The Ford Barn

B_man_Al · 05-08-2012, 06:50 AM

Does anyone know what the oil pressure on a model B engine should be? Mine starts at around 20 PSI cold, but drops off to almost 0 hot using #30 oil. Its still the original oil pump with 70k miles on it. Should I change it? No knocks or bad noises evident.

Bob-A · 05-08-2012, 07:15 AM

My '31 has a B block in it and had a "5 lb" oil gauge hooked up under the dash. Naturally I always had excellent oil pressure at least according to the gauge.

I swapped it out for a 30 lb gauge I got off greedbay. When I start the car the oil PSI slowly creeps up to the 30 lb limit, but once it warms up it will fall back down to 10 lbs or so. When I use to drive the car at 50, 55 and better the pressure would go back up to 30 lbs. Then drop down again with lower RPMs. All I know about the engine is that a duPont
engineer that owned the car back in the 50's had the B block installed. I'm kind'a leary about driving the car for now, I found a crack on the motor pully.

Also, I read somewhere that the guage pressures exhibited by the motor are pretty much correct for a "B".

Bob-A

PS: I use 30 wt oil with a can of STP.

Gord. B by the bay · 05-08-2012, 08:04 AM

My B runs cold start up at 35 lbs and hot and 50 mph 12 lbs i use 10-40 synthetic oil and change oil once a year before winter storage. Great White North Gord. B by the Bay

Jim Brierley · 05-08-2012, 11:01 AM

I don't know where you guys are getting all this pressure from??? The stock B will normally have about 3 psi when cold at freeway speeds and less than 1 psi when hot and running down the road. Many plug, or partially plug, the hole at the front of the oil galley on the B to gain more pressure. DON'T DO THIS!!! That hole is not there to oil the timing gear, it is to fill the dipper tray. With that hole plugged the rods could starve from oil. Henry knew what he was doing, either leave it alone or go to a full pressure system. On my B's with stock oiling I do route the oil thru a full-flow filter, nothing else. I will send anyone interested a paper that I wrote on the B oiling system, and how to install a full-flow filter, just e-mail me at [email protected]

B_man_Al · 05-08-2012, 12:48 PM

Jim ...

Have you ever measured the oil pressure right at start up? Mine has the high pressure then, but it falls off very rapidly to near 0 after about a mile of driving. Not even fully warmed up ! I have a 100 PSI electronic gauge with the sender unit connected at the external block plug, half way up the oil pump shaft.

Nothing has ever been done to the oiling system to plug passages etc.

Al

Bob-A · 05-08-2012, 02:45 PM

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Jim,

Like I mentioned earlier I don't know much about the B block in my '31.
Other then it was put into the car sometime in the early 50's. I have no idea how accurate the 30 lb oil pressure guage is. It was NOS and made by Rochester Gauge Co., an American company from back in the day I think. Was there any other "tricks" to beef up B engine oil PSI from the old days? I think I read something somewhere about using a later V-8 pump in a B ?!?!

Bob-A

done4 · 05-08-2012, 03:44 PM

Before I took my 32 apart and driving it I was getting a steady 5 lbs. If you are getting more you must have a block that was worked on. I've been told that too much oil pressure in the B motors isn't any advantage. Just what I've been told by other B banger owners.

columbiA · 05-08-2012, 10:59 PM

On my 33 B engine which was rebored,new valves etc, but original brgs & std crank,it runs around 20 psi cold,5 psi hot.I use 10-30 in winter & 15-40 or 20-50 in summer.You cant expect much more than that with the hole in front end of oil galley that feeds the dipper tray.

Jim Brierley · 05-09-2012, 10:16 AM

B_man_Al, I ran a 5 lb. gauge on mine for many years and it was never pegged. I am now running a stock oiling system on my B engine in my speedster with a 80 psi gauge and it never shows any pressure, even on startup. I can't imagine why yours does???
I think more pressure would be apt to cause leaks at the rear main? I run V8 pumps in my pressure engines, and a Lincoln (F-8 truck) pump in my Bonneville engine. Both take work as the rotation must be reversed.

Bob-A · 05-09-2012, 01:08 PM

Jim,

Thanks for the info. and another question for you: Is there any easy way
to check to see if the hole at the front of the oil galley has been plugged?
Reference as to the reason why my oil PSI gauge appears to be reading to
high?

Or is pulling the valve/lifter cover the only way?!?

Thanks again.

