DODGING A DOUBT
Q: I have a 1985 Dodge Daytona with a 2.2-liter four-cylinder turbo engine. I have had this car since new and it now has 170,000 miles. The factory oil-pressure gauge, after many years, hasn’t been showing readings as high as it used to display. I installed a mechanical gauge, and it reads 60 psi when I first start the engine cold. As the engine warms, the reading will slowly drop to 15 psi at idle and climb to about 40 psi as the rpm increases. If I drive the car on the interstate at 70 mph, the oil pressure will drop to around 35 psi. At 70 mph the engine is turning 3,200 rpm. The engine does not make any knocking noises and the valve lifters are also quiet. The engine does not overheat and maintains a constant coolant temperature. I don’t abuse or flog the car and have always driven it sanely.
I checked my manual and it shows a spec chart on page 221 in which minimum oil pressure values, fully warm, are
