Alex Birtwisle Posted December 28, 2002 Share Posted December 28, 2002 My oil pressure has always caused me concern. Cold idle was 3 bar Warm idle was 0.5 bar (or very much in the red after a long journey) Was it the sender or the gauge that was giving missleading reading? Was it the engine about to fall apart? From listening to the chatter in Techtalk it guessed it was more likely to be the sender rather than anything else. I bought a new sender unit from Caterham and woo hooooo!! I have more oil pressure than I know what to do with! Warm idle (after 3 hours on the M6) is now 2 bar. I hope this is a more realistic figure! Before fitting it I took the silicone sealant to it to make sure nothing moist and nasty got into the electrics. A tale of joy in the festive season. Alex B S713UMY 1.8K Viper Blue and Black Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mav Posted December 28, 2002 Share Posted December 28, 2002 Congratulations - this will drop slightly when you fit the Apollo You need to check on your location too!!! See you all soon, Regards, Martin & Viv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scooby dooby doo Posted December 28, 2002 Share Posted December 28, 2002 i ignore the actual numeric reading on mine - but i know what's normal and only worry if it drops lower... HOOPY 500 kg R706KGU Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YW Sin Posted December 29, 2002 Share Posted December 29, 2002 I have given up on mine.... For the moment, it sounds and goes like a million dollar mobile. I have decided that I will just drive like mad untill something drops dead and do a complete engine rebuild! Can any body recommend me some good X-flow specialist in UK? ( I know a couple but any others? ) A ll standard, Classic 1.7 X-flow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHRIS CLARK Posted December 29, 2002 Share Posted December 29, 2002 Good x-flow man = Roger King. What more do you need to know ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Lowe Posted December 29, 2002 Share Posted December 29, 2002 I have the same problem, I just ignore it that's until one day when it dosn't move, then the car will stop! 135BHP X Flow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeW Posted December 29, 2002 Share Posted December 29, 2002 Alex B, Congratulations it must feel a lot better knowing that you have decent oil pressure. I've got the same problem ( I hope) and was wondering about doing this. I presume it's a pretty straight forward job? How much are the sender units? MikeW W89 TVV Grads Car Race No 79 Membership No 6582 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Birtwisle Posted December 29, 2002 Author Share Posted December 29, 2002 27 squid plus VAT from Caterham. I am not sure what a Rover dealer would charge. 2 min job - unscrew old one (use something to catch any split oil) and then screw new one in in its place. Cheers Alex S713UMY 1.8K Viper Blue and Black Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeW Posted December 29, 2002 Share Posted December 29, 2002 Thanks Alex, Will get one ordered tomorrow and fingers crossed I get the same result as you. MikeW W89 TVV Grads Car Race No 79 Membership No 6582 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YW Sin Posted December 29, 2002 Share Posted December 29, 2002 My oil pressure sender is fitted with-out any silicon sealant. Is it a must? If so why? I didn't notice any oil leaks. A ll standard, Classic 1.7 X-flow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Lowe Posted December 29, 2002 Share Posted December 29, 2002 YW Sin No you don't need to use any silicon sealant, however I presume the sender unit is the standard ford unit on the 1.7 X Flow with the VDO gauge? 135BHP X Flow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YW Sin Posted December 29, 2002 Share Posted December 29, 2002 Guy Lowe, My sender is from Red-line components and the instruments are standard Caterham units (0 - 8 bars). A new high capacity oil pump from Roger king has been fitted a few days ago but does not help. I am now thinking of removing the oil sump to check the oil pick up pipe. I think there might be an air leak. Any idea where i should look? and how to check it? and fix it? A ll standard, Classic 1.7 X-flow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Lowe Posted December 29, 2002 Share Posted December 29, 2002 YW Sin Before you go to all that trouble, why not conduct a manual pressure test by fiting a pressure gauge directly to block in place of the sender unit. Guy Lowe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YW Sin Posted December 29, 2002 Share Posted December 29, 2002 Guy Lowe, Thanks but, I tried it already. At fully warmed temperature, It showed around 1 bar at idle and when reved, pressure goes up to 3 bars then a second later dropping to steady 2 bars. *mad* A ll standard, Classic 1.7 X-flow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Lowe Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 YW Sin Oh ☹️ that's not good news Guy Lowe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Birtwisle Posted December 30, 2002 Author Share Posted December 30, 2002 Chaps, The silicone sealant isn't to stop oil leaks .... it is to stop the ingress of moisture etc into the sender unit. Cheers Alex B S713UMY 1.8K Viper Blue and Black Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Riches Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 Monsieur Sin, when I rebuilt my old dunger crossflow engine a fellow at Oscelli, in Oxford, where all the machining was carried out, advised the use of gasket sealer around the oil pick up pipe at it's entry to the cylinder block, just to stop such air leaks, as air is easier to pump than oil, but offers no lubrication, as a last resort this maybe your problem, but check out all the easy bits first, Kind regards and a happy European New year to you, regards Nigel in Noo Zillund. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian P Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 Morning folks. Quick question for anyone who knows... I'm about to upgrade to an Apollo tank (onto a 1.6k): what (lower) oil pressure should I expect on a warm idle (presently get c. 2.0 bar, with a solid 4.0 bar at mid revs/mid throttle), given than Mav indicated that Alex's engine's pressure would drop with Apollo fitted? Ta very much. Christian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YW Sin Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 Thanks, Nigel. My car will under go such operation tomorrow in my garage. Fingers crossed that I will find the pickup pipe loose. Because if itsn't it must mean that the Crankshaft/ bearings are worn. A happy new year to you to from France. A ll standard, Classic 1.7 X-flow Edited by - yw sin on 31 Dec 2002 16:48:09 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Birtwisle Posted December 31, 2002 Author Share Posted December 31, 2002 I have heard you drop about 0.5 bar in oil pressure when you fit the Apollo tank. Alex S713UMY 1.8K Viper Blue and Black Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YW Sin Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 Well, mine is waaaay ,,,,,, tooooo,,,,,,,, looooooow ! 1 at idle and between 1 to 2 at revs. *mad* *mad* *mad* A ll standard, Classic 1.7 X-flow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian P Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 Thanks Alex. We'll see how it goes. Christian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YW Sin Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 Excuse my stupidity but , What is an Apollo Tank??? A ll standard, Classic 1.7 X-flow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Birtwisle Posted January 2, 2003 Author Share Posted January 2, 2003 The Apollo tank is the air/oil separator that sits in front of the engine. It looks like an oversized Fairy Liquid bottle or (if you have a wild imagination) an Apollo rocket. Alex B S713UMY 1.8K Viper Blue and Black Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHRIS CLARK Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 I lost one bar overall when I fitted the Apollo & a Laminova oil/water/ cooler. 'Think Automotive' said depending on fittings etc Laminova could lose from 0.5 to 1.00 bar, so I go with the 0.5 bar each item!!!! Clamshell Club Founder Member. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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