I understand that the 7 should not show a healthy oil pressure,my opal shows 10 pounds when cold,7 when warm.I am told hi should clean the oilways within the engine,can anyone advise me please. regards keith

Not sure about Opals but the early hanbooks state that anything over 1 psi is fine. I you are really worried I would put some flushing oil through the system
Regards
Brian

Be careful!!! flushing oil will loosen all sorts of muck in the engine and could cause major problems. Try poking wire through the jets by removing the 2 plugs,
CHRIS

Hello Keith,
I agree with Chris make sure the jets are clear then leave well alone.
John

My rebuilt 2 bearing engine shows full scale when cold, then about 5 to 7 when hot and running. This drops to 2 or 3 for hot idling. Your pressures sound about right, but no harm in checking that both jets are clear.

If you are going to rod out the oil jets, I presume you know it is a good idea to do so with one cylinder on tdc compression?

Regards, Stuart

I never gave it a thought before. If you don't you could be unlucky and push the dirt into the crankshaft oil galleries !

Good tip Stuart

thank you gentlemen for your help,when i started driving in the early 70's i drove what are now considered to be modern classics i,e heralds,a35,viva spitfire etc etc as my every day cars.I maintained these vehicles myself,a case of having to,so when i was in a position to buy a "classic" i chose the a7 opal,logical dont ya think , it's a convertible, it's easy to maintain,it's got a good parts supply and so on,one problem i knew nothing about them but i was not going to let that stop me.I am learning fast but please Stuart[everyone]do not assume i know anything. please anyone where do i find the cover to access the jets, many thanks in anticipation Keith

Hello Keith,
Under the side water outlet you will find two brass set screws, one for each jet. Remove these and use a thin wire to to clear the jets, best done when the engine is cold, that side outlet gets very hot!! Replace the fibre washers and don't over tighten them.
Regards
John

thank you john and everyone else for your help.