924Board.org

[badenkb]

HI

Just been running my 77 924 ma project upto full running temp and had the oil light flicker on and off a bit (pressure about 1 bar).I had changed the oil from what had been in since I acquired the car to a synthetic 10 40 oil . On the old oil the pressure at idle was about 1.5 bar at idle - would I be better off running some thicker oil say 20 -50 for this old engine ?
THanks
Ian
77 924 NA

[RobE]

I currently run 20W-50 oil in my '79. I'm thinking of going to a synthetic oil but keep the same weight. I've had no problems thus far with oil pressure

[AznDrgn]

According to the owners manual and the FAQ section the oil pressure light flickering on and off at operating temp while idling is normal. If you gently rev the engine a little the pressure should come back up and the light should go out. The only way to solve this problem is to get an oil cooler or change oil weights, but it is not a problem.

[JvGinPDX]

I live on the west coast, our winter temperatures rarly reach 10 above on the coldest day. I had 10/40 in my car, and the oil pressure was just like yours is. I put in 10/50 dino oil and the pressure is higher. My bearings are within specs, having been replaced by the P.O. I would try synthetic, but since I get about 1000 miles a quartful, it might be a tad expensive. I have synthetic in an 84 nissan truck with 160k on it, and it runs very well on it.

[badenkb]

HI

Thanks for the info. I wasn't aware of the handbook recommendation (I picked up one from ebay last week but it hasn't arrived yet). Anyhow, i have put a heavier 20/50 oil in , despite the act that oil pressure was happy to rise, hitting 4-5 bar around 3-4000 rpm.

Ian

[Cbass]

Don't bother with a synthetic oil unless live in an extreme climate. You'd be better off spending it on tires.