What should Oil Pressure be for newly built 2 Valve Engine using SAE 30 Mineral Oil?

Hi everyone,

I'm currently running SAE 30 Millers MINERAL Running-In Oil Classic in my Ferrari 308 2-valve and I'm curious about what type of oil pressure I should be expecting. The engine has just been rebuilt, but I want to make sure everything is within the normal range.

I intend to run this engine on this oil for around 100 miles, than switch to 20W-50.

Currently I'm seeing around 105-110 PSI at around 2000-3000 RPM based on a mechanical gauge.

What oil pressure readings should I be seeing at idle, under load, and at higher RPMs with this particular oil?

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

Pleae use another oil! use a 5W-40 full synth, or something like that

Pressure is about 6 bar at 3000 RPM when the engine has fully warmed up

Ciao

 

The oil I'm using is specifically there to help bed in the piston rings, you think it is too thick?

 

Don't second guess yourself. Pretty much any mineral oil is fine for a short break-in period. What's more important is to vary the load (from low to moderate) during the break-in and not give it max revs or max load.

 

Definitely intend to run it in correctly, I was just wondering since I saw the oil pressure a tad high, so looks totally ok?

 

It looks fine for cold, straight weights are pretty high pressure cold.

 

If that is fully hot oil pressure (and fully hot numbers are the most meaningful), it's definitely higher than my car which runs a couple needle widths past 85 on the factory gauge at 3000, but then my car is about to roll over 40k miles. When first started from cold, and at a 1200 rpm warm up idle, my gauge is just under the hash mark between 85 and 170psi, so about 125 psi.

Seems to me your numbers are reasonable for a fresh engine.

 

everything works, with a new engine, but why not a standard oil: at cold start the SAE30 is a disaster, wearing a lot camshafts lobes and crankcase bearings. And use a 5W-40 as next oil: why do you want to use a 20W-50 oil when today there is the twenty times better 5W-50? 5W-40 is the best balance oil for a 308, or some modern oil like that: 308 engine is a modern engine, does not require any old oil to work well.

Ciao

 

Our go-to break in oil is RotellaT, loaded with all the good minerals and vitamin support a new engine needs.

After that, I really like the liqu-moly line up, they've got a great oil for classic engines with solid lifters. MoS2 semi-synthetic.

 

do they still offers Motor Oil with detergent specially for during break-in period?

 

You may not even need to run it for 100 miles. Piston rings bed-in a lot quicker than you think. 15-20 minutes of low-key driving or highway cruising (if that) and they're set.

 

Originally QVs were to run 1200 with the factory oil, then bring it to the dealer for a change.

 

according to my shop manual, under normal working conditions, oil pressure should between 5.5 and 6.5 bars, the engine running at 6000 rpms and oil temp at 100c. When the engine is still hot and runs at idle, a pressure below 4.5 has to be considered normal.

 

Wow, those pressures are quite a bit higher than mine. Warm at 3000 rpm, mine runs about half a needle width below the 85 psi mark. Cold on idle at 1000 RPM about a needle width below the 85 psi mark. The latter drops quite a bit when engine oil is warm. I think Ferrari made a mod to reduce oil pressure on later cars by changing the PRV and flexible oil lines. Mines a late 328, so perhaps that why.

 

What exactly is the real world practical difference between a 0W - something and a 5W - something motor oil?

 

In a 308? None unless you live in Alaska maybe. For most of us it's the second number you'll care about, depending how hot it is where you drive and how hard you drive. A 30 might be fine or a 50 not enough....specific to use.

.....but should really apply to break-in

 

Whilst I have you all guys here, I read other threads but wanted to confirm, how long is it normal for the oil pressure light to go off and oil pressure to start climbing when the engine is cold? Mine takes a solid 3-4 seconds by turning engine with only starter motor, no ignition or fuel, engine is currently out.

I have the UFI oil filter 23 162 02

 

Depends on how long you left it since the last start. The oil filter NRV flap will eventually allow the filter to empty out into the sump. Takes a few days for this happen.
With mine, if engine had been started for the first time in a while, was up to oil pressure then stopped and restarted; Mine could take a similar time to yours on the first start and then give immediate pressure on the second start.