Low oil pressure / inconsitant oil pressure
I'm a little concerned. This is a 6CTA, Ref # 53-34874-004 engine # 45358278, model C8.3-325, read that as 325 HP. When first cranked (weather cold -12, or hot 110) the oil pressure gauge on the...
Forum Discussion
Time for an update, I like it when people keep updating through the end of the project, so many people ask for help and never post the finial solution.
The problem started as:
When first cranked (weather cold -12, or hot 110) the oil pressure gauge on the dash pegs (all the way to the right, in the white above the green, no PSI indicated on the dash gauge, just red, green, white)
When fully warmed up and running at 1500 RPM about 55 MPH, it will sink to within 1/8 inch of the line between the red and green, never goes into the red (going down the road).
When idling it does fall into the red, but as soon as you accelerate away from a stop light it immediately climbs into the green.
If you bring the RPMs up to 1500 when sitting with no load and fully warm it pegs the top of the green.
So this is what it looked like going down the road, with no corrective action taken
The first step was to replace the sending unit. I was unable to get an original sending unit from Fleetwood, called Gillig and was told that NAPA carried the sending unit.
We replaced the sending unit and the gauge no longer jumps around, and reads a little higher.
We put it on a mechanical gauge to see what the actual read was so.....
Gauge in the dash at idle looks like this.
The mechanical gauge at idle.
This reading is above low level spec at idle for this engine.
Gauge in the dash going down the road.
Mechanical gauge going down the road.
These readings certainly are acceptable, but I just wondered if we could do just a little bit better, so I had the oil pressure regulator replaced, there was a very small mare on the piston and maybe the spring was just a little weak from being under tension for 17 years.
So this is what we have going down the road now.
I LIKE IT!
The problem started as:
When first cranked (weather cold -12, or hot 110) the oil pressure gauge on the dash pegs (all the way to the right, in the white above the green, no PSI indicated on the dash gauge, just red, green, white)
When fully warmed up and running at 1500 RPM about 55 MPH, it will sink to within 1/8 inch of the line between the red and green, never goes into the red (going down the road).
When idling it does fall into the red, but as soon as you accelerate away from a stop light it immediately climbs into the green.
If you bring the RPMs up to 1500 when sitting with no load and fully warm it pegs the top of the green.
So this is what it looked like going down the road, with no corrective action taken
The first step was to replace the sending unit. I was unable to get an original sending unit from Fleetwood, called Gillig and was told that NAPA carried the sending unit.
We replaced the sending unit and the gauge no longer jumps around, and reads a little higher.
We put it on a mechanical gauge to see what the actual read was so.....
Gauge in the dash at idle looks like this.
The mechanical gauge at idle.
This reading is above low level spec at idle for this engine.
Gauge in the dash going down the road.
Mechanical gauge going down the road.
These readings certainly are acceptable, but I just wondered if we could do just a little bit better, so I had the oil pressure regulator replaced, there was a very small mare on the piston and maybe the spring was just a little weak from being under tension for 17 years.
So this is what we have going down the road now.
I LIKE IT!
