Strange Oil Pressure readings

[twilson47]

I am a non builder owner of an RV-7 is an O360 A1A with fuel injection added after (so now an IO360 I suppose) and a constant speed prop. On the Skyview my oil pressure gauge has 2 "green ranges" with a red line at about 90 but green above that seems to top about 120psi. I can't seem to find any data on high oil pressure of an indicator with two "green" areas of pressure. I've been seeing 115 PSI which is in the green band but from what I have read seems high?

My question is really three:
1. Is that oil pressure normal/okay for my engine?
2. Is the indicator with two split green arcs normal?
3. If the oil pressure is not okay, what are the normal remedies to fix it? I have seen many low oil pressure posts but can't seem to find anything for high pressure.

 

[gasman]

Looks like the Skyview was not set up correct for oil pressure. The entire top should be red. High oil pressure never gets better as it increases......

 

[BillL]

LYC Spec Sheet

The ranges and limits are set based on the LYC specifications.

Here is the excerpt from the M1B Specifications Document.

"1. Oil Pressure.
Minimum Idling -25 pounds per square inch
Normal-55 to 95 pounds per square inch
Starting , Warm- up , Taxi and Take-off (Maximum) -115 pounds per square inch

2. Oil Temperature. The maximum permissible oil temperature is 245F. Desire operating-temperature is 180F."

I have my red warning at 30, low yellow 30-50, green 50-100. Red is above 100. If the temp is above 100F (at start) then the 100 psi+ warning is seldom seen

 

[RV8JD]

The first thing I would do is find out which oil pressure sensor is installed. Then on the SkyView go into the SENSOR INPUT MAPPING menu and make sure that particular sensor is selected. See the screenshot below for an example. To change it, select the OIL PRESSURE sensor, then select the SENSOR and a menu will come up of available sensors you can select from.

The screenshot below is for FUEL PRESSURE, but it gives you an idea of the drop-down list of similar options you will see for OIL PRESSURE:

If the correct oil pressure sensor is already selected, then it's on to the troubleshooting steps. The next step is measure the oil pressure with a mechanical gage to ensure the oil pressure sensor is reading correctly. If it is, then on to next the troubleshooting steps.

 

[lr172]

115 PSI with warm oil (>150*) is way too high. Step one is to confirm ACTUAL oil pressure with a mechanical pressure gauge. The VDO type senders tend to fail by reading high. If you actually are running 115 then come back and post more details to get help troubleshooting. Not even going to guess why someone set it up with 2 green bands.

 

[RV7A Flyer]

Yeah, that upper green range is nonsensical. Since someone didn't set *that* up correctly, I'd wager other things are incorrect in the configurations/sensor selections/etc., as well.

 

[wcalvert]

Yep, that top green band should be red. Simple fix and an easy mistake that was never likely readdressed.

Then like others are saying, find out what the actual oil pressure is in operation.

Good luck

 

[mmcmanus]

High Oil Pressure

I had a high oil pressure problem on my 7A (since sold). We first checked the oil pressure with a mechanical gauge. It indicated that it was OK. Did a whole lot of other work to find the problem (replacing the ball and spring, flushing the oil cooler and lines, and more). Nothing worked. Finally I went back and replaced the VDO oil sending unit which we'd already tested...and that fixed it.

So in addition to your possible setup problems, if the high oil pressure continues, I'd suggest replacing the sending unit. They are fairly cheap and you can get them on Amazon.

 

[RV7A Flyer]

Recommend not using VDO senders. Kavlico senders have been flawless on my place after going through several VDOs.