Oil pressure concerns

[NARF]

Ive heard mixed reviews. My engine has 3k on a fresh rebuild. blew out a seal in the charger over the winter(colder,thicker oil,higher pressure). just finished the oil pressure gauge install,16g rebuild,intercooler cleanout. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif

Idle is @ 25psi warm, 75-80 cold
cruise I see 70-85ish depending on load and when I catch the gauge
WOT comes in at 110psi @ 7k
Im gonna re-port the OFH, run 5w instead of 10w anyway.


should I be to concerned?

 

[turbowop]

Blew out a seal in the charger? Huh?

 

[NARF]

I should clarify on that. Im assuming it was from to much pressure. 16g was sitting on the shelf for about 2 years..... I could have just dried out the seal....

 

[turbowop]

Wait. So you mean you blew out a seal on the turbo? Either way, turbo seals aren't rubber and don't dry out. They're metal rings.

 

[NARF]

yes. blew oil past the seal in the cold side and dumped about .5 quart in the IC. I think it was pressure related.

 

[Terry Posten]

I run 80 psi at WOT and that is as high as I would want to see it. Anything more can cause oil filter gasket failure and can cause bearing/journal failure.

If after you port the housing you still have more than 80, you need to cut the bypass spring but go slowly. Only cut small amounts at a time.

Where are you tapping for oil to the turbo? Head or housing?

You need to run a restrictor from the housing.

The other issues that causes oil past the seals are; blocked oil return line, too small oil return line, or too much crankcase back pressure.

The drain line needs to be at least 1/2" or AN10 (or bigger). You need to have zero back pressure for the oil to flow out of the turbo into the pan. The shaft seals will not handle pressure. It just wants to be bathed in oil not "injected".

If you want to have the turbo rebuild and tested, send it to TurboAuto in Nashville, TN. He is good and affordable. He did an EIII turbo for me a few years ago for under $150 shipped and it was like brand new when I got it back.

Good luck.

 

[NARF]

oil is fed from the head. I did port the OFH... but its coming off for more.

 

Like Terry said, cut the spring but just cut a little bit at a time and retry it. If its not enough, cut a bit more. The bad thing is about the high oil pressure is that it pushes the bypass spring open in your oil filter so your oils not getting filtered. If you ever cut open a stock Mitsu filter, you can push it open with your pinky finger, so with that much oil pressure im sure the filter isn't filtering much.

The K&N filter has a much stiffer spring.

Good luck.

****EDIT****

I stand corrected, the spring in the oil filter works off of a pressure differential which I didn't know. Which is why the spring doesn't have to have much tention.

Thanks for clearing that up for me John. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif We can't all be perfect and have an abnormally large penis.

 

[toybreaker]

This thread confuses me.

There is much mis-information on this topic out on the net, and it is my belief that people are trying to out engineer the engineers all to often when it comes to the oiling system on these cars.

.

.

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Narf,

Do you have a build/blueprint sheet detailing the clearances this particular engine was built around?

Balance shafts?

Squirters?

Could you list your mods so we know what we're working with, please.

The oil pressure's you are describing aren't all that extreme, and aren't likely to kill any healthy components. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif

Excessive porting of the oil filter housing/cutting the relief spring will tho...

Excessive porting can/will cause the relief valve to hang, bypassing all the volume the engine needs to survive under load.

If this engine was built correctly, there shouldn't be a need to do any radical work to the oil filter housing. A mild port job to open up the port should be all that is required.

Relieving/radiusing the passages in the front cover and at the block/head junction will increase the flow rates and decrease the pressure.

It is quite possible you have a restriction from a blob of rtv or a gasket sqeezed out into a passage in the front cover or some such, and that is where your problem lies...

Porting out the housing to drop the pressure will lower the volume enough that your next thread will be pictures of a rod bearing starved for oil. (contingent on the balance shafts/squirters being installed on your engine)

[fact]
The oiling system on these engines is actually pretty good, and only becomes a "problem" when the volume requirements are changed.
[/fact]

[not in the mood to argue this topic, just my .o2 cents as an ase master machinst who's seen the carnage first hand (many times) from over porting the oil filter housing. ] /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[NARF]

No build sheet.
Nipion .020 pistons
acl mains+rod bearings-.010
clearances may be a bit tight???
No B/S, yes oil squirters

Ive changed the oil 6-10 times in 3k never seen anything in the oil... so Ihope its not collected in the case. Im gonna try pressure off the head for comparison.

10-30 mobile regular with a hair of lucas stabilizer.

this oil pressure is with a 16g@9psi.... support mods for 350ish HP

The OFH was ported a bit elongated, chamfered, and polished. Im almost sure there is no burring to hang on. Ive seen some extreme porting/spring cutting done.... and agree that is not the way to do it.... but I am going to lightly sand the spring on both ends and make sure theres no crud in the seat nut.

 

[grocery_getter]

cut crank?