Hello all I have a 97 Bonneville see with the 3800 series 2 in it. I have noticed that once the car is at operating temperatures the oil pressure gauged drops past the half mark on the gauge, unfortunately there are no numbers on the gauge so I cant tell you what the psi rating is, but I would like to know what is normal idle oil pressure for this motor.
Cheers
I get an indication of approximately 40 psi on my Bonneville at idle, hot engine. (3800 Series II N/A) Yours should be about the same.
-- markwb
2001 Bonneville SLE
My 95 Bonnie does the same thing. I think its due to the oil warming up and getting "thin" Who knows?
along the block this will give you the correct reading and you can compare to the operation specs of the 3800 II.
Rey
I took the car on the highway then to my buddies shop. Let it idle and wait for the pressure to drop. The reading im getting is about 41 to 45 psi, Im guessing that the throttle is not perfectly steady so the small increases have to deal with the throttle position sensor. I guess a cleaning would not hurt. But as long as its running in the normal area im happy.
Oh and does anyone know if it matters if im using a synthetic oil the pressure would be lower?? I switched her to a 10w30 synthetic about a year ago.
Thanks
"Michael Favretto" wrote
If you are getting a reading of 40-45 psi at hot idle, believe me, you have "nothing" to worry about. I believe the hot idle minimum spec is closer to 6-8 lbs.
Ian
Here is my view about oil. Do a bit of research yourself to check out for yourself. Change to thicker oil (synthetic) also does not harm the engine. The diff between 5W30 to 10W30 as we already know is viscosity typically measure at room temp and 100 degree C. Oil viscosity drop as temperature increased. Diff oil grade and quality can withstand much higher temperature including synthetic oil. Car manufacturers like to use 5W30 or lower viscosity oil to reduce fuel consumption. Oh by the way, just because the container said synthetic, it does not mean high quality oil. Stick with brand name and no Canadian Tire crap if you know what I mean.
I always put in Quaker State oil. 5W30 in the winter, and 10W30 in the summer followed by a nice fram oil filter since she was new. Guess it pays off. She always has run strong.
NEh,
They work fine, I have always sued them in all my car's, they are the best.
========= Harryface =========
1991 Pontiac Bonneville LE 3800 V6 ( C ), Black/Slate Grey _~_~_~_~279, 354 miles_~_~_~_~_~_~_U.S.A._~_~_~_~_~_
Quaker State and Penzoil = JUNK! Sludge that engine up ....
FRAM filters are "fair" but nowhere as good as AC Delco or a quality aftermarket filter such as Purolator or WIX.
Dennis Smith somehow managed to type: Quaker State & Penzoil = JUNK ! Sludge that engine up.
Wrong again caped crusader !
I used Quaker State & Penzoil for many years on 3-4 different cars. Many miles run up on the odometers, changed oil & filter every 3000 miles. Engine Never held any sludge, fudge or grudges, and it always budged when you wanted to move it.
Using Castrol GTX presently.
PS, Hve you ever been to the " Quaker State " ? ( Its Pennsylvania - if you didn't know ).
LOL
========= Harryface =========
1991 Pontiac Bonneville LE 3800 V6 ( C ), Black/Slate Grey _~_~_~_~279, 354 miles_~_~_~_~_~_~_U.S.A._~_~_~_~_~_
You drive too god damn much 'Face. The typical driver doesn't change their oil more than a couple times a year. Thats when QS and Penzoil really do the fun stuff!
Seen it way too many times ...
Smith,
If you say you've seen it many times from peeps only changing their oil a couple times a year - then wouldn't that be true of any oil used in the engine? If the oil sludges up from lack of changing I'd say its the owners fault, not the oils fault.
The oil in my dads Clark forklift truck had a very long oil change interval ( once a year ), trouble is the engine hardly ever warmed up enouh being driven in a 200 foot long building. Hardly any hours registered on the hour meter. When the oil was changed a quart of water would ocme out before the yellow pudding like oil.
Didn't matter what brand oil we used - they all ended up doing the same thing. had to keep the dipstick coated with grease so they didn't rust away to nothing - like the original did.
========= Harryface =========
1991 Pontiac Bonneville LE 3800 V6 ( C ), Black/Slate Grey _~_~_~279, 495 miles_~_~_~_~_~_~_U.S.A._~_~_~_~_~_
~~~The Former Fleet ~~~
89 Cavalier Z 24 convertible 78 Holiday 88 68 LeSabre convertible 73 Impala
Thats a sign of a bad head gasket and you getting coolant in the oil.
GMAN
Actually it was condensation / moisture, not anti-freeze. When you'd remove the oil plug clear water would pour out first then the pudding like oil. Antifreeze level has been fine for 20+ yeras.
========= Harryface =========
1991 Pontiac Bonneville LE 3800 V6 ( C ), Black/Slate Grey _~_~_~279, 495 miles_~_~_~_~_~_~_U.S.A._~_~_~_~_~_
~~~The Former Fleet ~~~
89 Cavalier Z 24 convertible 78 Holiday 88 coupe 68 LeSabre convertible 73 Impala sedanMotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.