Technical No Oil Pressure

Fired up my '32 to pull it out of the garage and NO OIL PRESSURE! Turned it off. Thought it might be a gauge or sender issue but I removed the breather from the valve cover and the rockers were dry.

SBC with just over 3100 miles on it, full of clean oil, high volume oil pump. Had been sitting for about 3 weeks but has always had great pressure.

Any ideas?

 

Verify that with a mechanical gauge.

 

Yes, pull the distributor and check the gear! It may have failed. While it's out put a priming tool in and spin it with your drill motor to see if oil comes up then. If it still doesn't, then it's time to drop the pan and look for a oil pump pickup that fell off, or a failed oil pump.

 

Pull the distributor and see if the drive is ok. Then use what ever you have to prime the pump to see if the pressure comes up. JC

 

I just primed a new 283 that sat a few years, a few days ago. It had never had oil in it.

I pulled the oil sender out behind the distributor, filled that oil p***age with oil, screwed in a low pressure gauge and it instantly showed pressure while I cranked it with sparkplugs out.

 

One other thing I remembered!!! Pull the oil filter and replace it too! It may have also failed or fell apart internally.

 

^^^ especially if its a fram!!!^^^

 

i agree with the fram part

 

Oil pump pickup tube.

 

If you suspect the pickup tube, how much more oil would you have to put in it to reach the pump and verify that's what it is?

 

somebody has to ask, "Is it full of oil"?

 

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thanks, Reading comprehension is wonderful---when you can get it












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Yep, pull the distributor and see if you can get oil pressure with a priming tool. If not then you have a pump or pickup issue. If it primes then check your dist shaft to pump shaft engagement with some clay. I had one where the combination of decked block, machined heads, thick intake gaskets and aluminum intake ganged up to lift the dist enough to pop out of the pump drive. And speaking of pump drive shafts, did you use the all-steel piece to go with that HV pump?

 

I didn't install the pump. The engine builder did. I'm going to try the priming tool. If it doesn't pump up I'm going to guess that the pickup tube has dropped out of the pump and pull the pan for a look. If that's it I'm going to tack weld them together.

 

I have heard of the oil pickup strainer if not pinned or tacked can vibrate and actually lift up and not pump the oil.

You would have to drop the pan to verify. HRP

 

I had an oil pickup fall of once, but it made a lot noise rattling around in the pan.

 

If you suspect the pump pickup fell off, put 3 more quarts of oil AFTER you've filled to the full mark on the stick and see if pressure comes back. It's a lot easier and faster than pulling the pan

 

I'm surprised you could hear that with 5 qts of oil acting as a cushion.

 

Yes, it rotates just enough to be above the oil level in the pan. It really doesn't have to be much.

Bob

 

But eventually you will still have to pull the pan. It will give you an idea of what is going on though.