Just had the coach out for a 200 mile run up to Springfield, and noticed that my engine oil pressure is running around 32-35 psi at 1300 rpm. Is this normal? Also, when I turned my headlights on, the pressure dropped about 7 to 10 psi, and the engine water temp increased about 5 degrees. Not sure what is going on here.
Mike
Is someone going to suggest bad ground wires?
M11 minimum at low idle is 10psi. Minimum at 1200 RPM or at peak torque is 30psi.
Taken from the Cummings specs.
As for the gauge variations check ground first then make sure that the voltage is not dropping when lights turned on.
Keith
Normal except for the lighting drop.
My buddy tightened all the wires on the gauges back side on my #5132
Hi Mike,
Our 1997 U 320 is real close to your readings. I thought the oil pressure was low. It is not. Our oil pressure drops 3 to 5 pounds with lights on, and water temp goes up a few degrees. The ground is not good. Ten plus years and it is still the same. Oil analysis have all been fine.
Raymond
I was going to but you beat me to it!!!
Yup, on my U-270, temp gauge was FLAKY!!!!! Â never did figure it out, bought VMSPC and stopped using the analog gauges. Â Funny, the U-320 always agree with the VMSPC -
So I think I had a ground issue - but loved the excuse to buy the VMSPC
Thanks all for the replies. Thought I had something major going on.
Mike
My 96 U320 runs 50-60 psi at highway speeds, and about 20 psi at idle when up to temp. Cummins M11, 70,000 miles. Yours is right in range with the cummins spec, no worries.
Your gauge may be incorrectly displaying your oil pressure. Almost double everyone else's.
Mine behaves very similarly and it always freaks me out but a computer hooked up to the engine itself shows oil pressure is much higher, near 38psi.
The 96 is new to us so the gauge could. Be reading high--- we found out the hard way that the fuel gauge sender was bad. Just had the oil changed, will check it.
In my opinion the range of the oil pressure gauge is to high for this engine. Most gauges are spec'd so the normal operating pressure is visually in a mid point on the number system. The fact that they choose a gauge that displays so low under normal conditions, it makes the operator weary. If I get around to it, I plan to change the gauge and sending unit to something more to that respect.