low oil pressure

[Patcon]

Somethings wrong if revving it doesn't move the gauge some.

Professionally rebuilt by whom?

My first thing would be an oil change. Look for problems with the oil.

Next would be pulling the pan and checking sump pickup.

Maybe my first thing would be pull the valve cover first and check for oil flow there...

[Racer X]

First, why are you guys recommending a pressure gauge for a water system?

Buy a good quality oil pressure gauge like Stewart Warner or Autometer. These can be had at local auto parts stores.

Next, the recommendation to check inside the cam cover through the oil cap is a good one, as indeed the oil can be seen, but it still does give any idea what the pressure is. Running the engine with the cam cover is not a good idea, even when taking precautions to catch the oil that will get thrown about, and, you still won’t have a clue about how much oil pressure the pump is producing.

And even with measures in place to catch the mess, you will have engine oil on the ceiling of your shop.

Don’t ask me how I know.

Once it is determined the oil pressure is inadequate, the cause needs to be determined.  The only way to do that is to remove the pump, disassemble it and inspect it for wear or damage.

The shop manual details the inspection process, inspection of the gerotor for defects and damage, and clearances.

It is possible the spring in the bypass valve has broken or become weak.

It is also possible that the oil passages weren’t fully cleaned, and something has clogged a passage. Something as small as a human hair can block enough oil flow to cause lubrication failure.

 

 

 

Edited January 23, 2023 by Racer X

[SteveJ]

2 minutes ago, Racer X said:

First, why are you guys recommending a pressure gauge for a water system?

Buy a good quality oil pressure gauge like Stewart Warner or Autometer. These can be had at local auto parts stores.

Next, the recommendation to check inside the cam cover through the oil cap is a good one, as indeed the oil can be seen, but it still does give any idea what the pressure is. Running the engine with the cam cover is not a good idea, even when taking precautions to catch the oil that will get thrown about, and, you still won’t have a clue about how much oil pressure the pump is producing.

And even with measures in place to catch the mess, you will have engine oil on the ceiling of your shop.

Don’t ask me how I know.

Once it is determined the oil pressure is inadequate, the cause needs to be determined.  The only way to do that is to remove the pump, disassemble it and inspect it for wear or damage.

The shop manual details the inspection process, inspection of the gerotor, and clearances.

It is possible the spring in the bypass valve has broken or become weak.

 

 

 

 

I'm not. I'm suggesting oil pressure gauges.

[Racer X]

2 hours ago, SteveJ said:

I'm not. I'm suggesting oil pressure gauges.

I know Steve, but others have recommended non automotive gauges.

Additionally, it looks like Wally was using a cylinder compression gauge. Certainly not an appropriate tool for the job. 

 

Edited January 23, 2023 by Racer X

[Wally]

a local engine shop rebuilt it. they have been around 30 years. Here are some images after taking valve cover off.

Oil bar looks good to me. not sure about nozzles will crank up in bit and take a video. after all comments, i am concerned about sump pump. I know i re-used old one so i am gonna eventually drop the pan and check all that out.

 

 

 

 

O

[Patcon]

I'm not a fan of the gauge he selected but it should still be a reasonable indicator even if it doesn't last very long. I would start at the pan if it was me. My first concern would be a blocked up oil pick up or something before the pump. You would think even a worn out pump would have increased pressure when revving even if it's too low.

[Wally]

Ok guys. just ran it with cover off. Oil flew everywhere. gonna be cleaning it up for a while

Here is one short video of engine running with cover off. Also several images of engine area right after turned engine off.

 

 

 

 

[Wally]

flooded

Edited January 23, 2023 by Wally

[SteveJ]

You could take the plugs out, dry them, and turn the engine over without plugs in to make sure you don't have too much fuel in the cylinders.

You should really verify that the cam is getting oiled before you run the car, though.

[Wally]

car running again. thanks

 

i have a true oil pressure gauge coming in tomorrow. will update test results.

 

is it worth replacing these just in case

https://zcardepot.com/products/engine-block-oil-jet-240z-260z-280z?variant=19282766987377

 

gonna try to get oil pan off and inspected in day or two.

[Racer X]

56 minutes ago, Wally said:

car running again. thanks

 

i have a true oil pressure gauge coming in tomorrow. will update test results.

 

is it worth replacing these just in case

https://zcardepot.com/products/engine-block-oil-jet-240z-260z-280z?variant=19282766987377

 

The cylinder block deck has a bushing (if memory serves it is brass) pressed into a counterbore at the oil passage from the block to the head. Some people like to open it up a bit when hot rodding the L series engine.

They think it will aid in getting more oil into the cylinder head (cam, followers, etc).

I dunno. 

My kid brother was “helping” with an engine build once and he oversized it a bit, against my wishes.

I had to shim the pressure relief springs in the pump to get the oil pressure back where I wanted it. Besides, I wasn’t, and never did have, lubrication troubles with any L series engine I’ve built.

56 minutes ago, Wally said:

gonna try to get oil pan off and inspected in day or two.

Could you explain to me what you hope to find?

If the engine was properly cleaned prior to assembly, and if it was assembled correctly*, and you haven’t introduced anything to the crankcase that shouldn’t be there, what will that achieve?

 

*During assembly, some people use silicone sealer in places it isn’t needed**, in amounts that far exceed the amount needed. I have seen where excessive squeeze out of the sealer has later come loose. These chunks of sealant then can get ingested into the oil system and cause problems. This is easy to verify, without removing the pan. Simply observe the parting line between the pan and the lower crankcase rail. It there evidence of sealant use? If so, how much? The amount seen outside should be about the amount that would also be squeezed inside.

 

**The correct oil pan and cam cover gaskets do not require any sealant to be use to ensure no leaks. I use them on all my L series engines, with no sealer, and no oil leaks.

 

Edited January 23, 2023 by Racer X

[Racer X]

3 hours ago, Wally said:

Ok guys. just ran it with cover off. Oil flew everywhere. gonna be cleaning it up for a while

I told you.

A friend of mine has a cam cover that he cut the top off of, only over the valvetrain, so the upper chain sprocket and chain don’t throw oil across the shop. Then he fitted a piece of lexan as a window. He only uses it to verify cam and valvetrain lubrication.

3 hours ago, Wally said:

Here is one short video of engine running with cover off. Also several images of engine area right after turned engine off.

 

 

 

Glamour photographers smear Vaseline on a filter screwed on the lens to make a soft, blurry effect.

I don’t think that’s what you have tried to do here Wally. It is great that you post pictures and videos to help us understand what the malfunction may be, but honestly, it isn’t easy to see anything here. Too blurry.

I recognize the things in the images, cam, towers, followers, etc. I see there is oil there, but the poor image quality makes it difficult to accurately judge if there is, or is not, enough oil.

I assume you are using a cell phone. No worries , it is possible to coax a reasonably executed picture to share what you see. A clean lens is important, and also, consider the direction of light around the things you want to take snapshots of. Any light source, sunlight, fluorescent shop lighting, desk lamps, if they are in a position that the light falls directly on the image sensor in the phone, they cause glare, partly because of the low quality plastic lens, and the cover over it, and partly because the tiny image sensor can’t resolve such strong light directed at it, and compromise an already marginal image quality.

I find the best light source is a bright sunny day, and the sun is coming from over my shoulder (right or left, doesn’t matter), not from behind me, if I see my shadow in front of my, the light is not coming from the side.