Another oil pressure question for a stock 36 hp

[386kustoms]

ive read and read on here and i think i may have a issue. but i just want to ask incase stock 36 hp motors may be a tad different then bigger blocks

i live in florida today was around 85 deg outside and i am testing everything in my garage

i am using 30 wt oil castrol

stock 36 hp, it does have a judson on it but the block is factory valves are set at .006 everything runs great

at cold start up idle i have 10psi oil pressure after she warms up in garage for about 20 min idle she drops to around 5 psi. rev her up and she will jump to 15 or 20 psi depeding on how hard you rev. now keep her reved for a min and back at idle she hits around 4 psi oil pressure. i can not tell oil temp do not have gauge. is this a major concern? i am not driving her everyday and i am not driving her hard.

the motor sat for many many years and ive been changing oil about every 150 miles trying to clean it out inside. is there anything else i should check or am i instore to have a rebuild?

also very very little endplay dont know the millage on motor.

[386kustoms]

also just curious could the pressure relief spring be worn ? im wondering if i may have a issue there

[386kustoms]

just went back out since car is cooled down. i pulled spring and plunger out ( both fell out easy) and checked for any breaks in spring and everything looks good. now the oil was changed again this morning the oil that came out of the valve area was gunky looking. the oil on dipstick still looks brand new. could there be a clog somewhere?

[esde]

What type of gauge are you using to measure oil pressure? If the gauge is correct and you truly are at 4psi at hot idle, what RPM is your idle set at.
Increasing the idle to hold better pressure, or changing to a thicker oil may be the next things to try.

The passages around the control and relief springs don't get constant oil flow, and will collect stuff. Any sediment, sludge, grit carried by the oil can get lost there where it's not in the main flow. This is why it's so important to remove all of the plugs when you clean a case during a rebuild.

[386kustoms]

i have a cheap harbor frieght gauge. i know it may not be accurate but what got me started is my oil light came on at idle and even at low cruising speeds. i just got her running 2 weeks ago after sitting a long time. and the pressure switch did not work before so i ordered a now one and put it in last thur. my rpm is around 750 oil is castrol 30wt

[VWCOOL]

Don't go looking for problems you don't have!! Get out an enjoy cruising instead!

[modok]

The low oil pressure indicates that something inside has excessive clearance.
It might be main bearings or cam bearings worn, it might be a lot of things.
Running the engine in this condition should not cause any more damage than rebuilding it now, and I would not recommend using extra thick oil either. There isn't much you can do externally besides make sure the plunger is free, which you just did.

Just keep an ear on it and enjoy driving. If it starts making rod knocking noises or develops spooky end-play then you need to STOP running it promptly, because.... after that it will cause additional damage.

[bluebus86]

If the oil pressure is truly as low as you report, it is time to stop driving and figure out why, could be a defective oil pump, simple fix. If you continue to drive with low pressure you can do a lot more damage, you may end up with an un-savable crank it may already be on the last regrind already. does not the cam ride in the case directly on the 36 HP motor? if so you wear the case out, then you have to try to install bearing inserts, you could end up having the motor seize, and that can cause even more damage, plus it could be dangerous at the wrong place at the wrong time.

if your reported readings are correct, you past the wear limits.

good grief, 10 psi with cold oil at idle is way to low. and if you rev and only get 20 psi after she warms up, assuming your reving to 3500 rpm (kind of normal highway rpms) the 20 psi is too low. I'd like to see at least 35 psi at that rpm, minimum.

Figure no less than 10 psi per 1000 rpm with warmed up oil is the minimum, your way below that number.

get her fixed before more damage happens. you may have only an easy problem to fix, don't make it worse by driving her to death.

of course confirm the pressure with a known good gage. maybe your gage is bad.

the idiot light should not be coming on except with warm oil at idle, and even then it often should not come on in a fresh motor.

something is very wrong further driving could result in a very very expensive repair that is needless if you address it now.
_________________
Help Prevent VW Engine Fires, see this link.....Engine safety wire information

Stop introducing dirt into your oil when adjusting valves ... https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=683022

[386kustoms]

well figured it out. it was another case of somone put the wrong gasket on oil pump cover. now she is running at a steady 20psi hot idle. i know thats a little higher then normal but i think it will be ok. hopefully nothing scored inside the case

[morymob]

That press is fine, i have a vw factory manual i picked up a few yrs back. Vw stated with 30wt, hot eng it's normal 4 oil light to flicker at times, also dependent on idle speed too, press of 3-4 psi at idle ok as long as it passes 20psi when revved up. This was for pre 64 yrs engines. Pretty interesting specs of all parts of engines, also had 83mm long before we got them, as usual no warranty offered at this time