Is this NORMAL oil pressure?

[mr cribb]

****Truck is a 93 with almost 230k miles.****

I didn't care for the stock idiot gauge so I installed REAL oil pressure and water temperature gauges.

Cold start reads 56 psi

Operating temperature at idle after 25 mile trip into town

 

[natenkiki2004]

If you're idling in gear with an automatic trans (causing the engine to have low RPM), that's pretty close to normal considering the mileage. Mine would drop that low with a real mechanical gauge once the engine was warm. It's a good thing actually, it means that the oil is flowing nicely throughout the engine. Such high oil pressure when cold is good too, it means that it's thick and the bearings are still thick enough to cause that resistance.

Oil pressure isn't a product of the pump, it's a product of the resistance of the path that the oil takes. That's why if you have really low oil pressure, it means the bearings are wearing out and have excessive tolerance (larger area for the oil to flow through, meaning less resistance).

If you're not idling in gear in that 2nd picture, that might be a bit low. It could also be a warmer climate than I'm in or oil that's sheared down a bit or even gauges that have a significant error tolerance like 1-5%. There's a graph somewhere but I can't find it in my files. I seem to recall that you should have 30-40 PSI at 2,000 RPM. If you're close to that, I'd say you're doing great. 60 PSI is the bypass pressure for the pump so you'll never see anything higher than that at idle when cold.

 

[mr cribb]

The 2nd picture was neutral (5 speed).

Normal driving (2-2500 rpm shifts) pressure is between 25 and 45 psi.

 

[natenkiki2004]

Still seems pretty good to me considering the mileage. I personally wouldn't worry about it.

I dug up my Ford factory service manual and it states in the specifications:
"Oil Pressure (hot @ 2000 RPM) ....... 40-60"

As long as you're getting close to 40 when hot at 2000 RPM, I would say there's nothing seriously wrong with the lubrication. If you were down around 10-15 when revving the engine, then you should start worrying.

 

[the_don]

What weight and kind of oil are you using? eg. 10w30 synthetic. And how many miles since your last oil change?

 

[mr cribb]

Still seems pretty good to me considering the mileage. I personally wouldn't worry about it.

I dug up my Ford factory service manual and it states in the specifications:
"Oil Pressure (hot @ 2000 RPM) ....... 40-60"

As long as you're getting close to 40 when hot at 2000 RPM, I would say there's nothing seriously wrong with the lubrication. If you were down around 10-15 when revving the engine, then you should start worrying.

Went to town for groceries, and I got a picture of the oil pressure gauge at 46 psi traveling at 65 mph (2500 ish rpm).

 

[mr cribb]

What weight and kind of oil are you using? eg. 10w30 synthetic. And how many miles since your last oil change?

5w30 valvoline fresh change, as in brand new.

 

[the_don]

The idle pressure is a little low for what I like, but the "at engine speed" pressure is within spec.mine likes to run about 22psi/65psi, BUT i am 75,x.. miles in to a complete rebuild by P/O, and i like to run 5w30 synthetic in the winter and 10w40 synthetic in the summer. being as your engine has seen a few miles, and you live in a warmer state, my OPINION would be to run a little heaver oil.

 

[mr cribb]

The idle pressure is a little low for what I like, but the "at engine speed" pressure is within spec.mine likes to run about 22psi/65psi, BUT i am 75,x.. miles in to a complete rebuild by P/O, and i like to run 5w30 synthetic in the winter and 10w40 synthetic in the summer. being as your engine has seen a few miles, and you live in a warmer state, my OPINION would be to run a little heaver oil.

I normally like to run a 10w30, but this weight was on sale.

Considering the fact that my motor has only had heads/gaskets and everything else is original, I can't argue given the tolerances with the bearings and such.

This does give me a basis for monitoring and if numbers drop then I can shut her down.

 

[FR-425]

Got valve train clatter yet?

Didn't think so.

Stick with the 5w30 synth or you will regret it.

Higher viscosity oils starve the OHV valve train causing premature wear of the top of the push rods.

rata tat tat

TSB 99-08-16

http://www.f150online.com/forums/v8-engines/121018-ford-s-new-oil-recommendation.html

 

[mr cribb]

Nope no clatter. Smooth as a sewing machine

 

[FR-425]

 

[natenkiki2004]

5w30 vs 10w30 will only make a difference in winter. That bit of time before the engine warms up is where the 5w30 will be nicer. In a warmer climate, there shouldn't be much difference.

I hate to get picky but that TSB isn't for our Explorers, it's for the 2nd gen that had the 5.0L engines. Also, the only reason they switched to 5w20 is for fuel economy. Fact is, Ford saw fit to put 10w30 into the owners guide. I realize formulations change but they also change things for fuel economy. 5w30 synthetic is fine as long as you're not burning it, it could be too thin before it warms up and start being burned. If that's the case, 10w30 is for you.

Personally, I'd only put xw30 weight in mine, it's what the engineers designed the tolerances for and with the thousands of miles, the tolerances have only gotten wider. I would NOT put a xw40 in the engine. If you live in a super hot climate or use the engine heavily, something like Rotella 10w30 would be good but you'll lose out on fuel economy.

 

[FR-425]

The link is not for the TSB I listed.

TSB 99-08-16 is for the older 4.0's

The link is where TBS 99-08-16 is referenced.

I included references so you can take Fords word for it Not mine.... .. .

Sorry forgot to clarify.

Copy and paste TSB 99-08-16 and Google it up

 

[natenkiki2004]

I stand corrected then, sorry for not fully understanding your post.

I still would say though, being that 5W30 is light when cold, it can creep places and also have a tendency to burn more at startup, until it warms up. If this happens, you'd have to decide if you want to live with it burning for better startup protection or switch to 10W30.

I see no reference to better fuel economy so that TSB was likely issued because 5W30 probably matured enough to get recognized. It used to be that 5W30 sheared a lot and had a lot of problems when it first came out, same with multi-viscosity oils for that matter. Formulations improve and I think Ford recognized that and issued the TSB.

I would still personally not use a xW20 or xW40 in the Explorer. But if you're in a super cold climate like Alaska, you might try a 0W30.

 

[2stroke]

I feel you can go a little ways off the recommended oil weight without any problems. I wouldn't use 20w50 in it, but 5w20 to 15w40 should not cause a problem. I have always ran 5w30 in the winter and 10w40 in the summer, and always full synthetic. It doesn't get too hot here in MN, but on 90+ degree days my engine always seemed loud with 5w30. I switched to 10w40 when the days averaged above about 65 (usually in May) and I have been happy since. The coldest I've started my truck in was about -35F and it sounded just fine with 5w30, no valve clatter but for a few seconds. What it comes down to is what makes you happy. I'm sure there is some guy somewhere that buys 10w30 in a big 55 gallon barrel and runs it in everything he owns, and has 300k+ on his truck.

As far as oil pressures go, I wouldn't look too far into it. 14 psi is a little low, but as long as oil is moving, it is fine.