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Triumph TR6 - what oil should I use and what should pressure be?

Hi guys,
Just wondering what grade of oil I should be using in my 75 tr6. I have been using 20W50 for the last couple of months. My oil pressure is always maxed out at the top of the guage - reading 100psi - unless I am driving very hard and fast, in which case it drops to about 80. Not that I know any better, but this seems high to me.
should I be using different oil grade? like 10W40? what does everyone else use?
what should my oil pressure read? am I putting too much strain on engine if pressure is that high?
Many thanks as usual.
Austin
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Austin Brown

Austin For what it is worth I also use 20w50 but my engine is very worn and pressures are much lower. After 1 hour of driving it settles in at about 45 to 50 at 2500 RPM and goes a little higher if speed increases. I am in Northern Ontario and temps are in mid 70,s or lower for those pressures. I have never driven it in hotter temps yet. 100 psi seems very high to me.

Ken
Ken Bittle

Austin,
Since I replaced my oil pump, main and rod bearings my pressure went from 75 to close to 100 and when hot settles at around 70 or so. My mechanic tells me thats ok and not to worry..It's been that way since April / about 1400 miles..no problems
Charlie
Charlie Ballard

Austin, I also run 20W50 in my 73 TR6. My oil pressure is usually 75 or so while driving and usually drops to 30 lbs or so when idling. I know the book recommends 20W50 so thats why I run it.
JW BRAW

Austin,

I also use 20W50, as recommended. Oil pressure read 100 cold, warm idle about 40 to 50, warm 2500 rpm about 70/75 lbs.

When your pressure is always about 100 and it drops when (warm) driving very fast, it seemd to me the pressure gets too high and the oil pressure relieve valve opens up so the pressure drops. Normally when the rpm's increase the pressure increases.

See also the other treads about oil pressure.
Eric de Lange

Does anyone know if TR6s were designed to have such high oil pressure? Mine is similar to a lot of what you guys say-right at 100 cold, and after it warms up the warm idle is around 50. I always have a little oil on my valve cover, and I know its blowing through there.

Also, is it better to keep the oil level on the low end of the dipstick when the pressure is so high? Or does it matter? I try to keep mine between half way and the low point, my theory being that having it full of oil at such high pressures will just cause more to blow out somewhere.

Just my random thoughts on this subject.

John
JL Bryan

The archives have a lot about oil choices, pressure and levels, but one item deserves repetition. Dipsticks do vary quite a bit from car to car. With a 'stock' filter change, five quarts of oil puts the dipstick in my '71 on the bottom line. My oil pan (sump) is probably original, somewhat dented, but recently cleaned when I changed the thrust washers. I add another half quart to run in the middle.

Charlie
EC Smith

John--I would always strive to keep the oil up to the full mark at all times. The cylinder bores (and to a lesser extent, the cam) rely on splash lubrication from the rotating crank throws. If the level is too low, splash lubrication will be adversely affected.

High sump oil level will not have any effect on gallery oil pressures.

Rick O.
72 TR6
Rick Orthen

This thread was discussed between 12/07/2004 and 13/07/2004

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