Yeah, that's what I thought, but now i'm not so certain, i mean i drove it for 2 autox events, with extra runs on each, probably 20 runs total (two driver car) and prolonged idling in between, then around town a few times and even a 150mile trip back to the house all without any apparent negative effects. Weird...anyway, i will be dropping the pan and I will let you know what i find, any ideas on part numbers, etc...?

 

All my rotaries read different, and they all run fine and I've never lost an engine.

Oil pressure is just an easily measured artifact of the oiling system. What's important is oil flow (volume) to refresh lube points. Pressure measures the resistance to flow, so it will be increased by restrictions and decreased by relatively open tolerances. If you have crud in the oil passages pressure will go up, but your good feeling is unwarranted because insufficient oil is reaching lube points.

One time I overhauled a boinger and put Permatex blue silicon gasket sealer on the head gasket. I had sterling oil pressure, but the engine failed, and when I tore it down I found permatex in oil and water passages where it had squeezed in when I torqued the head. I switched back to heavy grease for gaskets because hot oil and hot water will wash it out of the passages.

The only oil pressure I worry about is 0 psi, when it's consistent.

 

I think oil pressure is a serious issue and should not be disreguarded. I'm having a similar issue. My car is a s513bt with a s313b front cover. I get 10 psi at idle 50 at 3k and when I get on it it goes to about 65psi. I've got 3k on my rebuild and my bearings were all damn near perfect and same with the e shaft. on m last oil change I cut open my oil filter and saw some copper. This scared the **** out of me and I'm deathly afraid of failure. Next weekend I'm going to drop the pan and mod the OPR. I'm pissed I didn't do it at the time of rebuild but a few told me not to worry about it. Mistake... Then I'm going to pull the front cover and see if the seal is okay. It should be since it's getting 65 at WOT, but it's a s5 OPR so it should be 80psi I thought.

 

just for the record, i'm running a s513btii motor (ex turbo) with 48 ida, street port and rb street header. i had crap readings on stock gauge so fitted aftermarket gauge (max 100psi). I now read 50 at idle and 80 while driving. I will find out from my engine builder whether he adjusted the internal oil regulator. I know the sump is the std one from mazdatrix with no baffle.

 

Well see.

 

alright, pulled the pan off tonight and sure enough the gasket used between the front cover and housing has a "push out". Sooo...now I have to figure out what to do, is there anyone who knows exactly what I will need to do the job? I assume I have to take everything off the front of the engine to get teh job done. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Best part was as soon as I got the pan off i was like...OH ok there it is.

 

You might as well pull the motor. You could pull the rear stationay bearing and check it for wear. If there is a lot of brass showing, besides the joint, the 4 bearings and maybe the e-shaft need replacing. You can check the bearing while the engine is in the car, after the tranny is dropped. This should be done before the front cover comes off.

When removing the front cover, engine in car, the torrington bearing tend to drop and get crushed during reassembly, this is why I sugest pulling the engine.

Did you check the oil pan for metal particles?

 

yes i did and not a one, NO trace of metal in the pan. Kind of hesitant about pulling the engine and would rather just replace the o ring and gasket (or use rtv) even if it means reduced longevity, as this is just an autox car, not a daily driver.

 

RTV, no, you can buy the o-ring seperate though, I believe.

Before the e-shaft bolt is removed, the clutch pedal needs to be held, and kept to the floor during removal. This keeps the torrington bearings in place.

 

10-4 thanks for the tips