Engine guys please help. No oil pressure

[BlackRat]

Well "Bad Luck Rat" is back!!! Most of you know the strange issues that I have had since starting this project. Well here is another one. I was getting the dash put back together after installing a fan overide switch and lights for the fans. After reinstalling everything I cranked the car for the first time in about 3 weeks. After getting it to idle I look down and the electric oil pressure guage reads 0!!!! I quickly turned the car off. Since it is an electric guage the first thing I thought was that I pulled a terminal off the guage. No Luck!! Everything was hooked up as it should be. I then went and bought a manual oil pressure guage and installed it. I pulled the distributor and used an old distributor shaft on a drill to spin the pump. I spun the pump for probably 3-5 minutes and oil never appeared in the plastic oil line and the manual guage never moved.

I have already pulled the pan and the pump. Is there a way to check the pump? Is there something that I am missing? If I really had 0 oil pressure did I do any damage in the brief run time?

The pump is a GM L88 pump and the motor has 500 miles on it at the most.

 

[big_G]

All I can think of is maybe the bypass valve is stuck open. You can open it up and check it. Real simple operation. I don't know of anyway to check it. A short time running usually does no harm. Maybe just try another pump.

 

[BlackRat]

All I can think of is maybe the bypass valve is stuck open. You can open it up and check it. Real simple operation. I don't know of anyway to check it. A short time running usually does no harm. Maybe just try another pump.

Yeah I think I am going to get a Melling HV from AutoZone tomorrow. The pump is off now so I might as well try it.

 

[Arthur Brown]

buy the HV pump, not so much for the extra volume but the pump housing is much stronger. Compare the standard and HV and you'll see.

 

[MYBAD79]

buy the HV pump, not so much for the extra volume but the pump housing is much stronger. Compare the standard and HV and you'll see.

I agree. These are photos of the M55HV, there's a lot more material than on the stock M55. The housing is a lot stronger. There was a thread with photos of cracked M55 pump housings a while back.


.

 

[010752]

The standard series hv pumps like the m55hv have the newer thinner casting designs.
To get the beefier older size casting you need the "Select Pump" which for a sbc is one like the Select 10555. I use that. Comes with the good intermediate shaft.

For BBC it would be 10770

High volume performance upgrade for M-77HV. 25% increase in volume over stock pump. The
housing and cover are CNC machined and phosphate coated. The lower pressure spring is included to
reduce pressure if desired. Includes intermediate shaft with steel guide. Uses press in screen.

http://www.melling.com/Portals/4/pdf_catalog/select-catalog.pdf
Page 8 bbc
Page 6 sbc

For a while some retailers were still selling the old stock, bigger housing pumps, but they should be long gone now.

 

[pcf_mark]

If you are running with a drill it will take a few minutes to get oil to the top end. Also if it had 0 you would have heard the lifter clattering like change for a dollar in a coffee can if they are hydraulic. I bet you shorted the electric one and did not turn the distributor fast enough or long enough to make pressure for the manual gage.

If the pump was not working (broken or no pick up) when you turn with the drill it will never get hard to turn. If it is working ok when the pump gets a prime the drill will struggle and so will you holding it! It takes a few HP to turn it will a load of oil so the drill slows down and the volume is low and it takes a awhile.

 

[mrvette]

I dunno about a BBC, but on the SBC, you need a dizzy housing in there or for some reason one of the banks will not get oil up the push rods....something about how they routed the oil passages....seems strange to me, but that was the symptom on a boat I was working on some time ago....

wonder if the BBC is the same??:bonkers::friends:

 

[Fuelie74]

With such a fresh engine could it be junk left over from the machining process that plugged a passage?

 

[MYBAD79]

I pulled the distributor and used an old distributor shaft on a drill to spin the pump. I spun the pump for probably 3-5 minutes and oil never appeared in the plastic oil line and the manual guage never moved.

Get the priming tool from AutoZone...they "loan" it for a deposit, basically "free".... it's their tool loaner program .... There are at least two different styles of oil priming tools, the "style" that Auto Zone has a collar just like the distributor to restrict oil flow between the two sides.

It could very well be an obstructed oil line.... obstruction would have to be between pump and pressure sensor if the gauge shows "0"....

 

[big_G]

I pulled the distributor and used an old distributor shaft on a drill to spin the pump. I spun the pump for probably 3-5 minutes and oil never appeared in the plastic oil line and the manual guage never moved.

Get the priming tool from AutoZone...they "loan" it for a deposit, basically "free".... it's their tool loaner program .... There are at least two different styles of oil priming tools, the "style" that Auto Zone has a collar just like the distributor to restrict oil flow between the two sides.

It could very well be an obstructed oil line.... obstruction would have to be between pump and pressure sensor if the gauge shows "0"....

Just had a similar situation in my shop. A Pro-street blown camaro we are building suddenly showed no oil pressure. We temporarily installed a mech. gauge and all was good. We (I) found some teflon tape lodged in the hole in the electric sensor. My mechanic did this, as I know better. Problem solved.

 

[Twin_Turbo]

I gave up on those melling pumps. I'm using milodon pumps now, they are very beefy.



