Posted by Chris Becker on Tuesday, August 16, 2005 at 11:37PM :
Hey guys,
We took our PW out to a cruise-in last weekend and it was a hot day in the 90's. While driving to the cruise I noticed when the truck got warm the oil pressure dropped from its normal 40 lbs to nearly nothing. Almost 10 to 20 lbs at normal driving speed. Not good! The old engine runs strong and I don't want to hurt it.
That evening while driving when it was cooler the pressure stayed between 30 and 40 lbs. What could be causing this oil pressure drop?
What grade oil should I run in it? Currently I am running 30 weight detergent oil. Should I change the oil to a multi grade like 20-50 or run a thicker oil like 50 weight? Would this help?
My friend Nick, who found this truck for me said the oil pump could be going bad or the bearings in the motor are getting worn. I am looking at replacing the oil pump, so I'll need a NAPA part # for an oil pump for our '48 PW with a 230 in it.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated as I would like to keep the old girl on the road for many more years. She runs to good and we have a lot fun driving her and I don't want her down for long periods.
Thanks,
Chris Becker
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