Oil pressure a little high, engine running a little cool....
- Ludichris
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Oil pressure a little high, engine running a little cool....
So, I am still getting the loss of coolant thing looked into, and just had a question about oil pressure - I am the type of driver that looks at all the gauges FREQUENTLY while I drive, and I know that this morning when I looked, I kept waiting for the oil pressure to drop down to where I normally see it, but it never did, and it was even a little higher at idle. It isn't dangerously high or anything, just maybe 5-10 PSI higher than where I normally see it. The idle reading is easier to remember, because that one's almost always at the '40' mark on the gauge at idle. This morning, it was hanging out around probably 47 PSI or so. Is there anything I should be concerned about or look into that would cause a spike in oil pressure?
The other really weird thing, is that we're having mild weather right now, and this morning it was probably in the mid 60's, so definitely not "cold". My car took basically forever to get up to 180. I thought for a few minutes my Scan Gauge II was broken or something, because it just STAYED at 177 degrees.....and eventually, over the next 10 minutes or so, only made it up to about 192. Normally my drive to work is plenty to get it full-hot/warmed up, but this morning my car was acting strange with the coolant temp and oil pressure. Anything to worry about? Or was my car just having a bad hair day?
The other really weird thing, is that we're having mild weather right now, and this morning it was probably in the mid 60's, so definitely not "cold". My car took basically forever to get up to 180. I thought for a few minutes my Scan Gauge II was broken or something, because it just STAYED at 177 degrees.....and eventually, over the next 10 minutes or so, only made it up to about 192. Normally my drive to work is plenty to get it full-hot/warmed up, but this morning my car was acting strange with the coolant temp and oil pressure. Anything to worry about? Or was my car just having a bad hair day?

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- harofreak00
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Re: Oil pressure a little high, engine running a little cool
Nothing is wrong, you are just way to overly paranoid.
Higher oil pressure is always a GOOD thing. People pay to have their oil pressure higher: http://intense-racing.com/Merchant2/mer ... 800_Engine
Any operating temp between 160-200 is fine.
Higher oil pressure is always a GOOD thing. People pay to have their oil pressure higher: http://intense-racing.com/Merchant2/mer ... 800_Engine
Any operating temp between 160-200 is fine.
Andrew - owner/operator of Bonnevilles Unlimited

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2004 Bonneville GXP | 60k | White Gold Tricoat | custom built supercharged 3800 hot rod | garage queen
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Re: Oil pressure a little high, engine running a little cool
LOL....yeah, I probably am, I'd just never seen it take that long to warm up, or the pressure where it was this morning, and with the coolant loss problem that I'm still looking into.....just figured I'd ask. Thank you!harofreak00 wrote:Nothing is wrong, you are just way to overly paranoid.
Higher oil pressure is always a GOOD thing. People pay to have their oil pressure higher: http://intense-racing.com/Merchant2/mer ... 800_Engine
Any operating temp between 160-200 is fine.

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Re: Oil pressure a little high, engine running a little cool
harofreak00 wrote:Nothing is wrong, you are just way to overly paranoid.
Higher oil pressure is always a GOOD thing. People pay to have their oil pressure higher: http://intense-racing.com/Merchant2/mer ... 800_Engine
Any operating temp between 160-200 is fine.
I have one I never installed, Ill sell for $15 +shipping.
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Re: Oil pressure a little high, engine running a little cool
Your thermostat may be weak and the water pump is pushing water past it.

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Re: Oil pressure a little high, engine running a little cool
Or you have a FailSafe unit in there that locked open when you overheated.
Usually when they lock open, it is pretty obvious because it takes forever to warm up, if it ever does.
Usually when they lock open, it is pretty obvious because it takes forever to warm up, if it ever does.
~Randall~


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1990 Oldsmobile 88 - Gone to a better place


1993 Buick Park Avenue - 197k - Some odds and ends done - Simply won't die
1994 Buick Regal - 78k - Bone stock - Always ready for a good kicking
1990 Oldsmobile 88 - Gone to a better place
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Re: Oil pressure a little high, engine running a little cool
RJolly87 wrote:Or you have a FailSafe unit in there that locked open when you overheated.
Usually when they lock open, it is pretty obvious because it takes forever to warm up, if it ever does.
What is a 'FailSafe' unit - I'm just not familiar with that -is that a 'type' of t-stat? It definitely warms up, I noticed it went past 200 degrees last night, which I realize is QUITE normal while sitting at a stop light, just wondering if maybe my t-stat was weakened by the overheating the other day. I mean, on the highway it used to hover around high 190's and sometimes go over 200, now it seems to want to hover in the low 180's and occasionally get up into the 190's.J Wikoff wrote:Your thermostat may be weak and the water pump is pushing water past it.
I know a t-stat is a simple, cheap fix, just that several other things (non car related) all came at once, and although it may sound ridiculous to some....for the next couple weeks or so I have to watch every penny and not spend any unnecessary ones.
It's fine, right? I mean, as long as it warms up...so what if suddenly it's 10-15 degrees cooler than before - right??

