Now a question about oil pressure for the group.  Since I removed the balls and springs from the rotor jets and have stock jets, here are my oil pressure readings.  Somebody let me know if this looks like enough flow.

 

Cruising at 5350 RPM,

 

Oil Temp     Oil Pressure

160                86

195                75

201                70

 

and at idle RPM with Oil Temp at 170,

 

RPM         Oil Pressure

1250              19

2000              37

 

--
Bill Eslick  
www.weslick.com/RV6Index.htm

This is a popular change that the street racers do. Then they add the racing rear iron relief valve (115 PSI) trying to get the idle oil pressure back up. Of course it doesn't work.

 

The ball and springs are used to promote quick warm-up by eliminating cooling (cold oil) going to the rotors. So once the engine warms up a bit and idle speed comes up above a fast idle the balls lift off the seats due to centrifugal force and cooling oil flows to the rotors.

 

As you have noticed, the faster idle speed seems to help the low oil pressure. (More oil volume through the same orifice size equals higher pressure) So you can suffer the indignity of too fast an idle and worn brake pucks, or the more worrisome lower oil pressure. 

 

Fortunately the main and rotor bearings have a huge surface area and are barely loaded at idle and just off idle. So as long as there is evidence of pressure at all, there is no problem.

 

Years ago we raced on the stock oil pump, and turned up 9,000 RPM on 70 PSI of oil pressure. The bearings always looked like new on teardown. Now we use an external pump and have 82 PSI at idle (2,200 RPM) and 100 PSI above idle to 9,600 RPM. This is with no balls or springs and a Weber 180 main jet replacing the ball. The bearings always look as new at teardown.

 

The only real problem is that hair on the back of your neck standing up when you look at the gage. Not a problem.

 

Lynn E. Hanover