Oil Pressure below 40 at idle
- Thread starter tml4life
- Start date
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ScottL4619
Full Access Member
Nothing to be concerned about. When warm and at idle, mine is even lower than that. At full throttle, it almost hits 80. I think synthetic oil also makes a difference as it flows a little easier, thus reducing pressure in the system.
blueflamed03
Supporting Member
not at all....
Rule of thumb is 10psi oil pressure for every 1000 rpm 
Also, Buick used to have an oil pressure problem with one of their engines (can't recall which one for sure) back in the 50's or 60's where pressure would drop to 5 psi at idle, but would be at 40 psi at cruising speed. Funny enough though, they found that at idle, 5 psi of pressure was more than enough to create the clearance needed between bearing surfaces to keep the engine running well and without any abnormal wear.
Also, Buick used to have an oil pressure problem with one of their engines (can't recall which one for sure) back in the 50's or 60's where pressure would drop to 5 psi at idle, but would be at 40 psi at cruising speed. Funny enough though, they found that at idle, 5 psi of pressure was more than enough to create the clearance needed between bearing surfaces to keep the engine running well and without any abnormal wear.
