Horney's 'James Shead' 1988 BTCC Golf GTI replica build.

[Stu.750]

Are the unions of the cooler causing a restriction , leaving you with a slighly lower pressure ?

[Horney]

I wouldn't have thought so, weird thing is with those kind of readings surely the buzzer and light should have been going off? Certainly at idle it should have been. I think I need to get a proper garage type gauge on there and see what's going on.

The only rattle it's got is from the head at about 3K rpm, it always has and it's never got any worse.

All very odd and slightly concerning. New engines or heads are not in my budget for this year!

nick

[Stu.750]

Youd have hoped so at least

 probably better to be safe than sorry , get a "true" reading before something terminal happens

[Horney]

2psi = 0.137 bar - at idle (Checked and the needles wasn't quite on the stop)
25psi = 1.723 bar - from 3K upwards

So that's my gauge readings. Now from what I've read both those should be setting off the buzzer and light. So either the gauge lies or the oil pressure warning system is fecked (although as I said in an earlier post I have had it go off once on a trackday but no idea if that was pressure or wiring related)

Nick

[Stu.750]

Is it only since youve fitted the cooler though ?

[Horney]

Yes. However the old reading weren't that good either, 10psi at idle and 50 psi at full chat. That was measured from the filter housing with the same gauge as I'm now using on the head. I was expecting the pressure to read a little lower at the head but not that much lower. I really need to try and hook the gauge back up at the filter and see if it goes back to the old results. That'll tell me either 1) that the levels go back and therefore there's something funky with the head killing pressure or 2) it's now loer at the filter to and something cooler related has caused the drop.

Nick

[Wayne]

I would start by replacing the oil pump or if funds are tight drop the sump and punch a hole in the suction gauze.

[Horney]

I think I'll pick up a pump at lunchtime tomorrow.

nick

[Wayne]

I think I'll pick up a pump at lunchtime tomorrow.

nick

From my days at TSR if you had low oil pressure at the head then it was nearly always the pump or worse case a main bearing problem.

[Horney]

It had all new bearings in late 2008 after Alex who owned it before had a pressure problem on a trackday. He cleaned out the strainer but from what I can make out on the thread son Clubgti he didn't change the pump when he did the bottom end bearings.

nick