Volvo Penta 230 AQ131 Inboard 1986

[Willman]

Hi all. I have a Volvo Penta 230 AQ131 engine. This was sat idle in a field for +3 years until a friend of mine resurrected it. He took off the head and cleaned/flushed everything. Replaced plugs, filters all ancillaries and gaskets and got it ticking over lovely. It starts well, ticks over and runs well but the oil pressure creeps up to almost 80 on the gauge quite quickly. I can amble along slowly on the water without any issues but as soon as I accelerate, the pressure gauge creeps up to virtually maximum on the gauge. There's so smell or strange noises and the engine runs very well but the pressure stays high and is a worry. I've tried a different gauge but I get the same reading. Could it be that it's an old engine and I just have to live with it or is something not right and it's likely to go pop one day?
Any help or pointers would really be appreciated. Thanks

 

[kenny nunez]

Have you tried a mechanical gauge?

 

[Willman]

Yes but to be honest, the guy that tested it was a bit vague. It certainly didn't go as high as the normal gauge but it was still higher than hoped. This same guy said not to worry about it as the engine seemed to be running fine - and that might well be the case, but I'd prefer to know that everything is ok and try every possible avenue before I go out to sea and floor it

 

[Scott Danforth]

if a mechanical gauge is saying you have oil pressure. trust the gauge.

if your $3 electric gauge and $3 sending unit are not reading close to the mechanical gauge, replace them.

if you are worrying that an engine has good oil pressure but its higher than you want....... stop. you may as well worry about the earth spinning

short of pulling the oil pump apart and blocking off the pressure relief valve, its almost impossible to have too much oil pressure.

case in point. my race car had 100 psi at idle when it was cold because I ran 20W50. the oil pressure was about 90psi at WOT crossing the lights at 112mph. my boat has 80 psi at idle when its cold and 65psi when the engine is warm

so....
when your boat is at idle cold, what is the oil pressure on the mechanical gauge?
when the boat is at idle warm, what is the oil pressure on the mechanical gauge?
when the boat is at WOT and the engine is warm, what is the oil pressure on the mechanical gauge?

 

[QBhoy]

What did the mechanical gauge say when warm and cold ? Any idea what grade of oil is in it ? Is she getting up to temperature as she should be or running cold ? Is the oil filter correct and not to fine a micron for the engine ?