Oil Pressure Help

[banzai510(hainz)]

I  dont want to read the whole thread but was the pump primed with oil first??????????????  before start up?

[datzenmike]

yes.

 

 

If there was only a small amount of oil on the screen, then there's a problem. The screen should be completely submerged in the oil and at the lowest part of the oil pan.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

It's forensics time. Get back to what you know for sure and take it from there.

 

Did the engine run before? if yes than you're a bit ahead of the game. If not, you've got a whole bunch of questions that need to be answered.

[Synestran]

The engine ran before the rebuild and is able to run now, just no oil pressure. I'm thinking that the tube somehow got bent slightly and is no longer sitting in the pan where it should and unable to pick up oil. Either that or it is allowing air to get pulled in by the gasket.

[racerx]

Anyway u can compare urs to another to see if it really got bent

[datzenmike]

Stick another quart in it and see. You can easily remove it later.

[Tom1200]

If the the screen is flat against the pan, read the pan is pushed up against the screen, you will get near zero oil pressure.

 

Also while you have the pickup tube off make sure the passage through the block to the pump is clear.

 

Tom

[datzenmike]

Pulled the pan down (couldnt squeeze it off complete as it hit the sway bar(?) or the cross member) and was able to take off the pick up tube. It was definitely tight enough on there. I did notice that when I took it off, only a little bit of oil was still on the screen. It has been sitting for a little bit but didnt seem like the oil was up to the intake part? I put in 3.5 quarts and showed the middle of the dip stick. Would the extra .5 quarts of oil be enough for the oil level to not be able to reach the pick up?

Gasket on the tube was good. Thinking maybe I just needed some more oil at this point?

 

If this is how high the oil really was then this is the problem.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Remove the tie rod, or lift up the motor and pull the pan. Get a measurement from the block to the tip of the pickup. Compare that against the measurement for the pan.

 

If that checks out, then we can cross that off the list.

[Synestran]

Anyway u can compare urs to another to see if it really got bent

 

I don't know anyone around me that has another a14 engine. Most people are running Z cars around here or pickups. Unless those are the same.

[Synestran]

Stick another quart in it and see. You can easily remove it later.

This is what I was thinking of doing.

Would adding roughly .5 quarts over the recommended 4 quarts hurt anything?

[datzenmike]

No it won't hurt anything in the short term. Excessive overfilling may cause a cloud of smoke but we are only checking to see if more oil might cover a bent pick up tube. Half a quart might not be enough.

[Tom1200]

Take some measurements on the pick up tube; overall length, depth of the screen and the center to center (S bend in the tube) I think I have one in my parts stash to compare it to.

 

Also did you make sure the passage through the block doesn't have some crud waded up in there?

 

Tom

[Tom1200]

OK I checked:

 

154mm from mating surface of block to bottom of screen

 

19mm thick from back of screen pick up to front/bottom of screen.

 

80mm Offset center to center where tube mates to the block and where it mates to the screen.

[datzenmike]

So 135mm or roughly 5.3" from block to the end of the pick up tube. How deep is the oil pan?

[Synestran]

Put everything back together with extra oil added and still no reading on the gauge. When I drained the oil, there didn't look to be any metal flakes in it which is nice to know.

[datzenmike]

Did you ever take the oil filter off and run it??? This would show if oil is actually getting past the pump.

[Synestran]

I have tried that but will try it again. It should gush out oil if it is getting oil right?

[racerx]

Engine bearings?

[datzenmike]

I have tried that but will try it again. It should gush out oil if it is getting oil right?

 

If you have an oil gallery plug missing it has to go though the filter to get there. It won't build any pressure but should pour out.

 

Engine bearings?

 

The crank bearings are not going to leak that bad unless they were not installed. It was mentioned having the bearings in wrong blocking oil flow, but this would only block oil from getting to the crank. It wouldn't stop oil from going up into the head nor would it affect the pressure.

[Synestran]

So a little bit of good news.

Took the oil filter off and tried it that way and this time is has a good steady pouring of oil coming out of it. Put the filter back on and didn't see anything while looking through the valve cover cap.

Does that mean the gallery plug is missing?

I thought if they were missing I could have oil escaping out the engine or something.

[datzenmike]

If it was the rear plug it would pour out behind the flywheel, but if the front it would pour out behind the timing cover all over the tensioner and down into the oil pan.

 

 

I believe the plug is that round flat indent at about 10-11 o'clock of the tensioner body.

 

Here's me cleaning out my front end of the oil gallery. Maybe you can orient yourself and see where this is exactly. That threaded hole just below the gun cleaning brush is likely the bottom tensioner mounting bolt.

[Synestran]

Ah okay. So the plugs allow the pressure to push the oil to the top of the engine? And without the plugs the oil just cycles on the bottom of the engine?

[datzenmike]

Apologies, I keep forgetting you have an A series engine. I twill be somewhat similar to the L series I pictured but not exactly. We need someone here with A series knowledge.

 

 

Oil is pushed to and through the oil filter. From the filter it enters a gallery running the length of the block. There will be a supply to the head and three? down to the main bearings on the crank. The crank is cross drilled to supply oil to the rod bearings.

[Tom1200]

The plugs on the A-series are essential right on the center line of the pump; the front one is to left of the chain tensioner when viewed from the front. If it was left out the oil would simply drop back into the pan. The rear would leak oil on the ground.

 

Here is my thought; pull the pan then remove the pump, find a piece of hose that fits into the hole in the block (pump output) then hook the hose to a syringe (turkey baster or 100cc from farm store). With the syringe filled with oil push it into the block, if all oil falls out of the timing cover area on the left (pump side) then I'd say the the front plug is indeed missing. In absence of a syringe simply filling a funnel connected to the hose in the block will do the same. You can also use an old fashion hand pump oil can. Again I would come up with a way to pressurize oil into the block with the pan off and see if it's puking out somewhere it shouldn't.

 

As for the top end, if per chance the issue were the aforementioned special head bolt installed incorrectly, the motor will read good oil pressure even if there is no oil to the top end.