Finally got the pressure sender fitted OK thanks to your help with the adaptor (bought the Europa one in the end), bit of a faff as I had to mod the engine mount a bit , but in OK now. Certainly triggers the pressure gauge but

The gauge (0-90 psi) only reads 33-35 at start up, then settles around 30
The sender I bought is a 1-7 bar (0-100psi) so should be OK for the gauge. Engine ceratinly sounds sweet, not tappety at all so I'm sort of thinking, gauge/sender problem. Now that gauge always gave very low readings when it was fitted to the Crossflow, albeit with a different sender (30 at start up falling to around 15 although the engine always ran sweet)so is it the gauge that's faulty

Edit to say it's got fresh 5W30 oil in.

[Edited on 10/4/10 by norfolkluego]

My pinto starts at 4 bar and runs at 4 bar but when warm and at idle it drops to between 1.5 & 2 bar

Not sure if that helps at all.

Rich

The sender needs to be matched to the gauge, sounds like neither of the ones you have tried so far do!

RichardK 1.5 to 2 bar hot is on the lower limit of safe, 21 to 28 psi especially if you rev to 7k most engine builders recommend 60 to 80 psi for high revving Pinto's, 10 psi for every 1k revs.
My 2.1 used to have 60+ psi (4 bar + hot) with a high pressure high capacity pump but when it dropped to 1.5 to 2 bar hot i found the mains were shot.
My standard Pinto runs an almost constant 4.5 bar with 20w 50.
Oil pressure in an engine is created by the main bearings all other things being correct i.e oil pump, oil pickup pipe gasket etc.

snapper i think you have not read the post quite right i believe richard k is refering to oil plressure when warn and at idle because in my new enigine its 20psi when hot on idle and between 60/70 psi hot or cold when running

the engine has done 300 miles and running on 10w 40 oil

Thanks for your help guys, bought a matched sender and gauge and now got a steady pressure around 65 psi.