Integrale 8V oil pressure

Road-race engines and ancillaries - general discussion
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bigdry
Posts: 8
Joined: August 3rd, 2010, 11:52 am

Integrale 8V oil pressure

Post by bigdry »

Hello all, this is my first post on this forum.
I wonder if any of you twin cam gurus can advise me with an issue I'm having with an integrale.
Oil pressure, when cold its fine - over 5bar, when hot and driving along its also fine with good oil pressure to rev ratio. However when hot and at idle it is very low at just under 1 bar on the gauge. The low oil pressure warning light does not come on however. The engine seems fine with no noises, excessive oil consumption, over heating etc.
Now I know the gauges are not terribly accurate and that I should fit a mechanical gauge to cross check, but has anyone had a similar issue with twin cams? The integrale boys on the Evo Corner forum seem to say its OK, even normal to some extent, but all my integrale experience tells me this isn't so. I wonder if its a oil pump issue giving low flow?? The engine has been removed from the car as the car has other issue that need rectifying so now is the ideal time to investigate if needed.
Thanks
Fingers
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Joined: July 1st, 2006, 8:35 am
Location: Christchurch, New Zealand

Re: Integrale 8V oil pressure

Post by Fingers »

This does sound a little low, but nothing to be alarmed at I wouldn't think. What oil are you using? I noticed a big difference when I changed to 10W-60 as recommended, My oil pressure got much better. My car's done 160 000 k's and shows about almost 7 bar when cold, and will drop to just above 1bar when really warm on hot days at idle(close to 100 degrees oil temp on the guage). But like you say the guages aren't always spot on. Try an oil change and see how you get on.
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helebah
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Re: Integrale 8V oil pressure

Post by helebah »

I am unaware as to what type of transducer is used on the Integrale, but I do know I had very similar on my 8V. I am running 10W60 and it started OK then dropped when it warmed up especially at idle. Installed a mechanical Raceparts oil pressure unit and found I was getting heaps of pressure when I needed it, so faulty transducer/ gauge. So my thought is don't get too carried away until you know if your gauge is correct or not.

thank you
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Guy Croft
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Re: Integrale 8V oil pressure

Post by Guy Croft »

There is nothing wrong with 1 bar hot at idle per-se. Off load almost any engine will run quite happily with that - or even less on good oil.

More importantly is what the hot oil pressure under load is. If it's less than 4 bar I'd be a bit concerned.

GC
bigdry
Posts: 8
Joined: August 3rd, 2010, 11:52 am

Re: Integrale 8V oil pressure

Post by bigdry »

Manythanks all, Im using 10w60 Castrol RS and it was relativley fresh. The milage is shown as 120000km but I dont have all the history for the car so don't actually know...
Oil pressure is very good when anything over 1500rpm'ish to be honest, even at higher oil temps.
I understand that you do not actually need much oil pressure at idle its just that all my other Deltas have shown much higher pressure (admittely newer 16v versions) and surely if you had a freshly rebuilt engine you would expect higher pressure - so something must be amiss...
Do the oil pumps generally wear in these engines and give low pressure at low rpms?
Also does anyone actually know what oil pressure the warning light should come on at?

Thanks everyone again for you help.
Guy Croft
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Re: Integrale 8V oil pressure

Post by Guy Croft »

If it reassures any, the oil pumps on those are about as reliable as you'll get.

The time to worry is when the red light comes on and the gauge reads zero. If the pressure jumps up when you drive off and the red light goes out swiftly on cold start you probably have nothing to worry about.

You can hunt around for comparative results and OE gauge figures all you like but to be honest if you really think the oil pressure is comparatively low you better put a high grade capillary gauge (like Raceparts or Stack) on the oil filter housing to check or else pull the sump and inspect the rod bearings because that is where the loss will be.

G
bigdry
Posts: 8
Joined: August 3rd, 2010, 11:52 am

Re: Integrale 8V oil pressure

Post by bigdry »

Thanks Guy, I That is just the sort of experience and advice I joined this forum for! :)
I have to replace sump and ladder frame gaskets as they are all leaking anyway so I might inspect the bearings.
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