#1  
Old 04-18-2022, 09:46 AM
Pershing Pershing is offline
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Default Oil Pressure cluster gauge and sending unit

My 1967 GTO the cluster gauge for the oil pressure goes from 0 to 60 psi, but I thought the engine should have an 80 psi oil sending unit, which it does have from a recent restoration prior to my purchase. So:
1. Did GM just leave the gauge the same when they went to the 80 psi sending unit?
2.Or is the 60 psi sending unit correct?
3. Or is my cluster gauge wrong an it should go to 80 psi?
Thanks for the help

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Old 04-18-2022, 11:28 AM
gtospieg gtospieg is offline
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66 and early 67 had a 60 psi gauge, later production went to 80 psi. They have different sending units. Ames catalog 65-66 60psi M195D, 67-77 80psi M196D.

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Old 04-18-2022, 11:42 AM
Pershing Pershing is offline
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My car had has a build date of the third week in September 1966 (67 model year) so would that be early production? I am thinking that it probably is.

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Old 04-18-2022, 07:14 PM
Jonsie Jonsie is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pershing View Post
My car had has a build date of the third week in September 1966 (67 model year) so would that be early production? I am thinking that it probably is.
don't get much earlier

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Old 04-18-2022, 10:09 PM
gtospieg gtospieg is offline
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My 67 is the 2nd week of August 66.

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Old 04-19-2022, 05:56 PM
Pershing Pershing is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gtospieg View Post
My 67 is the 2nd week of August 66.
Glad to find someone earlier. What does your cluster gauge say max pressure is?
As I said, mine is 60 max, but the needle is buried well beyond that to the right.
Like they used the 1966 cluster but installed the 1967 80 psi oil pump and sending unit.

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Old 04-19-2022, 06:59 PM
gtospieg gtospieg is offline
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My car had no instrument cluster so I bought an aftermarket dash bezel and gauges. 80 psi

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Old 04-20-2022, 03:43 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pershing View Post
As I said, mine is 60 max, but the needle is buried well beyond that to the right.
Bet you got a bad gauge or sender.
Disc sender wire, see what happens.

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Old 05-01-2022, 11:34 AM
Pershing Pershing is offline
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Thanks for your inputs. Just to follow up on this: I had an external oil pressure gauge put on the engine to see what it read. 80 at cold start up and 60 on a warm/hot engine at 2,000 rpm. We concluded that yes this was an early build and was built with the correct 60 psi cluster gauge, sending unit and pump. However when the engine was rebuilt by a previous owner, they installed the 80 psi pump since it was a 1967 model year car. Mystery solved.

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Old 05-02-2022, 03:03 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pershing View Post
... they installed the 80 psi pump since it was a 1967 model year car...
80 PSI gauge but only a 60 PSI pump for 1967. Don't think any engine until the SD engines in 73-74 came with the 80 PSI pump. Then again, 80 PSI on a cold engine could still be from a 60 pound pump and a little heavy on the oil viscosity. We don't get really cold here but I was getting 85 PSI on a cold start in the winter with 10/30 multi-viscosity oil. Dropped down to a 5/30 oil and startup pressures went down to a little over 70 PSI -- and again with the 60 pound pump.

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Old 05-03-2022, 12:47 PM
Pershing Pershing is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lust4speed View Post
80 PSI gauge but only a 60 PSI pump for 1967. Don't think any engine until the SD engines in 73-74 came with the 80 PSI pump. Then again, 80 PSI on a cold engine could still be from a 60 pound pump and a little heavy on the oil viscosity. We don't get really cold here but I was getting 85 PSI on a cold start in the winter with 10/30 multi-viscosity oil. Dropped down to a 5/30 oil and startup pressures went down to a little over 70 PSI -- and again with the 60 pound pump.
Thanks for the clarification. I had assumed that since the gauge and sending unit were both changed to 80 psi in 1967 that the pump was too. So I could have either a 60 or 80 psi pump depending on what the engine rebuilder put in, with with 60 psi gauge and sending unit. The oil I am using is Valvoline VR1 20w-50. The "cold' starts are really no colder than 50 degrees in the garage. Next change I will try 10w-30 or maybe 10w-40 and see if that changes the gauge reading.

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Old 05-03-2022, 02:09 PM
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Always best to go with the weight of oil that your engine builder suggests. If he has set clearances for the 20w-50, then that is what you should run. The indicator is the pressures you observe on cold start and then on hot running. If those pressures are decent, then continue with the higher viscosity oil. Basically no right or wrong viscosity and depends solely on bearing clearances. Make sure your oil is fully up to temp before getting up into the higher RPM range.

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Old 05-03-2022, 06:41 PM
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Got it. Thanks again!

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