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- nos4blood70
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Re: Oil pressure a little high, engine running a little cool
Even with a tune, Penny runs about 5-7 degrees one way or another depending on the weather. I don't think you should worry.
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Re: Oil pressure a little high, engine running a little cool
A failsafe thermo is engineered in a way that when the spring gives up, it contracts and leaves the port open so that the engine doesn't overheat. Yours taking so long to heat up made me think yours has a weakened spring. I've seen a few that eventually were easy to push open by hand.

WHITE WHINE - 1992 SSE Supercharged 236.26 ci (.040 Over) 15.090 at 90.2 MPH on old engine w/ slipping trans & melted O2 sensor - Gen 3 M62 and matching TB, Gen 2 Pully, Zillamotorsports Ported LIM, YT 1.72 Roller Rockers, SII FPR & Injectors, Hypertech Thermomaster chip w/ 160 Thermo, TransGo Shift Kit, Infinity/Pioneer Speakers & a 10" Alpine Type R Sub, all the watts, 140 amp Alternator, Ricepipe CAI w/ heatshield, Pilot Angel Eye Foglights, Clear Corners, '02 17" Chrome Bent 5's, Magnaflow F-Body Muffler and Hi-flo Cat, Ceramic Coated Ported Exhaust Manifolds, Fan Override, Monroe Reflex struts, red calipers
2009 G8 GT - Sport Red Metallic, loaded, SOLO Axlebacks, Rotofab Intake, Tuned, autodim mirror, removed intake manifold cover, HSV GTS triple gauge pod, two tone red-hot shifter and HSV SuperSport steering wheel, GXP rear sway bar and diffuser, 3.45 diff and various Camaro suspension bits, LED Taillights
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Re: Oil pressure a little high, engine running a little cool
Yeah, several days after the overheating...and she's still definitely running cool. Frankly, I don't mind it at all, just wondering if I'm going to be rolling down the road sometime soon and she's going to drop into the cool zone, like too cool for the engine to run properly.
As silly as it sounds, I don't have money to replace a thermostat until two weeks from today. I'm taking a 400 mile (round trip) road trip to Illinois next weekend. Hopefully it will stay nice and warm and not fail.
As silly as it sounds, I don't have money to replace a thermostat until two weeks from today. I'm taking a 400 mile (round trip) road trip to Illinois next weekend. Hopefully it will stay nice and warm and not fail.

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Re: Oil pressure a little high, engine running a little cool
It will never get to 'too cool to run properly'.
Worst case scenario, the thing locks dead open, the car spends forever trying to warm up, running rich. Sets code, may cause other problems down the line, etc.
Don't stress too much over it.
Worst case scenario, the thing locks dead open, the car spends forever trying to warm up, running rich. Sets code, may cause other problems down the line, etc.
Don't stress too much over it.
~Randall~


1993 Buick Park Avenue - 197k - Some odds and ends done - Simply won't die
1994 Buick Regal - 78k - Bone stock - Always ready for a good kicking
1990 Oldsmobile 88 - Gone to a better place


1993 Buick Park Avenue - 197k - Some odds and ends done - Simply won't die
1994 Buick Regal - 78k - Bone stock - Always ready for a good kicking
1990 Oldsmobile 88 - Gone to a better place
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Re: Oil pressure a little high, engine running a little cool
Just had the same issue. Thermostat was stuck open.
Re: Oil pressure a little high, engine running a little cool
My wife's 03 GP GT had similar situation - would not get up to "normal" temp and heat wasn't working. I replaced t-stat and hoses, flushed coolant. Put back together. Ran fine to home (40 miles). Next morning, stepped on it to pass a car and looked like a race car blowing engine. Got stopped, got water, started putting it back in to see if it would come out and coolant elbow had busted big time. Might have been the problem all along, but definitely something to check if you haven't. And something to replace if you do get in there working, if they haven't been done. And the parts stores know what you mean when you say "elbows". : )
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Re: Oil pressure a little high, engine running a little cool
He just had them fixed, lol. So that's hopefully not the issue...
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Re: Oil pressure a little high, engine running a little cool
Haha....I didn't see that post, but yes, I replaced those elbows with the aluminum ones. Everything seems to be buttoned up and no leaks now. The problem was the t-stat, I still want to take a picture of it at some point - it's in there all crooked, like not centered, must have happened when it overheated when my plastic coolant elbow broke in half! All good now though.00Beast wrote:He just had them fixed, lol. So that's hopefully not the issue...

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