440 Oil Pressure Issues..

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Jlcaptain24

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Location
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Background:
About 2K miles on 440 Build
Driving in traffic oil pressure would randomly go to zero with an accompanied oil pressure light. I'd shut off immediately and restart. Almost always...it'd be fine again.

Symptoms slowly progressed to the point where when I restarted it'd be kinda low...but with a little RPM it would pick back up.

Now...it's basically zero. No bueno.

I'm running aftermarket oil pressure gauge with a light coming from a separate sensor. I have 100% confidence my indications are correct. Two separate systems (both new) from two different sensors (both new)

The LIKELY CULPRIT: My oil pan got SMASHED from hitting something....hell it's hit a few things. LOL. My car is low. I was thinking a cracked pickup tube.

What I've done:. Pulled the oil pan and pickup tube. NO VISIBLE CRACKS that I can see.

Pulled the Distributor and Oil drive shaft. It's intact. Stuck a priming rod down the hold and spun the oil pump. Feels okay to me.

Changed the oil and filter. Long shot...but thought maybe a clogged filter. Nope.

Sooooo....WTH? Maybe I smashed the pan enough to bend the pickup tube to a position where it's starving for oil?? Seems unlikely to me, but who knows?

Ideas?? Oil pump?? It seems they'd go bad progressively...which I guess mine "kinda" did. But when the symptoms started it was rock star oil pressure to zero. ALWAYS happened at idle initially, when hot. Now it doesn't make any difference.

I'm humbly throw myself at the feet at smarter men (and women) than me.

Thanks all,
Jason
 
Sounds like the pump is sucking air and is loosing it's prime, cracked at a thread were it screws into block?
 
Sounds like maybe high bearing clearance? Something is up. I'm inclined to agree with Brian6pac. Get an 1/8" nipple and a 1/8 x 1/4" bell reducer, 1/4" x hose barb fitting and some clear vinyl tubing. Assemble and tee it into the spare pressure port at the back of the block, run the other end of the tube into the valve cover fill. Have the car warmed up fully, oil hot. Pull the intermediate shaft again and run the pump with a priming shaft, look for bubbles in the clear tube while oil flows back into the valve cover.
 
You said it was a 440? pick up screws in the block.
 
You said it was a 440? pick up screws in the block.
Yeah Brian..it's a 440. The pickup screws into the block....from the bottom, right where the oil pump is located. It was tight as a **** when I pulled it out. You thinking sucking air through the threads where it screws in??
 
"What I've done:. Pulled the oil pan and pickup tube. NO VISIBLE CRACKS that I can see."

It's in the middle of post 1.
 
Sounds like maybe high bearing clearance? Something is up. I'm inclined to agree with Brian6pac. Get an 1/8" nipple and a 1/8 x 1/4" bell reducer, 1/4" x hose barb fitting and some clear vinyl tubing. Assemble and tee it into the spare pressure port at the back of the block, run the other end of the tube into the valve cover fill. Have the car warmed up fully, oil hot. Pull the intermediate shaft again and run the pump with a priming shaft, look for bubbles in the clear tube while oil flows back into the valve cover.
Ehhhh...don't say that. When I had oil pressure it was really GOOD. Would it go from GOOD to zero...that quick?? I measured all bearing clearance with plastigage when I built it. My first build...so who knows.
 
Do you mean a crack in the oil pump housing...where it bolts to the block??
Oh...I get it. You're referring to a crack in the pickup tube where it threads into the block. NONE that I can see. I've plugged the saucer shaped pickup with oily paper towels and sucked/blowed like an idiot....it seems intact.
 
Yeah Brian..it's a 440. The pickup screws into the block....from the bottom, right where the oil pump is located. It was tight as a **** when I pulled it out. You thinking sucking air through the threads where it screws in??

THAT I CAN SEE, I would have inspected the threads real good, it could crack in the thread and be very hard to see and under a vacuum air will get through the smallest crack so, did you inspect the threads or just look at the pipe?
 
My gut tells me you should check that all the lifters are in their bore. (shrug)
Your symptoms are kinda opposite a lifter floating up and down the bore, till it got revved enuff to pop it right out the bore.
 
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THAT I CAN SEE, I would have inspected the threads real good, it could crack in the thread and be very hard to see and under a vacuum air will get through the smallest crack so, did you inspect the threads or just look at the pipe?
I'll take another look at it. BUT HERE'S THOUGHT...with pics. The pan was probably smashed 1/2 inch. Which in theory would of smashed the pickup right against the pan. If the avenue for oil to get sucked in was SUUUPER small, would it cause the pump to cavitate and starve??

IMG_7336.JPG


IMG_7337.JPG


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IMG_7339.JPG
 
And LOOK AT THIS....I'm shining a bright Led flashlight into the inlet screen of the pickup....you'd think I'd see some light at the other end of the tube, right???

IMG_7340.JPG
 
I had a pick-up that looked like that, took it off a fresh engine I bought that had no oil pressure.
Pounded the screen on the bench, and a buncha card-board filter material came out in chunks.
You can kinda pry it open, to get a look, then use a vice to squeeze it back.
 
Sure would.
Thanks Dave....I'm definitely leaning towards that being the problem. What're you thoughts on the pickup tube no transmitting light through it?? Seems bizarre...even if there were some kinda baffles in there I can't see...you'd think the light would find a way through...FYI...this is a USED pickup tube I got from a buddy. I just cleaned it up and used it
 
And LOOK AT THIS....I'm shining a bright Led flashlight into the inlet screen of the pickup....you'd think I'd see some light at the other end of the tube, right???

View attachment 1715215905

Probably not. I can't see any light doing that to a new 1/2" pickup. Angle up bend too far I expect for the light.
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Update, I took it to a darker area and I'm able to make out a very dim light. So it's possible to "see the light"!
 
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shine the light from the other end and see if you can see it in the screen
Done. Not a bit...even went in the bathroom with the lights off...not a peep of light coming through. That being said....I can blow through it super easy. Basically no restriction.

IMG_7341.JPG
 
I have shined a light through a lot of things and could see something so I would stick a wire through it just for ***** and giggles
 
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