Have too much oil pressure & consuming oil will normal oil pressure help out?

[1Bad70Charger]

OK, my 440 1969 Road Runner runs decent but is making way to much oil pressure around 80 to 100 lbs while cruising and after about 90 when running down the road, car fully warmed up, and at WOT.  The car is using a 1 quart of oil for every 400 miles so obviously I am getting blow by even though not much smoke is seen out my rear view mirror when I am hot rodding around.  

Some goof ball who built my 440 to stock 1969 specs. with a  slightly hotter cam and headers probably decided to put in a high volume oil pump, and I see its easy to get to so going to order a stock oil pump to get my oil pressure down to where it should be from 90/85 to 60 or so.  Don't see alot of smoke in my rear view mirror when I goose my car but obviously getting blow by b/c of this oil consumption.

I know I am weakening the rings and they may be shot for all I know but I am figuring for now its worth putting in a normal oil pump to get normal oil pressure as its not a lot of $ to do this.

How much if any do you think doing this will help my oil consumption (car does have a oil breather cap and normal pcv system) and do you agree I should do this asap as I don't have much to loose?

Thanks in advance.  

[firefighter3931]

There are a couple of options to reduce oil pressure :

(1) go to a lighter weight oil
(2) shorten up the bypass spring in the oil pump



Ron

[Charger RT]

+1 ^
the spring is external to replace or shorten.
thinner oil may not help consumption though. What weight oil are you using.
Tim

[1Bad70Charger]

+1 ^
the spring is external to replace or shorten.
thinner oil may not help consumption though. What weight oil are you using.
Tim

Its a heavy oil but one of the best non-synthetics, Valvoline SR1 Racing Oil 20W-50.

I know a lighter oil will help but this oil is a  must (with its proper zinc additives) with my hyd. flat tappet cam and will lower pressure by swapping out to a stock oil pump.  

[1Bad70Charger]

I decided since its inexpensive I am just going to put in a stock 440 oil pump b/c I am sure I must have Mopar's high volume pump in there and that is why it is making crazy high oil pressure 90psi.

I know one the stock pump is in there its not going to hurt my cause but wondering if it could make a significant positive difference in my oil consumption?

I have a breather cap to help relief some of the pressure and there is oil pretty much all over the valve covers, etc., and I am not noticing much smoke when I am driving and hot rodding around so that is always a decent sign. I am sure my rings have become weakened, but is there a good chance this could make a sig. difference in oil pressure maybe use 1 quart every 1000 miles instead of every 400 miles.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts on this. 

[Cooter]

Only time I've seen oil press. cause oil CONSUMPTION would be in the form of a leak..NOT causing the engine to burn oil...One must understand that a performance engine will use a certain amount of oil..Plus, the type of oil and weight plays a key role as well. I would be looking at the rings and or, valve stem seals, maybe not totally sealing or something...I've run a HV oil pump with over 80 PSI for over 15 years and never had it cause the engine to burn oil..

[1Bad70Charger]

Only time I've seen oil press. cause oil CONSUMPTION would be in the form of a leak..NOT causing the engine to burn oil...One must understand that a performance engine will use a certain amount of oil..Plus, the type of oil and weight plays a key role as well. I would be looking at the rings and or, valve stem seals, maybe not totally sealing or something...I've run a HV oil pump with over 80 PSI for over 15 years and never had it cause the engine to burn oil..

That makes sense Cooter and I know you are a mechanic and really know what your talking about from your prior posts.

That being said, given the fact that I having a sig. oil comsumption issue and oil is all over my engine bay, I would think its worth the small amount of $ to put in a stock oil pump on my engine which right now is pretty close to stock except for a slightly hotter cam, with headers, hei elec. ignition, Holley Street Dominator and a 750 Proform Carb, or do you think this is a waste of $ and I should just continue to use the HV oil pump that makes 85 to 90 psi, and just watch my oil levels knowing I have an issue that needs to be address with the rings or hopefully valve guides, in order to fix my oil consumption issue?

I just figured not having so much excessive oil pressure certainly could not hurt my cause as I am not going to be tearing down my engine in the middle of summer and will just drive the car the way it is.

Also, Anyone else, please let me know whether you think it makes sense to swap out a stock oil pump for my high volume one. 

[maxwellwedge]

Oil all over your engine bay. Sounds like a leak or 2 or 3 to me. Have a really good look around your valve covers, rear main seal, front seal and your valley pan.

[c00nhunterjoe]

sounds liek you are losing it through the breathers. get valve covers with baffles to start, then switch to brad penn 10w-30 oil. i have a high volume pump in my car as well. when i ran 20w50 i was pegging the 100 psi gauge. when switching to 10w-30 i am now running 85-90 cold then once warm i idle at 35-40 and cruise at 65-70. penn grade 1 from brad penn is good stuff, reccomended for use by comp cams and isky cams. and if you are still afraid of wiping the cam then add the additive as well

[1Bad70Charger]

Oil all over your engine bay. Sounds like a leak or 2 or 3 to me. Have a really good look around your valve covers, rear main seal, front seal and your valley pan.

I'm sure I must have a leak or two in the engine bay but my mechanic did tell me early spring that the valve covers looked ok.  That being said, assuming I do have a leak or two, I figured I would be moving in the right direction by putting on a stock volume oil pump instead of the crazy 90 psi high volume one on the car now, which certainly is not helping anything out with getting oil pumped excessively in every direction and then some, do you agree?   

[c00nhunterjoe]

i think 20w 50 is your problem, then make sure your valve covers have baffles in them. i ran moroso cheapy's without baffles and i had oil all over the place