NA oil pressure readings

Forgiven · Postby **Forgiven** » Mon Jan 20, 2020 9:42 pm

Searched the forum but no go.
What's normal for oil pressure in an NA?
I suspect that middle of the gauge is right for travelling along the highway in top at legal speed, but what are the other acceptable readings?

manga_blue · Postby **manga_blue** » Mon Jan 20, 2020 10:28 pm

Many of the NAs did not have a proper oil pressure sensor. They just had a pressure switch. This meant the gauge just showed normal pressure (at around 11 o'clock) or no pressure.

It's a common mod to replace the switch with a proper analogue sensor. Then the gauge works properly.

ianoz · Postby **ianoz** » Tue Jan 21, 2020 12:07 am

You show NA6 in your profile, so basing this on a B6..
by the manual for a '90 NA6 it's a pretty broad range;

2-3 kg/cm2 [28-43 psi] - 1,000 rpm
3-4 kg/cm2 [43-57 psi] - 3,000 rpm

An NA6 should have a proper pressure gauge. They changed to the 'fake' one at NA8 I think. I've been told that if the gauge actually has numbers on it (2,4,6 kg/cm2) it's a 'real' gauge, plain tick marks are dummy.

PaulF · Postby **PaulF** » Tue Jan 21, 2020 8:39 am

ianoz wrote:An NA6 should have a proper pressure gauge. They changed to the 'fake' one at NA8 I think.

This checks out with my experience. I just put an NA8 engine in my NA6 and had to swap over the (much larger) sender from my 1.6.

My gauge has always shown much higher pressure when cold, then steadily dropping as the oil warms. My current engine nearly maxes out the gauge when I first start it in the morning but drops to around the numbers you quote at operating temp.

StanTheMan · Postby **StanTheMan** » Tue Jan 21, 2020 10:16 am

PaulF wrote:
ianoz wrote:An NA6 should have a proper pressure gauge. They changed to the 'fake' one at NA8 I think.

This checks out with my experience. I just put an NA8 engine in my NA6 and had to swap over the (much larger) sender from my 1.6.

My gauge has always shown much higher pressure when cold, then steadily dropping as the oil warms. My current engine nearly maxes out the gauge when I first start it in the morning but drops to around the numbers you quote at operating temp.

thats how minw is as well.

makes sense....cold oil....more pressure

93_Clubman · Postby **93_Clubman** » Tue Jan 21, 2020 11:52 am

Ted, what's your NA6 oil pressure gauge is indicating that concerns you?

Like the 1989-1993 NA6, the 1993-1995 NA8A had a real oil pressure sensor & gauge, however the ADM 1996-1997 NA8B just had the warning type. This was likely introduced in the JDM in Aug 1995 when the rest of the NA8B upgrades occurred.

Forgiven · Postby **Forgiven** » Tue Jan 21, 2020 12:28 pm

Thanks guys. Yes an Australian 1990.
The gauge is 0 - 6 kg/cm squared.
So temperature of engine, then revs, will give where it should sit.
I've been keeping an eye on it for it being low - and it hasn't - but now I'll see if there's anything strange happens in the second half of the dial.

manga_blue · Postby **manga_blue** » Tue Jan 21, 2020 2:26 pm

93_Clubman wrote:Ted, what's your NA6 oil pressure gauge is indicating that concerns you?

Like the 1989-1993 NA6, the 1993-1995 NA8A had a real oil pressure sensor & gauge, however the ADM 1996-1997 NA8B just had the warning type. This was likely introduced in the JDM in Aug 1995 when the rest of the NA8B upgrades occurred.

My Jan95 build NA8 had an on/off oil switch and no values on the meter.

slomo · Postby **slomo** » Tue Jan 21, 2020 3:13 pm

The "real" oil pressure guage is fitted only to NA6. These guages are highly variable and while they may indicate a figure/number, as long as pressure is above about 1 kg/ccm at idle and above about 2.5 to 3kg/ccm at 3000rpm when engine is warm alls good.
Don't stress it based on the guage alone as the condition/cleanliness of sensor wire and plug, pin on sensor, and sensor itself can alter readings significantly.
Gauges often near "peg out" when the engine is cold.

93_Clubman · Postby **93_Clubman** » Tue Jan 21, 2020 4:31 pm

manga_blue wrote:
93_Clubman wrote:Like the 1989-1993 NA6, the 1993-1995 NA8A had a real oil pressure sensor & gauge, however the ADM 1996-1997 NA8B just had the warning type. This was likely introduced in the JDM in Aug 1995 when the rest of the NA8B upgrades occurred.

My Jan95 build NA8 had an on/off oil switch and no values on the meter.

Interesting Phil - big forum indicates 1995 as the year for the warning type & I thought that would equate with the Aug 1995 upgrades, but obviously earlier in 1995. My 1993 NA8 original gauge is numbered 0 2 4 6 & has real oil pressure sensor factory fitted.
Btw, how did you go during the recent fires - when we hadn't heard much from you, thought you might have had to evac.

manga_blue · Postby **manga_blue** » Tue Jan 21, 2020 10:11 pm

93_Clubman wrote:
manga_blue wrote:
93_Clubman wrote:Like the 1989-1993 NA6, the 1993-1995 NA8A had a real oil pressure sensor & gauge, however the ADM 1996-1997 NA8B just had the warning type. This was likely introduced in the JDM in Aug 1995 when the rest of the NA8B upgrades occurred.

My Jan95 build NA8 had an on/off oil switch and no values on the meter.

Interesting Phil - big forum indicates 1995 as the year for the warning type & I thought that would equate with the Aug 1995 upgrades, but obviously earlier in 1995. My 1993 NA8 original gauge is numbered 0 2 4 6 & has real oil pressure sensor factory fitted.
Btw, how did you go during the recent fires - when we hadn't heard much from you, thought you might have had to evac.

Hi Paul, I thought the fake gauge applied to all NA8s and even some late NA6s. Surprised you had a proper one.

We watched the big storm crackling over the Currowan Forest from our place on 26th November and we had a pretty good idea what it meant for us. Ignition deep in the Currowan was pretty much worst case for our place. Nothing but 25kms of forest between there and us. I figured we had somewhere between 4 days and 4 weeks before it rolled us. As it turned out we had 5 weeks, which meant we had a lot of time to prepare in our town. Di and I stayed to fight along with most of our neighbours. As it turned out Broulee was extremely fortunate. The fire picked up a lot of momentum rolling down from Mogo. Ember storm started 500m ahead of the front and a big southerly change drove the fire straight back on itself when it was 200m away. So now we live in a little green oasis when all around us is smashed. We evacuated to Malua Bay for a while after NYE because there was nothing left to burn there. It was very grim. I took the MX5 over there with a cabin full of malt whiskey and a boot full of chainsaws. I figured one or the other would be needed there.

Not out of the woods yet here. We were out of power, roads, comms and isolated for a week and a half but I haven't heard of anything your way. Are you right?

93_Clubman · Postby **93_Clubman** » Wed Jan 22, 2020 11:25 pm

manga_blue wrote:Ember storm started 500m ahead of the front and a big southerly change drove the fire straight back on itself when it was 200m away.
took the MX5 over there with a cabin full of malt whiskey and a boot full of chainsaws. I figured one or the other would be needed there.
haven't heard of anything your way. Are you right?

Jeez, you definitely dodged a bullet there.
No doubt both were needed, but hopefully not concurrently. :mrgreen:

No drama down here so far, but of course the potential remains.