oil pump and oil Pressure question

**ryan_pope** · 01-22-2015, 04:36 PM

For my 1964 Riviera and it's 425 engine ,,, what is the perfect (psi) oil pressure at idle and at about 30 mph?

**telriv** · 01-23-2015, 09:29 AM

10-20PSI hot idle in gear. 35-45PSI cruising down the highway 2K RPM"S or higher.

Tom T.

**ryan_pope** · 01-24-2015, 01:28 PM

Mr. Telesco,

I greatly appreciate your information about oil pump and oil Pressure.

I put on a inexpensive oil pressure gauge in place of the "old" oil sender unit and I am getting 10 psi at hot idle and 25 psi at a cruise around the neighborhood ( 25 -45 mph speed ).

I am highly considering a plan to replace the existing oil pump.

But, currently the top of the engine is apart to replace 3 collapsed lifters. {I Need my mechanic to come by for further instructions and help in the re-assembly. I have the lifters and new gaskets in hand. I want to do it correctly, and since I have never done it myself and want to use this re-assembly as a hands on learning experience. I have to wait for mechanic. The car is in my garage and not at his shop and junk yard.

**telriv** · 01-25-2015, 06:50 AM

Ryan, I'm going to assume, and you know what happens when you "Assume", you've got reasonably high mileage on this engine/vehicle, or it has done a lot of idle time in between runs. With that being said, my feeling, is that you are throwing good money after bad. If I were you the very next thing I would do is a cold, not hot as you have the engine apart already, compression & cylinder leak-down tests to let you know the health of the engine as it sits. Just put those 3 bad lifters back in. They will open & close the valves enough to give a reading at least. Those 3 lifters may be slightly down on compression in those cylinders but will have NOTHING to do with leak-down, & take it from there. This CAN be done with the intake manifold off as when taking a compression test you want ALL the throttle butterfly's open on the carb. Of course ALL the spark plugs are removed for this procedure.
Just my thoughts on the subject.

Tom T'

**ryan_pope** · 01-26-2015, 08:09 PM

This is a reply to Mr. Tom T: and Thanks by the way of taking real interest in my engine situation, Appreciate it Sir.

I have owned the Riviera for two years and 5 months. I don't know any previous engine history. But, in finding the collapsed lifters it is obvious three rocker arms of the eight on the drivers side of the engine have been replaced with non-original new rocker arms and are VERY new looking. The lifters are very new looking and the cam is very new looking. One lifter on passenger side of car is where the noise is heard, a collapsed lifter;. and two other lifters on the drivers side are also collapsed were found after tear down. {Noting: drivers side is not where the noise is or was heard from before "tear-down" . }

Other, the Riv spent 9 months in a paint shop with no engine starts, ( that paint shop is another Bad story). That was 11/30/2012 until 9/20/2013. After that, I drove the car while working on interior every couple of months. I first heard the noise on 7/25/2014 on a 11 mile trip at highway speed, 60 mph, at the end of the trip across town. The lifter noise has been intermittent and I finally had some help to find out what it was. I could not stand not knowing what was going on any longer. I heard the noise on these dates: 7/25/2014 ; 8/15/2014 ; 11/28/2014 and 12/6/2014 and before tear down on, 1/8/2015.

The Riv has 90800 miles on the odometer.

I have a pressure gauge. I must have used it back in 2002 for a camaro restoration. I have the instruction sheet for gauge, but it does not tell me about a leak test. how is the leak test accomplished ????? Please, be detail in your instruction, Sir.

Originally Posted by telriv

Ryan, I'm going to assume, and you know what happens when you "Assume", you've got reasonably high mileage on this engine/vehicle, or it has done a lot of idle time in between runs. With that being said, my feeling, is that you are throwing good money after bad. If I were you the very next thing I would do is a cold, not hot as you have the engine apart already, compression & cylinder leak-down tests to let you know the health of the engine as it sits. Just put those 3 bad lifters back in. They will open & close the valves enough to give a reading at least. Those 3 lifters may be slightly down on compression in those cylinders but will have NOTHING to do with leak-down, & take it from there. This CAN be done with the intake manifold off as when taking a compression test you want ALL the throttle butterfly's open on the carb. Of course ALL the spark plugs are removed for this procedure.
Just my thoughts on the subject. Tom T'

**telriv** · 01-27-2015, 12:38 PM

I'm sorry Ryan, but I cannot tell you how to perform a leak-down test through an e-mail. It's kinda long & time consuming, & typing with one finger would take me DAYS. Suggest goggling "leak-down testing" & read. A compression test DOES NOT tell ALL.

Tom T.

**ryan_pope** · 01-27-2015, 08:45 PM

Tom , do you sell 1964 riviera parts?

**telriv** · 01-28-2015, 07:37 AM

Yes I do Ryan.

**ryan_pope** · 01-31-2015, 09:29 AM

I got the new lifters in yesterday, 1/30/2015. The engine sounds great in the garage. it has been raining here for 2 days. (I live in the desert, hmmm) We ran engine more than 25 minutes.

So the car has not been test driven yet.

I want to know the idle speed(s) for the engine : At cold engine start (rpm): ? and at hot engine rpm: ?

Mechanic and I are not confident of the reading I am seeing on the inexpensive oil pressure gauge

so the test drives later this weekend will help tell us a better story.

At a very slow idle with a warm engine in the garage (no road driving) the oil pressure is 5 to 6 psi.
and
at very fast idle (carb screws turn for fast idle) with same temperature of warm engine (no road driving) the oil pressure is 30 psi.
I don't know the respective rpm's of the engine during this pressures but I plan to put my test light on engine this weekend and adjust the idle speed to OEM specifications. that is why I want to know the idles speeds, please.

**telriv** · 01-31-2015, 09:48 AM

If the choke is working correctly on the fast/highest step on the fast idle cam approx. 1800-2200RPM's. If everything is operating properly I usually like it to be slower, around 1600RPM's, but this can be adjusted as you "Fine" tune things. Hot idle 600-650 RPM's in neutral & 525-550RPM's in gear.
Your oil pressure is now WORSE than it was before it appears.