Bob-A

RUNNERBUN · 05-09-2012, 07:30 PM

I don't know any other way of checking without removing the valve cover or timing cover to check the flow of oil from the oil gallery but I doubt if you need to do this as if the hole was plugged you will not have any oil feeding to the dipper wells in your sump. This is the only source of oil for your dipper wells and without oil your big ends will not last any more than a few miles. Unfortunately I learnt this from experience with careless use of silicon gasket goo which blocked the hole. 10 miles on new babbitt and destroyed the lot. Another symptom of a blocked hole was a masive oil leak at the rear main bearing due to the build up of preasure.

Bob-A · 05-10-2012, 07:05 AM

RUNNERBUN,

I'm pretty sure now that the hole is not plugged on my '31 with the B block. I've run the car pretty hard at times and for a few miles and all
is O'K. Except for the cracked crankshaft pully that I noticed recently.
But that is another story. Why the motor has such good oil pressure, pressure that is supposedly not possible is a mystery to me?!?!

Sorry to here about the loss of your new babbited rods. I never use
silicon gasket sealer. Thinned down aviation-permatex is what I use.

Bob-A

Ice man · 05-10-2012, 10:51 PM

I believe a B engine was designed to run at 12 PSI when new. (SOSS) After building my B engine, according to SOSS ideas I was running 100 on start up. Way to much, but the original oil pump was done as per there ideas, and she ran like a bear. I have since had the crank drilled for full pressure (done by Schawmms) and new rods to fit with the dipper holes NOT open, and a pressure relief valve added internally set for 50 PSI and a Treey Burtz Rear seal. Shes not assembled as yet. I had a fall, and surgery but it should be done soon so im waiting to see what she now runs like now. I was running a T-5 Tranny and hi gears in the rear and she would walk away from many red lights in Sarasota, Fla. when I lived there. Down here its a bit different. LOL Iceman

05-08-2012, 06:50 AM	#1
B_man_Al Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Ottawa ON Canada Posts: 301	"B" oil pressure Does anyone know what the oil pressure on a model B engine should be? Mine starts at around 20 PSI cold, but drops off to almost 0 hot using #30 oil. Its still the original oil pump with 70k miles on it. Should I change it? No knocks or bad noises evident.

05-08-2012, 07:15 AM	#2
Bob-A Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Central FL, USA Posts: 1,144	Re: "B" oil pressure My '31 has a B block in it and had a "5 lb" oil gauge hooked up under the dash. Naturally I always had excellent oil pressure at least according to the gauge. I swapped it out for a 30 lb gauge I got off greedbay. When I start the car the oil PSI slowly creeps up to the 30 lb limit, but once it warms up it will fall back down to 10 lbs or so. When I use to drive the car at 50, 55 and better the pressure would go back up to 30 lbs. Then drop down again with lower RPMs. All I know about the engine is that a duPont engineer that owned the car back in the 50's had the B block installed. I'm kind'a leary about driving the car for now, I found a crack on the motor pully. Also, I read somewhere that the guage pressures exhibited by the motor are pretty much correct for a "B". Bob-A PS: I use 30 wt oil with a can of STP.

05-08-2012, 11:01 AM	#4
Jim Brierley Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Temecula, CA Posts: 4,107	Re: "B" oil pressure I don't know where you guys are getting all this pressure from??? The stock B will normally have about 3 psi when cold at freeway speeds and less than 1 psi when hot and running down the road. Many plug, or partially plug, the hole at the front of the oil galley on the B to gain more pressure. DON'T DO THIS!!! That hole is not there to oil the timing gear, it is to fill the dipper tray. With that hole plugged the rods could starve from oil. Henry knew what he was doing, either leave it alone or go to a full pressure system. On my B's with stock oiling I do route the oil thru a full-flow filter, nothing else. I will send anyone interested a paper that I wrote on the B oiling system, and how to install a full-flow filter, just e-mail me at [email protected]

05-08-2012, 12:48 PM	#5
B_man_Al Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Ottawa ON Canada Posts: 301	Re: "B" oil pressure Jim ... Have you ever measured the oil pressure right at start up? Mine has the high pressure then, but it falls off very rapidly to near 0 after about a mile of driving. Not even fully warmed up ! I have a 100 PSI electronic gauge with the sender unit connected at the external block plug, half way up the oil pump shaft. Nothing has ever been done to the oiling system to plug passages etc. Al

