Oil Pressure

[Welder]

Hello everyone, I'm a new owner of a 1976 124 1800 . Would anyone know what oil pressure I should be showing on my dash gauge. At an idle it looks to be around 6. At 55mph its about 40. Does that sound about right. Thanks for the help

[vandor]

It does sound right. Once the engine is warm the gauge will show close to zero pressure at idle. The problem is the scale of the guage. The middle mark is 40 N/cm2, or 55psi, while the mark on the right is 110 psi. Since the oil pressure on these
engines is rarely over 50psi the needle is nearly always in the lower regions of the range.
As long as the red 'low pressure' light does not come on, you are ok.

[divace73]

remember our gauges are 'vague liars', as vandor has said, it is more of a case that if there is or isn't pressure, when the red light is on that's when it is important...

[Welder]

Thanks Guys

[bradartigue]

Most of mine have shown near zero when below 2000 RPM with a hot engine. I consider them to be an "oil pressure while I'm accelerating" gauge. I would imagine by 1979 FIAT had enough of replacing gauges on warranty...

[131]

When rhe idiot light goes out as the engine starts, I'm happy. Gauges are more trouble than they're worth.