Does 35 psi oil pressure at idle on a stepdown 232 engine sound right?

Rob Fayette

I recently started the 232 engine I have been working on the last few months.  I wanted to be sure of the oil pressure when I started the engine so I put a 0-100 psi pressure gauge in place of the oil pressure switch.  I was very surprised to see that the oil pressure was reading 35 psi at idle and went up even higher when when the rpm was raised.  I would like to know what the oil pressure should be and if 35 psi isn't right what could be the problem.  I took the oil bypass regulator apart and I can't see anything obviously wrong with it.   The piston doesn't looked scored and the spring looks normal as far as I can tell.
Thanks for any thoughts or suggestions.

Rob

Glowplug

Ron the oil pressure is set by the spring pressure.  Adding thin shins behind the spring at the nut will increase the pressure.  Ralph Alden wrote an illustrated piece that is on my website and it explains the  Hudson piling system. The pressure is indeed set by the spring.  An excerpt from the maintenance manual follows. 

bob ward

If the engine is cold and the oil is cold I wouldn't be surprised at those readings.

Rob Fayette

  Thanks so much for your input .  I don't know what I would do without the help from experienced, knowledgeable people on this forum!

Rob