Not stuck in Death Valley -- Blown engine!

[dieselclacker]

Stock 454 Chevy engines do not carry 70 lbs of oil pressure going down the highway. I have owned three of them. Forty to forty five is the norm when hot. Ten to fifteen at hot idle.

Providing the volume is sufficient 10 pounds of oil pressure per 1000 RPM is plenty for most applications. Anymore than this and you are risking washing the engine bearings, and blowing out various seals within the engine.


Dieselclacker

[JCM]

It is possible that some of those blocks were there because of failed oil pump shafts. When mine went I was told by a Workhorse rep that there were a bunch that were manufactured by an outside source and they were overtempered. Mine sheared off the dogs ears and apparently mine lasted the longest at 34,000 miles. He said that most of the engines in which this happend were toasted because the owners didn't hear the feable warning or ignored it.
I asked why when my unit lost communication between the throttle and gas peddle it went in power down mode but that was not the case with a complete oil pressure failure. He suggested it was due to lawyers and the fear of a unit powering down in a intersection etc.
One of these days they - the manufacturer - will listen to the owners and mechanics.
Oh yes my oil pressure runs from about 20lbs at idle to 40 -45 at 4000+ rpm.

[TandW]

5w30 Castrol. Thinking about putting synthetic in my GM tranny. Any thoughts?

[Steady Eddie]

Dieselclacker wrote:
"...I have owned three of them..."

Me, too, and all three carried lots of oil pressure.

And..

"...Anymore than this and you are risking washing the engine bearings, and blowing out various seals within the engine..."

I think that bearings can be "washed" with
coolant that some how got into the crankcase,
but in this case, they are being bathed in oil,
no problems. It IS an issue with the case on
the spin-on oil flter (the can) and that can be avoided by using a known filter of good quality,
like a NAPA/Wix, which will handle LOTS of PSI.
The engine's seals are OK.

The differences in reported oil pressures are
directly related to the weight of oil being used. Over on the Forum: The Diesel Place, there
are 8.1 Owners reporting 70 PSI at road speed and 40 PSI at hot idle with the 8.1L.
But they are NOT using 5W-30 wt. oil.

[vacation on wheels]

Steady Eddy, I know you have the 454 engine and I have the 8.1L engine, but do you really travel at 3000rpm's in top gear? With the Allison 1000 5 speed trans, I would have to be climbing a long small-grade hill or going over 80mph to get to 3000 rpm in top gear. Why not have someone take a picture of your instrument cluster that shows 70+ psi at highway speed? I can tell you that 44-45psi oil pressure at highway speeds is normal on a 8.1L. I normally run at 2200-2400 rpm's at highway speeds in 5th gear.

[Photog]

It seems like this thread has been hijacked!

[edgray]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">It seems like this thread has been hijacked! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Alas, it happens all the time. I too wish members would take the time to start a new topic, but these "conversations" seem to roam all over the place, hence we have these never-ending threads, even after the OP has put in a new engine and moved on. ED

[dieselclacker]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Steady Eddie:
Dieselclacker wrote:
"...I have owned three of them..."

Me, too, and all three carried lots of oil pressure.

And..

"...Anymore than this and you are risking washing the engine bearings, and blowing out various seals within the engine..."

I think that bearings can be "washed" with
coolant that some how got into the crankcase,
but in this case, they are being bathed in oil,
no problems. It IS an issue with the case on
the spin-on oil flter (the can) and that can be avoided by using a known filter of good quality,
like a NAPA/Wix, which will handle LOTS of PSI.
The engine's seals are OK.

The differences in reported oil pressures are
directly related to the weight of oil being used. Over on the Forum: The Diesel Place, there
are 8.1 Owners reporting 70 PSI at road speed and 40 PSI at hot idle with the 8.1L.
But they are NOT using 5W-30 wt. oil. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Eddie, oil pump pressure regulator/relief valves work with 15W50 as well as with 5W30. The oil pump even at 3000 RPM will bypass pressure thru this valve, unless of course it has been equipped with a heavier spring or had the original shimmed up. Bearing wash has nothing to do with coolant in crankcase. It is about oil supply being supplied at too great a pressure to adhere to the crank surfaces of an engine. If you are happy with 70lbs pressure, well thats all that counts. I think you are wise to use a quality filter, as start up oil pressure with 50 wt oil could really be a problem.

Dieselclacker