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Oil pressure gauge calibration

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Old Mar 25th, 2018, 19:43   #1
blueblock
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Default Oil pressure gauge calibration

Evening all, time for me to pick your brains again. I recently acquired an OEM Volvo oil pressure gauge (0-5 bar) for my 240 (B200F engine). Fitting was easy, it's wired in correctly and has a signal from the sender (also 0-5 bar, two terminals).
When I turn the ignition on, the needle correctly jumps to 0. However, when I start the engine, it reads just under 4 bar at idle, and moves very little while driving - reaching just over 4 with acceleration. I checked that I hadn't got the wrong terminal - when connected to the other, it just flew up to its max reading and returned to minimum when the engine was switched off. My car is lacking the wiring for the warning light, incidentally - the knackered-looking old sender I took out had nothing connected to it.

So, given the fact that it has a little movement in it around 4 bar, and correctly reads 0 with the ignition on, I think I have a calibration problem somewhere. The sender has the correct thread and is advertised as a 'VDO replacement'. Do I have the wrong sender? A calibration issue? A faulty gauge?

In due course I will troubleshoot all of them, but I thought I should come here first to find out if the good people of Volvoland have any solutions. Thanks in advance!

PS: If I'm just being an idiot, the 240 takes a long time to warm its oil and I'm still just seeing cold pressure then please tell me. I'm used to the digital oil temp readout in my Seat that comes up very quickly, being a small turbo engine.

EDIT: Just went for a legally fast A road drive for about half an hour. Now idles at around 3 bar, 4 while moving, clicking towards 5 if pushed. I think I may be alright gauge wise, but my car's pressure may just be running a little high.
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Last edited by blueblock; Mar 25th, 2018 at 21:02.
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Old Mar 26th, 2018, 08:52   #2
Clifford Pope
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What information would you like the gauge to be giving you?
What would you do with that information if you had it?
What is the purpose of fitting the gauge?
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Old Mar 26th, 2018, 11:22   #3
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My 360 when I had 10w40 oil in it idled at 4 bar when warm and rose to just under five when pushed.

When I changed to 15w40 oil it idled with just under 5 bar of oil pressure.

This was a b19a engine but my other 360 has the same gauge (oem Volvo vdo) with a b200e I can check for you what it is doing if you want?
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Old Mar 26th, 2018, 22:39   #4
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I am wondering if....

By observing the gauge's usual behaviour, and either oneself or a passenger keeping reasonably regular observation of the gauge, one might get a timely early warning of any impending oil pressure disaster? (Pleonastic tautology admitted.) As Angie says approx, a gauge gives more information than a warning light. Oil pressure disasters are I hope rare....but must be very expensive, So the expenditure on the gauge could be at least very reasonable indeed.

That real reason might save one from needing an engine rebuild? But. And. As a bonus. A gauge must surely look reassuringly impressive.
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Old Mar 27th, 2018, 08:49   #5
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Admittedly I don't know what pressure these engines run at,but I'd say the gauge is behaving correctly.Initial cold starting/idling will give you a pressure readout which will be higher than when idling when hot.This hot idle figure should then rise quickly again when accelerating/cruising.I like an oil pressure gauge[although neither of my present cars has one]it doesn't take much pressure at all to extinguish the oil pressure light and it used to be said that by the time the oil light lit up it was way too late to save the engine-this may have been a slight exaggeration but it wasn't far off.
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Old Mar 27th, 2018, 09:38   #6
morsing
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Hi,

The engine bypass valve is 4 bar, so you know the valve is working correctly if it doesn't go above.

If it doesn't go below, you're using to thick an oil. You should be using synthetic 5w30 or 0w30 oil.

Thanks

P.S. My eingine starts af 4bar, but drops to 2.2 idling when hot.
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Old Mar 27th, 2018, 09:59   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by morsing View Post
Hi,


If it doesn't go below, you're using to thick an oil. You should be using synthetic 5w30 or 0w30 oil.
I think that's too simplistic. All oils are thinner when hot than even the thinnest oil when cold. It's just that a multigrade oil doesn't get quite so thin as a straight thin oil would.

I used to like oil pressure gauges because they looked nice on the dashboard. But now I realise they cause more needless worry than any other accessory.

All you need to know is that the light goes out when you start up, and doesn't come on again until next time you turn on.
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Old Mar 27th, 2018, 10:08   #8
morsing
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Clifford Pope View Post
I think that's too simplistic. All oils are thinner when hot than even the thinnest oil when cold. It's just that a multigrade oil doesn't get quite so thin as a straight thin oil would.

I used to like oil pressure gauges because they looked nice on the dashboard. But now I realise they cause more needless worry than any other accessory.

All you need to know is that the light goes out when you start up, and doesn't come on again until next time you turn on.
Possibly, although the gauge can also warn you about oil passages blocking up :-) Maybe that's actually the problem...

My idling pressure dropped from 2.8 to 2.2 when I switched from 10w-30 to 5w-30 though.
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Old Mar 27th, 2018, 20:08   #9
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Would the engines on these have been built to run something as thin as 10-30 or 5-30? I'd have thought they'd want 20-50 or possibly 10-40?
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Old Mar 27th, 2018, 22:08   #10
morsing
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dippydog View Post
Would the engines on these have been built to run something as thin as 10-30 or 5-30? I'd have thought they'd want 20-50 or possibly 10-40?
Why would you want to run anything above 0W in any engine?

I've gone 245000 miles in my car on 5W-30 and have had no issues...
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