Aren't they splash-lubed?

Uh-oh!! I think i forgot something about those engines--did I? Been a long while since i had one apart-my bad!
RJ

If it is splash lubricated I guess the oil filter is just for decoration :-)

The reason for my question... I was in an auto parts store yesterday and while my step-son was getting brake pads for his vehicle I was looking at their wide selection of gauges. Thought it would be neat to put an oil pressure gauge on the engine on my new Scag mower just for the heck of it. I have no idea what pressure range would be appropriate.

Ken

The oil Pressure should be around 55 psi when engine is cold and at operating pressure should be 25-30 psi.I installed a gauge on my lt 2000 with 22 hp intek and it was a snap to install.
gary

INSTALL with care. Copper oil lines are subject to failure from engine vibration - especially on the fitting at the engine. The flexible nylon lines withstand the vibration. Overtime, exposure to the sun may weaken flexible line. These are also subject to snagging from branches or bushes.

Thanks bluemower. Can you tell me where you tapped in to the oil system? The only place I have found so far is what appears to be a pipe plug on the piece to which the oil filter attaches. Looks to be 1/16" npt or perhaps something metric(?)

I have not decided where to mount the gauge either - still sort of an idea in progress at this point.

Ken

I have not installed this on a riding mower. As a kid, I installed a lot of these on cars. The v8 cars never had problems. The lines on 4 cyl cars broke - even with loops. A section of nylon from the engine solved the problem.

These are usually 1/8 pipe. You can use a thread gauge to measure - most probably 27 threads per inch. Metric is 28 threads. Sometimes the oil gauge kits have the correct fitting. If you are not sure, pull the plug and take it to NAPA or a store that handles fittings.

1/8" pipe it was. After disassembling half of the engine and about a quarter of the rest of the machine I managed to get to the plug and remove it. Carried it to a local company that specializes in hoses. Picked up some fittings and a length of nylon tubing.

Then purchased a gauge at O'Reilly Auto. Turns out the gauge had all of the fittings and some nylon tubing included. I used the store bought tubing as it was rated at 650 psi and was not kinked from being coiled into the small package with the gauge. I covered the 1/8" nylon tubing with a piece of black 1/4" nylon tubing to protect it from abrasion, heat, UV etc. The tubing wraps around the base of the engine, below the cylinders, and comes up to the gauge which is mounted inboard of the left fender. It is thus well protected from mechanical interference.

All that said, I am reading about 40 psi with the engine warm with HD30 oil. I will keep an eye on the pressure next time I mow the lawn and get the oil hot. I think that at my next oil change I will switch to a 10W30 synthetic. It will be interesting to see if there is any difference in oil pressure.

Thanks for the input,

Ken