oil presure and engine temp for 1950 239 ci v8
 

HI need some info/help

.........recently purchase a 1950 f1 flathead v8....239 ci............

......can you tell me :

what the oil pressure should be at idle

what the oil pressure should be above idle

what the water temp should be when the engine has warmed

thanks

First off, the dash gauges are not to be trusted. They are "indicators", not precision instruments. So use quality, calibrated mechanical gauges for measurements. The typical three-gauge sets you buy at AutoZone are not real accurate either.

Oil pressure, hot (after an hour of running):
at idle: 10 - 15 psi
above idle (1500 RPM or above): 30 psi minimum, 50 psi typical
Many instances of engines with near-zero pressure at hot idle that run fine for years, but...

Temperature: depends on thermostats, but you WANT 180 - 190 normal temps (not cooler) to keep the oil clear of condensate. Measurements with an infrared laser gun, on the thermostat housings, are a good bet.

thanks
 

thank you for the info.......

.........the (highly reputable) mechanic I use has indicated that is where we are water temperature wise.....he was a little concerned we maybe running too hot..............

regarding the oil pressure we were at 7 -10 when first starting and then moving to 20 - 25 when increasing engine speed......these were both taken with the truck sitting and within 5- 10 minutes of starting the engine.............

.........he has recommended we install some quality aftermarket gauges...........I would prefer not to in trying to maintain as much originality as possible, but do not want to not do something we should do as a "preventive/monitoring" measure.............

.........I intend to use the truck as a "daily driver" initially, and see where it takes me....................

You don't need a high-quality gauge in the truck all the time; just figure out what the dash gauge readings "really" are. They are repeatable in my experience. My oil gauge shows 30 - 35 when it is really 50. When it shows zero, it really is Zero. As long as it's showing somewhere in between, I know it's good enough. My Temp gauge is on the middle mark at operating temp of 185 - 190, and it will show variations on long, hard pulls or heavy traffic in hot weather. That's all I need to know, really.

They can also be adjusted (calibrated) to a certain extent. See here: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...just-them.html There are other threads on the subject, but that's the meat of it there.

Your oil pressure is a little low. What weight oil are you using? On a fresh engine, 10w30 is OK, you may want to try 15w40 Delo for a little more. Also make sure the oil pan is clean and that sludge isn't plugging the screen.

thanks
 

........thanks, again............

.........I will follow up with my mechanic tomorrow...........I do know we are running a heavier oil and assume the screen and pan were cleaned.......if not I am scheduled to get the truck back tomorrow and will check the pan and screen..........

.......a little background..........purchased the truck 4 weeks ago and had prearranged for the truck to go into the shop and be evaluated..........my stated goal was to make it a solid driver, and then drive it, and decide where I wanted to go from that point..................unfortunately, the truck was not correctly advertised ( it was advertised as being "sound mechanically", trying to work through this with the seller )...........we have had to do the following :

-new brake lines
-new rear drums
-new master brake cylinder
-new rear wheel cylinders
-new emergency brake cable
-new clutch kit
-new tires
-re-core the radiator
-new rear shock
-new universal joints

.......the body is very good given its age...the engine, overall, has tested well..........a few routine maintenance repair issues which were not unexpected...........have fallen in love with the truck........and want to keep it, accept it for what it is and work from there..........

......the mechanic is very positive about the truck.....and hopefully the oil pressure issue is not an indication of more serious problems...............

thanks again

Have you done a compression check on the engine?

compression testing
 

no, but intended to have this done...........what range should I be satisfied with ?

thanks

100 psi would be fine. As with any engine, the key is to have them all +/- 5% of the same.