1972 super beetle

[WRONGWAY]

i'm still having problems with the oil pressure on my super beetle rebuilt the engine and has high performance heads and cam 385x276 1.4 rollerrocker arms useing castrol 20w/50 on start up the pressure is 40 to 45 when i mash the gas it goes to 60 but when the oil gets hot after i drive for 25 to 30 miles and i mash in on the clutch the pressure to 10 then 0 but when i mash the gas with the clutch pushed in and coasting the pressure goes up i don't know what else to do

[stevethefolkie]

Couple questions - when you rebuilt the engine, were your bearing clearances on the loose side (especially the mains) ? As the pressure comes up with the revs it doesn't sound like you're starving the bearings, but generous clearances will give those symptoms.

Also - did you install a new oil pump when you rebuilt the engine? Empi used to market a high pressure oil pump (I think all it had was tighter internal clearances, and perhaps deeper rotors, I really can't recall) -

If you're running external filters and all that plumbing, did you account for the capacity of the lines and filter(s) when you filled the crankcase?

Again, since the pressure comes up with the revs, it doesn't sound like you're doing any damage - but were it my flat four I'd be tempted to try a fresh oil pump - I may have mentioned it before -but you can increase the oil pressure by messing with the spring that controls the pre-load on the rotors in the oil pump - in the old days we'd just pull the spring out - stretch it a bit and shove it back in -

Best of luck with it -

Steve