340 engine / oil question

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va-mopar

va-mopar

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Anyone? I went to change oil in my 340, pulled oil filter off and no oil ran out all over the headers like it allways did, checked the oil filter and it only had about 1/3 of a cup oil in it. Put on new filter, 4qts oil, ran engine,oil pressure was 55psi, after it warmed up it droped back to 22psi at a stop light and 56psi running 45mph. Then I checked oil, it showed that it was 1/2 qt low. That's not right , should be 1 qt low. After the engine cooled I removed the oil filter and , it only had about 1/3 cup oil in it. I also hear a little valve rattle running about 35-45 mph. Any help? :cussing: Oh, The oil pan in a after market pan, could that be to short and blocking the oil pickup on the oilpump?
 
You wouldn't have pressure if you weren't not getting oil into the pump. What filter are you using? Sounds like it doesn't have an anti drainback valve in it and when you shut the car down it drains back thru the pump into the pan. I will actually siphon the oil out of the filter like siphoning gas from a tank.

Chuck
 
I'm using a K&N oil filter like I allways do. I have never had this before. Only after I put a new oil pan, rocker arms, push rods, lifters, intake,carb,hedders,ect. I tried to mesure the oil pan and I think it's all most 1/4 in shorter. That's why I ask about the pan.
 
As a test try another brand filter and see what happens. If the same thing happens it is something else, but if the filter is full K&N might have changed vendors who builds their filters or maybe a certain amount were released without drain back valves.


Chuck
 
I called K&N. They said all there oil filters have a drain back valve. Now what??? What else could it be? Help!!! :cussing:
 
They might use the crappy cardboard drain back valves like Fram uses and they are just getting blown apart by the higher pressure. I agree with 340mopar and another brand of filter. Get some thing good like a Purolator Pure 1, Napa Gold or Mobil One.
 
Do you have an old K&N filter you can cut the can off and see if it is in there? Give that a try or like Duster318 and myself say try another one for the hell of it. It is the easiest and cheapest way to know for sure.

Chuck
 
I will try another oil filter and let you know, Thanks' guys! :thumbup:
 
I tried a Mobil One oil filter, same thing , allmost no oil in filter.
 
Next ? Do you have a 90* filter adaptor on the motor? Is it tipped up so the filter opening is pointed towards the ground? Did you put a roller cam in the motor and grind any in the lifter valley? That area is thin and you can break into the water jacket. If you are losing oil it has to be going somewhere.
 
Dusterb318, If he would have cut into a water jacket, he would have other symptoms such as water in the oil and overheating.

Just a question but, what would happen if he installed the rocker arm shafts backwards? Could that cause the symptoms?

If it has only happened after he made modifications, it probably has something to do with one of those modifications.
 
True on the over heating......just thinking out loud. I'm not sure if the rocker shafts would have anything to do with the oil drain back. It could be that the new pump has more clearance between the gear or something and when the oil warms up the pressure goes down (which is normal) and lets the warm oil flow back out of the filter? Just throwing darts now.
 
I'm not entirely convinced that it is a drain back problem. If he is hearing lifter or valve noise while driving down the road it almost sounds like a supply problem. If he has installed a filter with a good drain back valve I wouldn't think drain back would be an issue. Like you, just spit balling.
 
The only modifications were , new aftermarket oil pan, rocker arms, push rods, lifters, intake,carb,hedders. And like I said before, the new pan is allmost 1/4in shorter than the one I took off. That's why I thought that it maybe, be that the oil pickup is right on the pan ,and not alowing enough oil to be pumped to the top of the engine. What do you guys think?
 
sure sounds like a pick up issue? if it is to close to the pan, you filter is not full of oil, & you get valve noise? I would put a gauge in it, rev it up slowly and watch the pressures, also can you pull a valve cover and inspect the train, sure sounds like a classic oil pan - pickup clearance issue.
 
It would be my advice to pull the pan and reset the oil pick up to the proper clearance with the new pan. I don't know how tough it would be to drop the pan with the engine still in the car, but that would be what I would do. Tell us the results if you go that route.
 
Also, what aftermarket oil pan did you use? Could it be possible that it requires a special oil pick up?
 
I will pull the engine this weekend, check the pump and pickup. Thanks' You guy's!!! And yes, I will let you know the results.
 
I had the oil pan I took off cleaned and painted to sell, and I still have it. So, I will put it back on. Thanks' again guy's.
 
Well after all this time, I got the motor out, old oil pan on, motor with new small high torq stater laied in then motor in and wires to starter to short. So, out comes the motor again, old starter back in, motor back in everthing so far so good. All this with a bad back. ( the oil pickup was hitting the bottom of the new pan) now , cold I have 70psi oil pressure hot I have 40psi oil pressure. And I had 10w30 oil in there before and now I have 30w. Now that that's all done, I'm having a hard time getting the timming set. ( I never set timming on a car, so I have to wait till 1 of 2 people I know can help with the timming.) With a built motor, what would the timming be? Anyone? ( so I will know where to start. Again thanks', Thanks' a lot to all who had any input in this. :headbang:
 
Good, I'm glad you got the oil pressure problem figured out. I was sure hoping that was what it was. I was sweating that you would pull it out and find that wasn't the problem.
 
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