As for your oil problem, have you checked w/ a mech gauge yet? If you hook up the gauge to a port on the rear china wall or above the oil filter pad you should have almost instant oil pressure.

What kind of pump shaft are you using? one with a teflon collar?

 

[BlackRat]

I pulled the distributor and used an old distributor shaft on a drill to spin the pump. I spun the pump for probably 3-5 minutes and oil never appeared in the plastic oil line and the manual guage never moved.

Get the priming tool from AutoZone...they "loan" it for a deposit, basically "free".... it's their tool loaner program .... There are at least two different styles of oil priming tools, the "style" that Auto Zone has a collar just like the distributor to restrict oil flow between the two sides.

It could very well be an obstructed oil line.... obstruction would have to be between pump and pressure sensor if the gauge shows "0"....

Just had a similar situation in my shop. A Pro-street blown camaro we are building suddenly showed no oil pressure. We temporarily installed a mech. gauge and all was good. We (I) found some teflon tape lodged in the hole in the electric sensor. My mechanic did this, as I know better. Problem solved.

Funny you say this. I used teflon tape on the electric sending unit as well. Is this a no no??

TT- Just to be safe I ordered a new pump. It is a milodon. ;-) Running an ARP steel shaft pump shaft. I now have a mechanical guage hooked up to where the electric sending unit was. I moved the sending unit to the sandwich adapter.
The pump and gasket should be here tomorrow.

Wade

 

[TimAT]

The problem with teflon tape is that bits of it tend to get cut from the main tape around the threads and always seem to get it the worst possible spot

 

[big_G]

The problem with teflon tape is that bits of it tend to get cut from the main tape around the threads and always seem to get it the worst possible spot

Yea, I explain that to my guys, and tell them to use teflon paste.

 

[enkeivette]

He said that he bought a manual guage, I'm guessing he meant meachanical. He said he saw no oil pressure with it either. Although he may have hooked it up in the wrong spot.

 

[Fuelie74]

I pulled the distributor and used an old distributor shaft on a drill to spin the pump. I spun the pump for probably 3-5 minutes and oil never appeared in the plastic oil line and the manual guage never moved.

Get the priming tool from AutoZone...they "loan" it for a deposit, basically "free".... it's their tool loaner program .... There are at least two different styles of oil priming tools, the "style" that Auto Zone has a collar just like the distributor to restrict oil flow between the two sides.

It could very well be an obstructed oil line.... obstruction would have to be between pump and pressure sensor if the gauge shows "0"....

Why when you can make good use of that old points distributor laying in the corner of your garage. Just weld a bolt to the top, remove the gear on the bottom and your good to go. Then you don't have to worry about going to the parts store the next time to barrow a priming tool and your still not really out any money.

 

[010752]

I pulled the distributor and used an old distributor shaft on a drill to spin the pump. I spun the pump for probably 3-5 minutes and oil never appeared in the plastic oil line and the manual guage never moved.

Get the priming tool from AutoZone...they "loan" it for a deposit, basically "free".... it's their tool loaner program .... There are at least two different styles of oil priming tools, the "style" that Auto Zone has a collar just like the distributor to restrict oil flow between the two sides.

It could very well be an obstructed oil line.... obstruction would have to be between pump and pressure sensor if the gauge shows "0"....

Why when you can make good use of that old points distributor laying in the corner of your garage. Just weld a bolt to the top, remove the gear on the bottom and your good to go. Then you don't have to worry about going to the parts store the next time to barrow a priming tool and your still not really out any money.

Or an old HEI

 

[BlackRat]

I pulled the distributor and used an old distributor shaft on a drill to spin the pump. I spun the pump for probably 3-5 minutes and oil never appeared in the plastic oil line and the manual guage never moved.

Get the priming tool from AutoZone...they "loan" it for a deposit, basically "free".... it's their tool loaner program .... There are at least two different styles of oil priming tools, the "style" that Auto Zone has a collar just like the distributor to restrict oil flow between the two sides.

It could very well be an obstructed oil line.... obstruction would have to be between pump and pressure sensor if the gauge shows "0"....

Why when you can make good use of that old points distributor laying in the corner of your garage. Just weld a bolt to the top, remove the gear on the bottom and your good to go. Then you don't have to worry about going to the parts store the next time to barrow a priming tool and your still not really out any money.

I did make one of these out of an old distributor. My mistake was not using the housing this time and just using the shaft. I wont make that mistake again.... ;-)

Correct I did buy and install a manual guage. however I did not plug it directly into the block. I plugged it into one of the ports in my external oil cooler sanwich adapter. (Don't have the oil cooler just the adapter which I use for my Oil temp guag.) I have already changed the location of the mechanical guage to go directly into the block just above the oil filter which is the only option on a BB. I also blew the hole out with my air gun so hopefully no debris will be an issue.

Gaskets come today so I may know something tonight. I just hope nothing was hurt. The rods appear fine. No Blue'ing as TimAT had me check. They also move freely side to side on the journal but not up and down.

Thanks
Wade

Thanks
Wade

 

[Twin_Turbo]

They move freely side to side? How much, if you have too much side clearance excessive amounts of oil will spray out and you will loose a lot of oil pressure.