05-08-2012, 02:45 PM	#6
Bob-A Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Central FL, USA Posts: 1,144	Re: "B" oil pressure Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) Jim, Like I mentioned earlier I don't know much about the B block in my '31. Other then it was put into the car sometime in the early 50's. I have no idea how accurate the 30 lb oil pressure guage is. It was NOS and made by Rochester Gauge Co., an American company from back in the day I think. Was there any other "tricks" to beef up B engine oil PSI from the old days? I think I read something somewhere about using a later V-8 pump in a B ?!?! Bob-A

05-08-2012, 08:04 AM	#3
Gord. B by the bay Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Owen Sound Ont. Canada Posts: 198	Re: "B" oil pressure My B runs cold start up at 35 lbs and hot and 50 mph 12 lbs i use 10-40 synthetic oil and change oil once a year before winter storage. Great White North Gord. B by the Bay

05-08-2012, 03:44 PM	#7
done4 Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Union Pier MI Posts: 392	Re: "B" oil pressure Before I took my 32 apart and driving it I was getting a steady 5 lbs. If you are getting more you must have a block that was worked on. I've been told that too much oil pressure in the B motors isn't any advantage. Just what I've been told by other B banger owners. __________________ Still smokin tires and cigars

05-08-2012, 10:59 PM	#8
columbiA Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: B.C. Canada Posts: 1,746	Re: "B" oil pressure On my 33 B engine which was rebored,new valves etc, but original brgs & std crank,it runs around 20 psi cold,5 psi hot.I use 10-30 in winter & 15-40 or 20-50 in summer.You cant expect much more than that with the hole in front end of oil galley that feeds the dipper tray.

05-09-2012, 10:16 AM	#9
Jim Brierley Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Temecula, CA Posts: 4,107	Re: "B" oil pressure B_man_Al, I ran a 5 lb. gauge on mine for many years and it was never pegged. I am now running a stock oiling system on my B engine in my speedster with a 80 psi gauge and it never shows any pressure, even on startup. I can't imagine why yours does??? I think more pressure would be apt to cause leaks at the rear main? I run V8 pumps in my pressure engines, and a Lincoln (F-8 truck) pump in my Bonneville engine. Both take work as the rotation must be reversed.

05-09-2012, 01:08 PM	#10
Bob-A Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Central FL, USA Posts: 1,144	Re: "B" oil pressure Jim, Thanks for the info. and another question for you: Is there any easy way to check to see if the hole at the front of the oil galley has been plugged? Reference as to the reason why my oil PSI gauge appears to be reading to high? Or is pulling the valve/lifter cover the only way?!? Thanks again. Bob-A

05-09-2012, 07:30 PM	#11
RUNNERBUN Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Queensland Australia Posts: 640	Re: "B" oil pressure I don't know any other way of checking without removing the valve cover or timing cover to check the flow of oil from the oil gallery but I doubt if you need to do this as if the hole was plugged you will not have any oil feeding to the dipper wells in your sump. This is the only source of oil for your dipper wells and without oil your big ends will not last any more than a few miles. Unfortunately I learnt this from experience with careless use of silicon gasket goo which blocked the hole. 10 miles on new babbitt and destroyed the lot. Another symptom of a blocked hole was a masive oil leak at the rear main bearing due to the build up of preasure. __________________ Adjust your points with gentle blows of a 2 pound hammer

05-10-2012, 07:05 AM	#12
Bob-A Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Central FL, USA Posts: 1,144	Re: "B" oil pressure RUNNERBUN, I'm pretty sure now that the hole is not plugged on my '31 with the B block. I've run the car pretty hard at times and for a few miles and all is O'K. Except for the cracked crankshaft pully that I noticed recently. But that is another story. Why the motor has such good oil pressure, pressure that is supposedly not possible is a mystery to me?!?! Sorry to here about the loss of your new babbited rods. I never use silicon gasket sealer. Thinned down aviation-permatex is what I use. Bob-A

05-10-2012, 10:51 PM	#13
Ice man Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Southern Pines, N.Carolina Posts: 210	Re: "B" oil pressure I believe a B engine was designed to run at 12 PSI when new. (SOSS) After building my B engine, according to SOSS ideas I was running 100 on start up. Way to much, but the original oil pump was done as per there ideas, and she ran like a bear. I have since had the crank drilled for full pressure (done by Schawmms) and new rods to fit with the dipper holes NOT open, and a pressure relief valve added internally set for 50 PSI and a Treey Burtz Rear seal. Shes not assembled as yet. I had a fall, and surgery but it should be done soon so im waiting to see what she now runs like now. I was running a T-5 Tranny and hi gears in the rear and she would walk away from many red lights in Sarasota, Fla. when I lived there. Down here its a bit different. LOL Iceman