coolie Posted June 10, 2014 Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 hi guys fired up the tr4a for the first time today , all went well . the oil pressure is staying at 50 if the gauge is true . what is the standard oil pressure.?? water temp rose quickly ?? any ideas cheers coolie Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted June 10, 2014 Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 50psi when driving is good. Some people report 70+. But 50 to 70 is good. As you say assuming the gauge is reading accurate etc. On tick over after warm up 20psi would be OK but lower isn;t a panic. Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
peejay4A Posted June 10, 2014 Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 How quickly did the water temp rise? Did it steady? What's the state of the engine - has it been rebuilt and have the waterways been flushed out? New or old water pump? Mine doesn't take long to come up to temperature, a few minutes if I run it in the garage. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Geko Posted June 10, 2014 Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 (edited) Never understood anything about the reading "value" on the oil gauge. My reading is: Pressure = OK / No pressure = NOK. ON/OFF It eludes me... Edited June 10, 2014 by Geko Quote Link to post Share on other sites
littlejim Posted June 11, 2014 Report Share Posted June 11, 2014 (edited) Never understood anything about the reading "value" on the oil gauge. My reading is: Pressure = OK / No pressure = NOK. ON/OFF It eludes me... Your experience is most likely to have been with OK only vehicles. My Kiwi vet student fellow boarders lent me their 'bomb' during their Xmas vacations back in NZ. During the 50 mile drive to and from the 'Gong the oil pressure gradually went from about 50 psi down to about 5psi as the oil heated and thinned and started leaking past the worn big ends instead of going elsewhere. As it approached 5 and below you had to stop, let it cool for about an hour, then complete the rest of the trip before it got to 5 psi again. The gauge was an important indicator of when to stop. My 4A readings are similar to Roger's. Edited June 11, 2014 by littlejim Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Geko Posted June 11, 2014 Report Share Posted June 11, 2014 Your experience is most likely to have been with OK only vehicles. My Kiwi vet student fellow boarders lent me their 'bomb' during their Xmas vacations back in NZ. During the 50 mile drive to and from the 'Gong the oil pressure gradually went from about 50 psi down to about 5psi as the oil heated and thinned and started leaking past the worn big ends instead of going elsewhere. As it approached 5 and below you had to stop, let it cool for about an hour, then complete the rest of the trip before it got to 5 psi again. The gauge was an important indicator of when to stop. My 4A readings are similar to Roger's. I had one NOK experience with an Austin Healey Sprite and there was nothing really gradual - no early warning I could read from the gauge ahead of the disaster. From memory the reading was something like: OK/claclaclac...clac/NOK Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Graze Posted June 11, 2014 Report Share Posted June 11, 2014 My 4 runs at 20-25 at warm idle, up to 75-80 under full load and around the 55 cruising never rebuilt to the best of my knowledge Graze Quote Link to post Share on other sites
coolie Posted June 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2014 thanks guys run car in garage oil 50psi , not drove it yet water pressure rises quickly 2mins then at top of temp gauge while stood in garage ! engine has had new pots and a conversion to un leaded . fitted old water pump !! going to set up timing tomoz , is this done while engine hot or best when cold . cheers coolie Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted June 11, 2014 Report Share Posted June 11, 2014 Sounds like you have an air lock in the water system. Oil pressure is easily adjustable on a 4 pot engine. Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
peejay4A Posted June 12, 2014 Report Share Posted June 12, 2014 Another variable is the temperature sender. They vary, so if you have changed it during the rebuild it might not be reading accurately, or sensibly - I doubt they're ever accurate. Lots of reading on the forums about that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rob Salisbury Posted June 12, 2014 Report Share Posted June 12, 2014 As Stuart says the oil pressure is adjustable, book value, if you are using a good quality mineral 20/50, is between 65 and 75lbs/sq. inch at 2000 rpm @ normal running temp, falling to around 50lbs/sq.inch with sustained high speed running, ... back in the day that was 5k plus rpm in top O/D for a couple of hours up the M1 (then AC started testing their Cobras .......) if this drops it to 30psi, or for track use fit an oil cooler, don't forget to include a thermostat. Cheers Rob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
coolie Posted June 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2014 thanks i will see how in goes . setting tappets is it best cold - hot - warm cheers coolie Quote Link to post Share on other sites
peejay4A Posted June 12, 2014 Report Share Posted June 12, 2014 Cold. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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