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Oil Pressure survey


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Hey Subaru Freaks!

 

I have another survey for you.

 

What does your oil pressure guage read at idle and at max?

 

Please state your engine model and year, N/A or turbo and whether or not your oil pump leaks.

 

The reason I ask is I have noticed a lot of problems with the oil pumps leaking like crazy and wondered if It has to do with the oil pumps running at higher then normal pressure causing the oil pump seal to rupture.

 

If the pumps run at a higher then normal(other make automobiles) pressure, I wonder if subaru did this intentionally to support a turbo system.

 

Thank you very much for all of your replies!

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1984 Subaru Gl hatch 4wd, when cold, the stock gauge is maxed, at hot, idle is zero, and cruising at 3000 rpm, about thirty. Consequently, I am replacing it (oil pump) tomorrow.

 

Edit:Oops, meant to put the (oil pump) in the post originally, sorry about that. Replacing it instead of the sender first, because my car has only 76,000 miles on it, and probably has not been done. I'm gonna see where this gets me.

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83 ea81t, newly rebuilt. 10W60 oil, no oil cooler.

 

around town, when oil is coolish:

20psi idle

40-50psi @ 2000rpm

 

At open road speed, oil very hot:

 

~10psi idle

40-45psi @ ~3200rpm

 

Cold (10-20degC, its summer here...), fast idle @ 1800rpm: 80psi

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88 RX Coupe= Newer JDM EA82T engine that was totally resealed, but has an oil cooler. 80 PSI when cold, 25+ at warm idle, 45-60 PSI at 3k rpm cruising (depending on how hard I was boosting before I get to cruising speed, as I keep it at cruise it will go up as the oil cools a tad from the cooler).

 

86 Lifted GL Sedan= 160k on an EA82 that was carb'd now FI..original oil pump leaked good, had terrible oil pressure all the time like below 10-15 PSI even at 4k rpms. Put in a brand new oil pump and seals...will peg (100 PSI) the aftermarket gauge when cold, 25-30 PSI or so at warm idle, 60-70 while cruising.

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SPFI EA82, 220k miles, all original engine I think

 

when warmed up -- about 10psi idle, 40 - 50psi cruising on the highway (2,900 to 3,500rpm)

when cold, I've seen it up to 85psi (almost maxed out), and will idle about 40psi.

 

No oil leaks amazingly enough (but it doesn burn a quart (5W40) every 400miles or so.

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I think that you Forgot to Ask About which Oil we Use... it can Change the Oil Pressure Ratings...

Well... my 1985 EA82 Weberized White Wagon, Usin` Motul Minerally Oil, 20W-50, does: "Near" to 65 PSI at Runnin` Speeds ... (Around 3,000 RPM`s) and just Around 15 PSI at Idle... :mad: ... it is the Original Oil Pump, no Oil Leaks, but at over 21 Years Old, and over 240K... it needs a Replacement Oil Pump to make the Original Pressure, that I remember, it Was: 75 PSI on Higher RPM`s, and +/- 25 PSI on Idle... :burnout:

 

The Yellow Wagon... I`m not Sure, `cos it has the Oil Gauge Damaged by a Short Circuit... but I think it`s near to the White One...

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88 XT6 ER27 23K miles..no leaks that I have found yet

 

85 Cold

15-20 warm idle

45-60 at 3K rpms

 

92 Loyale EA82 202K miles ..oil pump rebuilt and engine resealed a year and a half ago..leaks from valve cover and cam seal...also sucked the mickey mouse gasket again

 

60-70 cold

non exsistant at idle( probably around 5-7)

30- 40 at 3K rpms

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I've had so many of these.

 

The best: I've ever seen was with a new pump/seals in an '86 carbed Wagon. 30 at hot idle, 50-60 at 3000 RPMs hot

 

The worst: another (different) '86 carbed wagon a little below zero hot idle, a little above at 3000 RPM's hot(that was how I bought it, replaced that pump quickly.)

 

The one I've got now: 89 Turbo wagon unknown milage on pump/seals.

5-10 at hot idle. 25-35 at 3000 RPMs hot. Ticks like a sonnanabich! (that really is from some crappy lifters I HAD to install at the time I built up this motor for a hasty cross country trip)

 

Everything else(4 others) has been somewhere in between

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Dont worry about that, even 5psi at idle is OK.

 

Actually it's not. But this has all been discussed before. A simple search will yeild all the info you could want on oil pressure.

 

I'll just finish by stating that anything below 15psi hot idle is SCREAMING for a diagnostic. And personally I don't like anything below 20.

 

GD

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Actually it's not. But this has all been discussed before. A simple search will yeild all the info you could want on oil pressure.

 

I'll just finish by stating that anything below 15psi hot idle is SCREAMING for a diagnostic. And personally I don't like anything below 20.

 

GD

So far anyway, my old girl is screaming all the way to the bank. My oil pressure at hot idle is maybe 5-10. I said 5 above because it's not exactly scientific when you have a pressure guage replete with three numbers: 0, 45, and 90. If I'm on the brink of disaster, I've been living there for 122,000 miles - so far. And that's just the miles I've personally put on. The old geezer who owned the car before me logged an additional 98K.:burnout:

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Once you've had a rod go through the block you'll be a lot more careful like I am.

 

Blind ignorance of the true oil pressure might be alright in some cases, but it will eventually catch up with you - maybe not on your current engine, but eventually.

 

"A man that doesn't read great books is no better than a man that can't" -- Mark Twain.

 

Not knowing your real oil pressure is as bad as not knowing what oil pressure is. Both scenarios end the same way.

 

GD

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Actually it's not. But this has all been discussed before. A simple search will yeild all the info you could want on oil pressure.

 

I'll just finish by stating that anything below 15psi hot idle is SCREAMING for a diagnostic. And personally I don't like anything below 20.

 

GD

 

Yes and no..... pressure is just an indication of whats going on, it really has no relevance in itself.

 

As long as oil is flowing to all parts of the engine, no pressure at all is required, since the bearings etc can operate hydrodynamically, and the subaru engines dont rely on squirters or other silly things like that.

 

A low oil pressure can indicate a crap pump, which will obviously decrease flow, and requires attention.

 

However, low oil pressure can be caused by a number of things - for example low viscosity oils. Running a high quality, say 0w30 synthetic will drastically lower oil pressure compared to a 0w40, but will do your engine no harm whatsoever.

 

15psi is absolutely fine for engines such as these, and 5 will do no harm, unless of course it is caused by a bad pump or some other condition where FLOW is effected.

 

Saying that low oil pressure is always bad is a misleading and simplistic view of a much more complicated situation.

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