Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications General Mods mechanic oil pressure, oil temp and vac gauges

Guys, this is just a guess until T.H. can back up or argue my idea, but when the engine is cold, the oil is also and so it does not flow as quickly, therefore building up more pressure. As the engine warms up, the oil thins out to its normal operating properties, which is a reason I think it is not wise to run the engine hard when it is cold... the oil hasnt gotten everywhere yet and is not to its full lubricating properties. Seeing as how you have a mechanical oil pressure gauge, there is only one thing feeding information to it, which is the sending unit which transfers oil directly to the gauge (or so I have seen in the past). Maybe my guess is WAY off base and I hope Terry comes back because I know he knows what he is talking about, and it would be nice to know if my thoughts on this had any validity or if I am totally talking out of my butt.... because when it comes down to it, I do not know it all... I am not for certain on this info, but I do want to learn and I want to help other people. So don't take these as words of wisdom just yet until T.H. shows up.... but yes, I have noticed that cold engines even with electrical sending units read high on the oil pressure during cold running conditions. Hope this helps or will help! And if not, at least I tried.

of course they do......

and of course you shouldnt run your motor to redline until its warmed up.....thats why i dont rev over 2500 rpms until 4 or 5 mins after its been in operating temp. I even let the car sit for a while before driving off in it

I'm sure the oil pump pressure relief valve should 'pop' before 100psi,I'll check.Yes,thick/cold oil will give high psi at start up ,rembember for every 100HP you only NEED 10psi!

I am having similar readings with my pressure gauge... especially on these frigid mornings... i did though mount mine in the head location for the time being.... hey.. better then nothing right? But seriously.. on a cold start if i even SORTA romp on it.. the guage goes all the way to mechanicle limits 100+!!!!! Well.. needless to say i dont romp on it at ALL anymore.. it scares me.

For oil experts. Would I benifit from say 5w20 oil in this case? I know nothing about oil wieght notation so im just guessing... but what oil weight would alow for lower pressure at cold start and still provide good properties up top when hot? I know ford specs 5w20 now..... is this why?

On my very Modded Mondeo running Mobil 1

Cold Idle 35 >3000 85 psi
Hot Idle 20 >3000 60 psi @ 100 deg C

Mechanical guages as larger dial hence more discriminating.

Sorry!,

Hot Idle is 30 cold is 40, noticed after I pressed send

on the nylon tubing autometer also has a braided hose kit so you dont have to worry about breakage of tubing

Thanks Terry. Based the set-up on your comments. Was worried about oil-temp staying low for too long.

Possible dumb question: what type of tee fitting did you use? What's it made out of?

Viss1,

I used an AN (aircraft type) fitting tee. I believe at least one other person has done this and used normal hardware store plumbing fittings. I went with braided line from block to tee. Ordered the fittings, etc. from www.anplumbing.com
They have a large selection of fittings and hose. I used #4 Hose, a 45deg hose end @ block, straight hose end @ tee. The tee is their pn: 991702 It has 1/4"NPT female threads on all three openings.
Hope this helps.