oil pressure and water temp

[tlane3546]

So i just installed a new water temp and oil pressure gauge. My queston is what is the water temp supposed to be at for normal temp and what is the oil Psi supposed to be at? Mt oil is reading 50 psi at idle the jump the 72 when i get on it. i know that i should have good pressure because i rebuilt the motor and everything is new. But i just thought it would be a but lower

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

your temperature depends on what t-stat you have installed. the stocker is 195...you shouldnt run much over that.

your minimum oil pressure should be 30PSI or so at 2,000RPM on a hot motor. i wouldnt worry about high oil pressure unless your approaching 80 or so on a hot motor (note that the oil doesnt reach operating temp as fast as the coolant does, and it actually takes a few minutes of highway driving to warm the oil up).

 

[tlane3546]

so would the pressure be higher on cold oil? thats when i got my reading i didnt wait for it to warm up

 

[MAKG]

Yes. And the spec is for fully warmed oil. Which takes significantly longer than the coolant to warm up.

The water temp can normally exceed the thermostat rating by up to 20 deg -- the rating is the temperature at which the thermostat starts to open, not when it's completely open, and the engine will find an equilibrium. You'll see the thermostat cycle open and closed -- this is normal as long as it isn't excessive. Stock temp gauges are slowed down to hide this, but you'll see it with a good mechanical gauge. You'll also clearly see the thermostat open, in the form of a suddenly lowered temperature.

Oil pressure spec is 40-60 PSI at 2000 RPM with the engine warm. There is no idle spec, and oil pressure is proportional to RPM until the pressure limiter kicks in.

 

[tlane3546]

Oh ok. excellent. Im assuming my T-stat is 195 because its a stock replacement. So what would the overheating temp be on the truck? 210? and is it better to keep the stock t-stat or go with a lower or higher temp one?

 

[MAKG]

I wouldn't worry until the temperature got over 230 deg, and even that's a bit on the conservative side.

The thermostat temperature does absolutely nothing for cooling capacity, and may buy you several seconds of time at most. You'll see how fast the coolant goes up 20 deg when you get your gauge installed. There is no reason to adjust thermostat temperature.

 

[tlane3546]

Ok kool that clears up alot for me. ill post pics of my gauges later.