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Old 02-05-2009, 03:01 PM
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Default Check your oil pressure!

Guys/Gals, I know oil pressure and spun bearings seem to plague our TBSS' but, not sure if many of you know just how bad the oil pressure gets.

My gauge has always seemed to read low compared to my other LS vehicles so I logged my oil pressure using EFILive the other day and WOW was I surprised.

Warm idle is around 30psi(logged), 38-40(gauge)
Hot idle after spirited driving 22psi(logged), 35(gauge)
Cruise 40psi(logged/gauge)
WOT 54psi before I topped oil up(logged), 45psi(gauge)

The worst part is that sometimes under heavy acceleration I saw the logged pressure drop to as low as 17psi. This seems to happen under very heavy accel only above say 3500 rpm or so. Once it was at like 25psi at 6200rpm.

I checked my oil on the dipstick and it was at the bottom of the cross hatch area so I added a little over a quart to bring it up to maybe just a hair past the top. This has helped with the dips in pressure under heavy accel but, it is still too low imho. It won't dip below 30psi now and doesn't do it as much as it was before topping off. My WOT pressure doesn't go above 45 psi now though where before it would at least get to 54 or so.

So, this is mainly an announcement I'm making to fellow TBSSers to log that pressure if you can. If you can't at least top the oil up.

Also, I know from reading on some other TBSS boards that some fixes(oil pan) are being worked on but, I haven't really seen any results yet.

If you have any experience with this and have had some luck by changing oil weights or something else please post up.
Old 02-05-2009, 03:20 PM
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After logging oil pressure with EFILive, I'm convinced the factory gauge is completely unreliable.

Factory gauge shows 1 tick left of 45 when I'm idling with hot oil. Logging shows mid 20s!

My results were similar to yours John:

Hot idle 1 minute: 25.5 to 27.8 psi @ 630 rpms
50 mph 1 minute cruise: 42.4 to 45.3 psi @ 2450 rpms
WOT run form 0 to 85 mph: 19.1 to 50.5 psi !!!

Under hardest acceleration in 1st gear, oil pressure dropped to the low of 19psi @ 5000 rpms. Pressure stayed mostly in the 20s - 30s even through the 1st/2nd shift. Pressure only started climbing back into the 40s-50 range when speeds got above 60mph and the acceleration started to 'plane out'. Factory gauge never went further than one notch from 45psi.

It seems like the oil pressure issues are worst when the torque and acceleration are highest. Front sump oil pan design problem?

Oh yeah, only 1200 miles on the odometer so far.
Old 02-05-2009, 07:13 PM
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holy bejesus....WOW. Imagine that corporate meeting.

guy 1: I don't know, we have spent millions on this motor.
guy 2: What do you suggest?
guy 3: Let's not put oil pressure gauges in the truck
guy4: No...uhm, how about if we just sub out the dashes to the same supplier Ford uses. I am sure they'll read higher than really are. The public won't completely blame us. Besides, who is gonna get these things past 58lbs on the MAF any way.
guy 1: Cool.
guy 2: Sounds great to me.
guy 3: I am all about short meetings, consider it done. I have a hooker coming up in about an hour anyway.
Old 02-05-2009, 07:22 PM
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hookers? somebody say hookers?
Old 02-05-2009, 07:35 PM
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guy 1: Hey, lets take the money we saved on R&D and pay out extra bonuses!
Old 02-05-2009, 07:39 PM
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Originally Posted by BigTex
guy 1: Hey, lets take the money we saved on R&D and pay out extra bonuses!

guy 3: OOH Joe...errr I mean Guy 4, let's skip that dirty skank you call a hooker, go down to Charlies....errr I mean Strip Joint 1 and use left over money to fly our coporate jets to that stupid *** hand out meeting next thursday in DC.
Old 02-05-2009, 07:42 PM
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Originally Posted by BigTex
guy 1: Hey, lets take the money we saved on R&D and pay out extra bonuses before we go bankrupt!
Fixed that for ya.
Old 02-05-2009, 08:33 PM
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damn i cant see oil press on hpt ,guess
i could log it on the dashhawk.
whats the oil temp when you logged this??
billy at RPM is doing new oil pans for us,2wd and awd
http://www.tbssowners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21379
http://www.tbssowners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21633
Old 02-05-2009, 08:37 PM
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Yeah, I am waiting to see the results of the oil pans, so far I haven't seen any.

I did not log oil temp but, will add that to my PID list for tomorrow.
Old 02-05-2009, 08:42 PM
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ya ill check mine on the DH tommorrow as well,its cold as $&!+ here tho lol and it takes FOREVER to get oil temps above 200*.
your in CA rite koonerman??


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