On Tue, 7 Jul 1998, M. W. Jordan, Jr. wrote:
>
> But the oil pressure seems very low once it has been running for a while. It
> starts out about 60 lbs cold but after 20 miles or so will only show about
>35-40
> lbs at 3000 RPM, and drops t about 1-15 at idle. The engine does not burn
>oil, and
> the engine temperature does not seem excessively high - usually runs about
>160-180
> when warmed up and maintains constant temp readings.
>
> I suspect the main bearings are worn and could use replacement. I have read
> several comments about replacing with the engine in the car, but could use
>some
> practical guidance here. I would prefer not to pull the engine at the present
> time, but will do so if the pain of dropping the oil pan and doing it from
>below is
> overwhelming.
Since we share the same (more or less) engine, I'm gonna go WAAAAAAY
out on a limb and tell you not to mess with your engine at all...
From what I've seen on the list, the pressure your car shows is
well within limits. If you want it to come up a bit put some heavier
grade oil in the crank case (i.e. 20-50 or 15-45).
Trust me you will save a bunch of headaches at this point. Drive
it for a few years, get your confidence up doing other things around
the car before you tackle a complete engine tear-down. When you
get to that point have a more knowledgeable friend help and you will
find "Standard Vanguards" are definitely NOT rocket science.
Of course if pressure drops significantly further THEN do
something about it.
Greg Petrolati
gpetrola@prairienet.org 1962 TR4 (CT4852L)
"That's not a leak... My car is just marking its territory!"
Greg Petrolati, Champaign, Illinois
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