As a last ditch effort to solve my low oil pressure problem I did not
want to remove and dismantle my 948 to chase down what could be multiple
small pressure losses. It could be more than one thing causing the oil
pressure loss in this old 948 causing a cumulative effect of loss of
pressure. I might take it apart and find nothing. So, in desperation I
put in an additive. I know there will be people on the list that
steadfastly refuse to use additives or don't believe that anything in a
bottle could help with an engine problem. I'm hoping they are wrong. I
added Lucas (no relation to our electrical prince) Oil Stabilizer:
http://www.LucasOil.com/Product_Information/info10001.htm
This stuff claims to end dry starts, stop leaks and raise oil pressure.
It is a pure petroleum product and can be mixed with all lubricants
including synthetics. It is especially good if you leave your car
unstarted for long periods of time. A film of oil will remain on all
moving parts indefinitely. I removed enough oil from my crankcase to
put in the required 20 percent of Oil Stabilizer and added the correct
amount. It took forever to pour this thick stuff into the valve cover.
I gave it about a half hour to work it's way down to the crankcase and
started the engine. At first I did not notice any difference in the oil
pressure, so I let it run for 15 minutes or so. After the car was
warmed up it would not come off 60 psi at idle! I took it out for a
half hour test run to see what the pressure would be like when it was
really warmed up. On my usual test runs I take the car to my
neighboring city, Redlands, California. It is about 20 minutes away.
The car is usually warmed up fully before I get there. A couple of
nights ago my oil pressure would climb over 42 psi just before I got
into Redlands. This evening the oil pressure stayed at 60 psi at 3500
rpm. When I stopped at the light in downtown Redlands a few nights ago
my oil pressure was less than 10 psi at 800 rpm. Tonight, all the way
there and back, the oil pressure at idle was 20 psi. The needle never
went below 20 psi for the whole test run. On the way back home the oil
had warmed up further and the oil pressure at 3500 rpm was close to 50
psi, but if I raised the rpm to 4000 to 4500 the oil pressure quickly
rose to 60 psi. I will try this experiment again tomorrow during the
day in warmer weather and see what the results are, but so far it looks
promising.
Mike MacLean Supercharged 60 Sprite
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