The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Normal 216 oil pressure?

The original 216 in my 52 3600 is holding about
10 lbs at 45 mph...according to the guage. The engine purrs like a sawmill and is running great and has never been apart. No smoke...no leaks...no problems. Just a little concerned about that oil pressure. Reckon it's the guage? Or is 10 lbs normal?
Thanks,
Dash Riprocker

By the way...using 30W non-detergent in it.

Spec's according to my 'Bible'says 14 lb's per .
so 10 lb's should be fine.
Tom.

oil pressure on a 216? trust me...your heart pumps higher pressure than a babbit splasher.

seriously, the 216's are not famous for overwhelming oil pressure. my 1950 3/4 ton chevy behaves just as you've described. mine too has not been apart, does not smoke, and has been problem free. it does leak but that is a gasket issue.

best advice that i can give is change the oil often. it's cheap insurance against rebuilding and as long as it still cuts logs

there is always the possibility the gauge is defective, but i'd be willing to bet that it's just "business as usual".

one other thing to consider is tempature/season/oil weight. winter, running 30 or 40 weight and you'll see high pressure even after the engine has warmed up. 20wt in the summer and you'll be in the basement as far as oil pressure.

I appreciate the info guys. Now I ain't skeered anymore! Glad to hear that it's normal...well, the truck anyway.

A close Friend that was, until recent retirement, a tech. service manual writer was going over My pickup....and one of His questions were, "What kind of oil pressure You got?" I answered, quite low...Well, He said, "about 10 to
15 lbs. will be all You will get out of the 216ci,
on the otherhand a GMC of the same year will carry
good oil pressure, and its a 6 cylinder also...
He added, "can't say the GMC is a better engine because the 216ci will amaze You with the run forever attitude !" BB

My 1951 1300 with the 216 engine runs a pressure of 15 lbs cold and when it warms up drops to around 10 lbs. This is using the original gage.