Re: [T3] too much oil -vs- gas in oil

[Steven Ayres <comwest@att.net>]

<x-flowed>WillMcC=> I could have been checking the engine when it was too warm
=> or something...

If you check the oil when it's just been running, you'll usually find 
that the level looks low, because a significant amount of oil  is still 
up in the galleys and heads. I wonder whether your procedure is 
complete. Pull the stick, wipe it off, put it all the way back in, pull 
it out and look. Oil crawls up the stick when it's running, giving a 
too-high reading if you just pull it and look.

=> how much "volume" of oil is represented by the space between the two
=> indicator marks on the dipstick?

About a liter/quart.

=> Is it OK for the pressure to run at perhaps 5 psi at idle, or should 
I be concerned?

5psi is too low. The idiot-light sender is set to open at around 7.5psi. 
A normal reading at hot idle, like when you've just done a longish 
freeway run, will be in the 10-20psi range.

Before you draw any conclusions you'll want to check the calibration on 
your guage, as these are notoriously inaccurate. If the guage and your 
light are giving you good results, your oil pressure is telling you that 
your crank bearings are getting loose and you should be thinking about a 
rebuild. As long as pressure comes back up into the reasonable range 
when you're off idle you're not in the red zone yet, but you're near the 
limits, so be nice to your engine and  take it easy until you can afford 
the time and bread for the rebuild. Don't wait for it to sieze up, that 
sucks and costs a lot more money.

Thick oil will mask the problem but not eliminate it, so you're doing 
yourself no favors that way. On the other hand, moving to 10-40W for the 
summer is not an unreasonable move.

Steven Ayres, Prescott AZ
'66 KG1600

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