Oiling problem. HELP!!!

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Coyote Jack

Coyote Jack

Member #55, I'm old
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Engine is a 68 340 that was completely torn down and sent to machine shop for prepping. It was baked and then had the works done to it.

My problem came about when I went to prime the oil system. No oil pressure and no oil to the upper end. There is oil getting to the filter so I know the pump is working. I am beginning to think I may have missed an oil galley plug somewhere.

Anybody have any idea's or if you agree, where the plug I missed might be?

Jack
 
Look for the two oil galley plugs behind the camshaft thrust plate. A machine shop left them out on me once.... Just once.... Now I check for them before assembling all my blocks.
 
You're gonna have to pull the front of the engine apart to check, but it's better to be safe than sorry.
 
At the back of the block on each side of the cam plug there are two oil galley plugs. The one on the driver side is larger than the other one. On the inside of the block, behind that larger plug is where the distributor sits but beyond as you go forward on the block, there is another oil galley plug. If that is missing, you'll get the symptoms that you described. Also, don't be worried if you don't see oil at the rockers. They get the oil from passages in the #2 and #4 cam journals and will supply the oil as it turns.

Pull the engine and check.

Ken
Edison, NJ

Hey KrazyKuda, you ready for another world tour for parts yet?
 
Did you get the plug in the oil galley up under the rear main cap or the pipe plugs behind the oil filter adapter and by the dist. gear
 
Rotate the engine as you prime. The holes in the cam bearings that feed the top half of the engine only align every revolution. They may not be aligned if the engine is static.
 
Some of these I am going to have to look at again. The ones on the back of the engine on either side of the cam are there for sure. The rest of these I am going to have to look again I think.

There is something else I just thought of. When I was priming, it sounds like oil was spraying into the oil pan.

Jack
 
If the ones on the back of the block were missing, you would be getting oil gushing out of the front of the trans.

If there is no oil gushing out on the floor, it must be an internal leak.
 
I took a block in once and the machinist took all the plugs out and did all the machine work. When I picked up the block I asked "Did you take the oil galley plugs out" he said oh yeah. Here they are and tried to hand them to me not even in a bag. I told him hey man YOU took them out so YOU put them back in! He said are you serious, I said serious as a heart attack, you touched them you put them back. I waited and watched while he did just that. Mind you this is 2 minutes after I paid him and he was annoyed as all get out. Then I said where is the Distributor drive gear bushing? It was also out...... So I said you need to put that in too cause I paid you for a new one. This would have pissed me off good if I drove 4 hours without the parts installed or even in my possession!
 
A wise man, Ken Neve, once told me. When you tear into it and prime the oil pump, look for oil gushing out somewhere. There is your leak.

That's how I discovered the two plugs BEHIND the camshaft thrust plate missing. I had to make my own priming shaft, as they weren't available back then. I had my block on the engine stand torn down. When I primed it... Nothing...

Then my brother came into the garage and saw the drill with the pump sticking out of the block and just had to play with it... Suddenly a jet of oil came shooting out of the front towards me.. I went nuts, he thought I was going to hit him. I said, "do that again." So he did and that's how we found the leak. I wasn't going to hit him, I was excited to find the leak!!!

This was the 4th time I had to pull the engine to find the problem. Thanks to Ken's advice, I found the problem.

That engine would run up to 25 psi cold, then drop below 10 when it warmed up.
 
Mad Dart said:
I took a block in once and the machinist took all the plugs out and did all the machine work. When I picked up the block I asked "Did you take the oil galley plugs out" he said oh yeah. Here they are and tried to hand them to me not even in a bag. I told him hey man YOU took them out so YOU put them back in! He said are you serious, I said serious as a heart attack, you touched them you put them back. I waited and watched while he did just that. Mind you this is 2 minutes after I paid him and he was annoyed as all get out. Then I said where is the Distributor drive gear bushing? It was also out...... So I said you need to put that in too cause I paid you for a new one. This would have pissed me off good if I drove 4 hours without the parts installed or even in my possession!
Click to expand...


The shop that did mine wouldn't even give me a gasket kit to put it back together. Charged me for all the parts to fix it. Needless to say, he is no longer in business today. What a cheap skate..
 
I was just out looking at another block that I have. If I had to guess, the plug in the oil filter adapter area is the one I'm missing. That's an easy fix. The next in line would be the ones at the front of the cam. I know the ones at the back of the cam are there. I could not see any plugs or places for them under the rear main cap. Are there any others I might have missed?

Jack
 
I don't remember the dimension, there was a thread on here the other day. To figure out if the little one in the vertical gallery above the main is in, you stick a "stick" down into the oil sender hole, and measure how far it goes. Sorry don't remember.

Kinda gripes me that these are not laid out in the shop manual
 
Under the oil pump is a freeze plug type of oil galley plug, kinda like the 2 under the thrust plate, if it was popped out for cleaning or machining and a new wasn't pushed back in...you will have no oil psi...
 
Coyote Jack said:
There is something else I just thought of. When I was priming, it sounds like oil was spraying into the oil pan.
Jack
Click to expand...

Not to sound like I'm trying to make you look like an idiot or fool or something but were you priming the pump the right direction?
I did that one time with the 318 in my Dart and it sounded like it was spraying into the pan but it was just air pushing through the pickup into the oil making splashing/bubbling sounds. lol
 
1wild&crazyguy said:
Under the oil pump is a freeze plug type of oil galley plug, kinda like the 2 under the thrust plate, if it was popped out for cleaning or machining and a new wasn't pushed back in...you will have no oil psi...
Click to expand...

Here's a picture from a manual that kinda shows where it goes. tmm
 

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64 SRT8 Dart said:
Not to sound like I'm trying to make you look like an idiot or fool or something but were you priming the pump the right direction?
I did that one time with the 318 in my Dart and it sounded like it was spraying into the pan but it was just air pushing through the pickup into the oil making splashing/bubbling sounds. lol
Click to expand...

Yup, thought about that as well. Going in the right direction. The 2 sounds are different.

Jack
 
1wild&crazyguy said:
Under the oil pump is a freeze plug type of oil galley plug, kinda like the 2 under the thrust plate, if it was popped out for cleaning or machining and a new wasn't pushed back in...you will have no oil psi...
Click to expand...


x2...
 
Well, I checked things over today. Plug is in oil filter adaper area. Plug is in the area above the rear main bearing. Plugs are in back of engine in cam area. The only plugs I didn't check that I know of are the two at the front of the cam. Some people don't put them in and some engines came from the factory without them. So I don't think they are the problem. Just to make sure, I have a new HV oil pump coming tomorrow morning. The one I have filled the oil filter but maybe it didn't have enough guts to take the oil any farther. We will see tomorrow.

Jack
 
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