Interesting Oil Pressure Indications

[Old60Driver]

G'mornin y'all!

Bone stock '83 350 with about 65K miles. Family owned since new, has never been opened up (relevant later).

A while back I had a bad oil pressure gauge (resistor), and upon replacement of both the gauge and new sending unit, the pressure seemed high. Like in excess of 60 at start up. Figured I might have the wrong resistor, and didn't worry too much about it. Ended up putting in a Dakota Digital set later (very sweet by the way). The Dakota set came with it's own pressure sending unit, so I installed, no issues. Except when I start her up, she's well over 60. Maybe 70 or so? When she's good and hot, she'll drop down to 40-ish at idle and in gear, but runs back up to 60 when at cruising RPM. Again, this motor is a fully stock sbc with about 65K miles.

Worried that I might have a plugged filter or some such, I changed the oil and filter (Wix). Same high readings.

Just read another post about high oil pressure, and it has me a bit concerned.

Y'all ever see this before, and if so, how concerned should I be?

Thanks y'all!

 

[GTX63]

You can use a mechanical gauge to confirm what your oil pressure is. Are you saying that before the gauge failed the pressure was lower at start up?

 

[Old60Driver]

Yes sir, when the gauge worked, it was about half that. Then I replaced the gauge (and sending unit), and it read high. I subsequently installed the Dakota gauge cluster, and it still reads high, with it's proprietary pressure sending unit. Seems crazy that the pressure is that high, but two different gauges / sending units are saying the same thing...

Still, I might slap on a mech gauge to check.

 

[Ricko1966]

Yes sir, when the gauge worked, it was about half that. Then I replaced the gauge (and sending unit), and it read high. I subsequently installed the Dakota gauge cluster, and it still reads high, with it's proprietary pressure sending unit. Seems crazy that the pressure is that high, but two different gauges / sending units are saying the same thing...

Still, I might slap on a mech gauge to check.

Yes you need to confirm with a mechanical gauge. All senders do not have the same value. One may read 80 but another one may read 40 on the same gauge. As long you have 10 psi per 100 rpm,you are good. And a plugged filter would also have to have a plugged relief valve also and would show,low or no oil pressure not high.