what gear for 7% grade

[Cobb]

SMH....If your 37 ford operated at room temperature this would be great. Unfortunately that is when you develop the highest oil psi and as the vehicle warms up the oil psi drops.

Low oil psi at idle can be fixed in a number of ways. Heavier oil, high volume oil pump, replacing engine bearings or just increase the idle speed. You need to check the engine out from the bottom end to get an idea why you have low oil psi so you dont do something stupid and let the spinning parts loose.

PSI is just one aspect, you also need volume and quantity. Its not uncommon for most V block engines to pump oil to the top faster than it can drain back to the sump. This causes oil and air to get pumped into the system and its easy to spot on bearing shells.

Its also not uncommon to turn faster rpms of the rods that you sling the oil out faster than it can be pumped in for proper lubrication.

These are reasons alone why Bubba can floor his v 8 auto and have it instantly throw a rod.

Many engines have a pressure relief valve. Its basically a spring with a ball bearing inserted into one of the oil gallery. It helps to regulate oil psi by bleeding off excess psi. This can get stuck in the open position and cause a lost of lubrication as the rpms climb.

Furthermore many oil filters contain a bypass valve so you do not blow your oil filter if the psi is too high or if the filter is too clogged.

You ever consider adding a relay inline with an oil psi sensor so the ignition is not powered til oil psi is sensed? I want to say thats how my riding mower is setup. I tried to start it a few weeks ago to move something. IT cranked for 10 seconds and nothing happened. After 10 seconds it seem to suddenly crank faster, then it fired up. Im assuming the faster cranking ment oil had started to be pumped into the system and the low oil shut down decided to let me start up.

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

My original 37 Ford, with no oil filter and a 6 volt system, with a starter that cranked at 100 RPM, produced 60 PSI of oil pressur in 5 seconds if you pushed the starter button with the ignition switch in the off position.

regards
Mech

[digital rules]

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

Ever seen the freeway to nowhere in West Va?

No, where is that?

I do know Route 50 though Decided to take that instead of I-68 this past summer. I do remember one climb where I had to keep the car pretty much floored in 3rd gear for quite a while headed east. And then the curve from hell at the bottom. Don't know what the grade was, but my Corolla didn't like it. Surprisingly mileage for the trip was one of the best that summer???

[user removed]

West Virginia Turnpike - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

regards
Mech

[Cobb]

What I hate are the addresses. I was headed to a Toyota dealer in Chapmansville for a truck show. Mike Ferrell Toyota? Their address was like corridor G, section 8, road 5. Not something easily to enter into a gps. I used the address of a kohls I had met some scion guys a year before, then drove an hour down that road to get there looking the whole time for a toy dealer on the right.

[Hersbird]

Based on gearing in a 99 civic and 24" tall tires at 22 mph in 5th you are only turning 820 rpm. On a steep hill that is definitely lugging and I bet you have to floor the pedal to do it. Seems like a lower gear would be more efficient and 22 mph up a hill where nobody can pass seems like a hazard.

[P-hack]

Someone being unable to NOT ram into slower traffic is the ONLY hazard. If you are saying we have a lot of idiots on the road, lets not encourage them to go fast. That would be really moronic on a grand scale, oh wait...

[cbaber]

The hazard of lugging is largely obsolete in modern engines with knock sensors and ECU controlled injection/ignition systems. 800 RPM in a Civic is fine, the problem is that there is no power, so there is no way you are maintaining speed on a hill. The real hazard in your situation is going 22 in a 50

[Cobb]

The ecu will prevent you from wiping the oil film from the side o the cylinder during the compression stroke?

The ecu will prevent you from cooking your clutch? That maybe how he is doing 2200 rpms as its slipping.

Originally Posted by cbaber

The hazard of lugging is largely obsolete in modern engines with knock sensors and ECU controlled injection/ignition systems. 800 RPM in a Civic is fine, the problem is that there is no power, so there is no way you are maintaining speed on a hill. The real hazard in your situation is going 22 in a 50

[cbaber]

Originally Posted by Cobb

The ecu will prevent you from wiping the oil film from the side o the cylinder during the compression stroke?

The ecu will prevent you from cooking your clutch? That maybe how he is doing 2200 rpms as its slipping.

For that to happen you would have to assume at 800 RPM the Civics oil pump couldn't supply enough oil for the demands of high load at low RPM. And the potential for this type of damage increases the longer you operate the engine in this situation. If you are at WOT under these conditions then yes, you will have some issues if it's a habit. I was referring to the pinging and knocking people associate with lugging.

Under moderate loads around town, lower RPM's are fine. I do it everyday on the flat roads around town, anywhere up to 75% load. 60,000 miles and counting in the last 2 years with no issues. Generally I downshift when I can no longer gain any speed in a certain gear. Under the OP's situation there is no way a Civic is maintaining or gaining speed at around 1000 RPM's up a hill, so obviously it would be wise to downshift. I don't think I ever truly "lug" the engine.

I don't know what you mean about the clutch, where did 2200 RPMs come from?

[Cobb]

Unless he has a modded or B series engine, I doubt he has the piston squirters inside the block. Those help to lub the pin, skirts to prevent seizing.

Otherwise most engines the pistons under side is lubed by splashing from the other parts. Kind of like how a typical lawn mower engine is. Thats why for those they have what seems like a high idle to allow sufficient splashing for lubrication and air circulation to keep it cool.