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

 

Get a mechanical gauge (maybe with a short hose) to verify what you are seeing. Will need the right size thread. If the mechanical gauge says it's high then change the oil filter as I have seen them cause odd things and it's easy and cheap. If that does not resolve the issue then I would consider replacing the oil pump.

If the mechanical gauge shows the pressure is fine, then likely it's the sender.

I am guessing it's the sender or oil filter.