oil so early in the change cycle) and it boosted the hot 2000 to 43--a significant increase. Maybe picked up a pound or two at idle also. I get much higher numbers on my 460 V8 motorhome though.
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That`s just it, I`m not hearing any excess engine noise at all.If it was the oil pump gasket would it really be holding more pressure than it shows?Also you have mentioned bearing clearances before,why would it drop the pressure if it was this?Please pardon the ignorance!
herothc
herothc
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I don't think so, but not sure. If the gasket was going bad, and had a small leak, it could cause a lack of suction from the screen, etc. If the oil were thick when cold, it could be thick enough to not leak much, but increase when the oil got hot and thinner. But just guessing, this is probably not the problem. Have heard of it happening though. If the bearing clearance is excessive, you will lose a good bit of pressure when the oil thins. But it could be ok when cold and thick. Think of a hose with a nozzle on it. The pressure is high because of the small opening. But open the hole wider, and the pressure will drop. It's sort of the same thing with bearing clearance. The "hole" gets bigger, and pressure drops due to the lesser resistance. Dunno if this makes sense...Maybe someone else can explain it better...MK
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Excessive main bearing clearance can starve the top end because the excessive clearance will allow a lot of oil (and thus pressure) to leak out before it gets a chance to reach the top of the engine since the mains are the first in line for the oil. Woah, this is a lot harder than I thought. The picture in my mind was so simple, but trying to put it into words is difficult.
One thing you can do is idle the engine and look in the oil filler neck to see if oil seems to be getting into the rockers.
One thing you can do is idle the engine and look in the oil filler neck to see if oil seems to be getting into the rockers.