low oil pressure rebuilt 318

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What were the bearing tolerances you measured when you built it?

What kind of cam and lifters are you running? High lift and certain lifters can expose the oil gallery, bleeding pressure.
 
check the block for a oversized lifter bore code I had one and after changing the camshaft /lifters had low oil pressure / the machine shop sleeved the bore /I didn't know you could get a oversized lifter for it.
 
What were the bearing tolerances you measured when you built it?

What kind of cam and lifters are you running? High lift and certain lifters can expose the oil gallery, bleeding pressure.

i dont remember what the clearences were but the cam is a jegs 441' flat tappet cam with jegs cheapo flat tappet hydro lifters that are a little stubborn to pump up
 
hello everyone, i rebuilt a 318 la back in may , all new bearings and rings, cam, etc, it never gets past 25psi at 4k-5krpms, less than 10 at idle , its got a brand new oil pick up, ive changed the pump 3 times, the 3rd one i put a mopar performance spring in it, i run valvoline vr1 20-50

its always read 50psi with a drill when priming and im assuming 700 rpms with restistance when pump gets oil, ive tried 2 different guages, ive tried both guages on my 75 d100 ( also a 318 la) and both read 50 psi

any advice will be appreciated thank you
Do you still get 50 psi with a drill when priming and 25 when engine running, I am suspecting your distributor drive is damaged or broken.
 
Do you still get 50 psi with a drill when priming and 25 when engine running, I am suspecting your distributor drive is damaged or broken.


yes 50 with drill, 25 max with engine running, drive gear isnt broken or anything
 
Did you use the same gauge priming as you are in the car?
 
yes same gauge along with another gauge i tried
Make sure the line to the gauge somehow didn't get kinked.

You can keep batting down ideas all you want, but SOMETHING'S not right.
 
Not the drive gear, but the hex that engages the pump. They can round off.
RIGHT! Also, nine times outta ten, when the hex on the intermediate shaft rounds off, the female hex in the pump is damaged, too.
 
RIGHT! Also, nine times outta ten, when the hex on the intermediate shaft rounds off, the female hex in the pump is damaged, too.
Its the only thing that fits what he is saying. Normal pressure when priming. Inadequate with engine running. How can it be anything else but a slipping rounded off hex. If it's not that then I'm gonna learn something here lol.
 
Its the only thing that fits what he is saying. Normal pressure when priming. Inadequate with engine running. How can it be anything else but a slipping rounded off hex. If it's not that then I'm gonna learn something here lol.

Depending on aftermarket grooves in cams journals and bearings, when engine isn’t running, oil isn’t supplied to the top end, giving you higher pressure when priming. Also, when priming the engine would always be colder.
 
Depending on aftermarket grooves in cams journals and bearings, when engine isn’t running, oil isn’t supplied to the top end, giving you higher pressure when priming. Also, when priming the engine would always be colder.
Ok but do you think it would be 25 pounds less? That seems excessive to me.
 
The first engine that I built had low oil pressure... Everyone kept telling me it was the bearings because the oil pump drive gear didn't mesh well and we started it and ran it for a few minutes with low oil pressure.... I didn't buy that short of run time could wipe out new bearings that fast and I was right...


I went to Ken Neve the founder of Mopar Muscle club in Chicago and he gave me the best advice to solve the problem:

Put the engine on the stand and prime the pump... Tear it down a little at a time until you see oil gushing - that will be where the problem is...

Remove the intake, timing chain cover, and oil pan and look for oil gushing out....


That's how I fixed the problem with my engine...
THAT's a name I haven't heard in a few years..... my son trades parts with Ken's son Nick, once in a while.
 
THAT's a name I haven't heard in a few years..... my son trades parts with Ken's son Nick, once in a while.


That's cool... Is Ken still around???

I miss Ken and his sidekick Enor...


Where does Nick live around???
 
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Nick lives in Kens old house.
He doesn't show much care for his dad, last I asked about him I got a "last I heard, he's living somewhere in KY/TN but I haven't a clue where" out of nick about Ken.
 
I used to have an 88 D100 with a roller 318 in it
That was my first exp with "302" heads.
I pulled the heads and sent them out for a valve job. They wound up being cracked.
No problem I thought. I have a set of 318 heads at home, I'll just put those on. WRONG!
As soon as I started it I found out I suddenly lost oil pressure /that was great, before the head swap. That's when I found out about the 302 heads having bigger pushrod holes, my lifters wouldn't shut up. Because of the roller lifters being longer and the pushrods shorter that changes the angle the pushrods sit at. They were binding in the pushrod holes. I had to get another set of 302 heads to make that motor happy.
 
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