Xcudame
Well-Known Member
Also, bypassing the oil cooler would be a quick check to eliminate or confirm it as the problem.
Oil Pressure Low
- Thread starter oneof52
- Start date
Ok, spent Saturday with my son trying to diagnose what the problem may be. Marked and removed the distributor, cam drive gear and put a priming rod in the oil pump. In reverse or forward, not a drop of oil getting to the lifters, which were bone dry. Ran the drill for priming for over 15 minutes and nothing. Removed the oil pump and inspected, nothing different than the new one I had purchased.
Bought a video endoscope from Amazon ($35) and put the probe in the oil pan . After a bit of an adjustment, I believe I saw the pick up laying flat in the oil pan. Removing the pan to confirm what I saw today.
When the machine shop rebuilt the engine, not sure if they tac spot weld the threads or put thread lock to the engine. I think the pick up tube was loosening up and the oil may have barely kept it in its place. At the beginning of this post, I mentioned that I heard chattering but though it was time to change the break in oil. Once the old oil was removed, the pick up fell in the pan.
So far that's my theory
Bought a video endoscope from Amazon ($35) and put the probe in the oil pan . After a bit of an adjustment, I believe I saw the pick up laying flat in the oil pan. Removing the pan to confirm what I saw today.
When the machine shop rebuilt the engine, not sure if they tac spot weld the threads or put thread lock to the engine. I think the pick up tube was loosening up and the oil may have barely kept it in its place. At the beginning of this post, I mentioned that I heard chattering but though it was time to change the break in oil. Once the old oil was removed, the pick up fell in the pan.
So far that's my theory
Bypassed and still nothing
rickseeman
Member
It's not a Chevy. The pickup can't "fall off". It screws in, and it can't "screw out". It will be an interesting day. But it looks like you're on track and will soon have this problem fixed. Sorry for your pain but at least you have a handle on it.
Xcudame
Well-Known Member
When you were spinning the oil pump (clockwise small block, counter clockwise big block), did you slowly rotate the crankshaft to align the oil galleries on the #4 camshaft bearing? See digram below.
Adam
Well-Known Member
Exactly
Challenger RTA
Well-Known Member
Just a passing thought. I know of some oil cools have a check valve. The lines have check vales too. Not saying yours does. If on backwards no flow. Just putting that out there if you still have a problem. Do you have oil in the filter at anytime. Easy check.
Update..... Took the old pump and the newly purchased pump to the Machine shop. Both tested ok. Now I am totally confused. Installing the new pump in today, filling it up with oil and see if I can do the drill test and see oil coming up. If not, its being towed to the machine shop that built the engine
DetMatt1
Well-Known Member
You never said that you were rolling the engine over slowly while priming the pump. Oil will only get to each head at one point in each revolution of the engine.
Installed the primed pump. used a drill with a tool for the pump. Pump started pumping but did not see any oil come up to the rockers. Saw a small oil leak , must be the gasket of the pump. Have to remove and put a better gasket. The original pump did not pump, so this is now pumping oil. Not the pick up.
Challenger RTA
Well-Known Member
Did oil get to the filter?
Steve340
Well-Known Member
Do you have a pressure gauge plumbed in?
Without that gauge you are only guessing.
Without that gauge you are only guessing.
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Challenger RTA
Well-Known Member
Xcudame
Well-Known Member
Are you, or someone else (much easier with a buddy) turning the crankshaft while turning the oil pump?
Not turning the crankshaft, put a pan under the oil filter, loosened it up a bit, spun the pump with the drill and oil came out from the oil filter. So now with the new pump(which had resistance to the drill, the old one did not) was pumping oil. The mistake I did was not clean the oil pump surface, may have had a piece of the old gasket, therefore leaking between the engine and the oil pump. Need to take out the pump and clean it up. I have a couple of questions though ...
1- The High Volume oil pump is slightly bigger in body, what is the size of the longest bolt near the oil filter. Should be a little longer than standard bolt.
2- If I use a drill to prime, how long does it take before oil gets to the rockers. Used the drill method a 2-3 minutes later still did not see any oil coming up. Or is the drill method too weak.
Once I remove, clean and re-install, will provide an update. One thing is for sure, the old pump had no resistance when I used the drill to prime. New pump very different, Oil is being pushed by the pump.
1- The High Volume oil pump is slightly bigger in body, what is the size of the longest bolt near the oil filter. Should be a little longer than standard bolt.
2- If I use a drill to prime, how long does it take before oil gets to the rockers. Used the drill method a 2-3 minutes later still did not see any oil coming up. Or is the drill method too weak.
Once I remove, clean and re-install, will provide an update. One thing is for sure, the old pump had no resistance when I used the drill to prime. New pump very different, Oil is being pushed by the pump.
moparlee
Well-Known Member
Several have asked the question, are you or someone turning the crank as you are spinning the pump? This is the only way to know that your oil galleries and rocker shafts are not plugged.
Ok, so that explains a bit more...... not spinning the crankshaft so maybe why oil not going to rockers. Put a 14 inch rod in the pump (removed the cam gear and distributor) and attached a drill, spinning backwards. After a few seconds, the resistance became noticeable and oil was going in the filter (saw it after I let the filter a bit loose). In the old oil pump, regardless of how I spun the oil pump, no resistance and nothing going to the filter. So the new pump is working, but need to remove, clean and put it back so no oil leaks from mating surfaces.
Challenger RTA
Well-Known Member
The video I did the motor was already primed 10sec. It was about 30 seconds or a little more. Used a 1600 rpm drill until I started to start to see oil. { Think about it an engine running at 1200 rpm cold start high idle. Cam turns half the speed 600rpms. Pump is turned by the cam. 1 to1 from cam to to pump drive? Just a guess. So a drill running at 1600rps it takes about 30second or more to feed oil to the motor. So the motor running 1200 rpms will take 3 time longer or more? And it is only being delivered in pulses. (drill also has a 3600rpms I don't recall what speed it was on.) That's why any engine should be primed. Remember to turn the crank until you find the cam position to line up with each side of the oil galley.
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1 (minimum) to 1-1/2 times the bolt diameter protrusion is typical.
Should not take that long.
What does your mechanical oil pressure gauge read with the prime?
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