What does your stock bottom end LT1 have for oil pressure?? I think mine has been gone through and has a hi-volume pump or something. I have a couple buddies that have stock LT1's and their pressure is 40-50 when cold and when warm 15-20 at an idle, 30 when driving down the highway.


Mine is 68-72 when cold, 45-50 when warm at an idle, 55-60 while driving down the highway. Im just curious to see which one is abnormal.

 

That is awful high for a stock pump, unless your gauge is off.

 

Yeah, you aer high for a stock car, Get a gauge on it and check those numbers.

ALso do a search and see if maybe a clog somewhere could cause high oil PSI numbers.
What oil are you running 0W80

 

factory specs for an LT1 oil pressure should be at 6 psi at 1,000 rpm; 18 psi @ 2,000 & 24 psi @ 4,000 rpm - at operating temperature

 

I have had an autometer 2 5/8 on it and it read the same.

 

Just so you know, pressure will rise if you use a 8-micron oil filter... the more selective the filter, the more restiction it'll have.

Also, thicker oil (say 10W30 or 20W50) will be higher pressure than say 5W30 or 0W20. The differences will be most apparent when cold, but still exist to alesser extent at opperating pressure.

Lastly, an engine with tighter tolerances will be higher pressure than one with loose tolerances (which is why thicker oil is need in such an engine).

High pressure isn't so much a problem as LOW pressure is.

If you want to drop the pressure somewhat, try a thinner oil and a new filter with less filtering (like a 30 micron).


There are oil treatments for highmilage engines that dissolve gunk, but I'd be careful about using such a thing. Oil analysis can tell you much more about the condition of your engine & bearings than oil pressure alone can. Be careful you don't read too much into oil pressure by itself.

 

Isn't the oil pressure port AFTER the oil filter?

The stock relief spring is 60psi... how can the oil exceed that pressure?

 

I am not concerned about the high oil pressure. Just trying to figure out if this has been gone through basically. Car has 130,000 on it. I had to change the real main and the oil pan gasket, it looked like an aftermarket gasket, so I don't know whats up with it.

I am wanting to do a cam only or heads and cam to it but not sure if I will if it has 130,000 miles on it.

 

Your running roughly double the standard oil pressure and this doesn't concern you?

 

Doesn't seem to be as big of a deal as if it was low pressure. I just wanted to verify what other stock LT1's had to determine wheather mine had an aftermarket hi volume pump or something which now I think it does.

I am not seeing how that is that much of a concern. You build a SBC and put a Melling M55HV in it and it'll have around 75-80 opn start up and about 60 driving down the road. Thats more than what this is and never had a problem.

 

I have heard that running a high volume oil pump can risk running the oil pan dry.

 

This one hasn't. When I had the 6speed in it turned it 6,000 and pressure didn't act like it was running the pan dry.

 

Dont they have a after market SPRING that can go in and raise the oil presure?

Also i beleave over filling the oil pan can cause it to run pretty high (atleast in some cars i have seen it jump way high)

also WHAT OIL are you useing? You didnt put gear oil in it like that one guy did you?

 

Gear oil huh Who does that.... LOL

No I don't know what pump is in it. Bought the car like this. Runs good and like i said it has great pressure. When I put them together I use the Melling Hi Volume oil pump (M55HV). Great pumps.

 

People around here don't run HV pumps on the LT1 with a stock pan. Enough instances of loss of oil pressure (and resulting damage) at high RPMs has made this so.