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Old 03-22-2020, 11:08 AM   #1
Ken/Alabama
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Default Low oil pressure solved

Installed a newly rebuilt 59A in a 32 for a friend. Engine was rebuilt by a well known flathead shop on the west coast . It came as a short block and I fitted the heads ,oil pump and pan,intake etc. Got it up and running but noticed it had about 5 lbs oil pressure at idle and less than 20 above idle. I removed the oil pan thinking maybe something was wrong with the oil pump or pickup tube. Didn’t see anything unusual but replaced them anyway with a known good pump. Still low oil pressure. I pulled the intake to take a look at the oil relief and spring in the front of the block. Nothing unusual there either. So while I was standing there scratching my head I noticed that the fuel pump push rod bushing was protruding above the hole by a 1/4” or more and thought that was unusual. I put my air gun on the bushing and when I blew in it air came out up front where the spring and plunger goes. That shouldn’t be I thought. I took a piece of stiff wire and put a small 90 degree bend in it and slid it in the bushing and could feel that the bushing was not installed deep enough to register in the bottom thus allowing oil to escape and not building pressure. I drove the bushing on down flush the blew air in it again. No air came out up front this time. All back together and now it has 45 lbs idleing hot and 60 going down the road . All this because someone wasn’t paying attention or was in a rush .could have ruined a new engine.
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Old 03-22-2020, 11:12 AM   #2
Mart
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Default Re: Low oil pressure solved

Good catch. Thanks for sharing. Every little snippet of information that can save a problem for someone else needs to be shared.
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Old 03-22-2020, 01:24 PM   #3
flatjack9
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Default Re: Low oil pressure solved

A well known shop, but not reliable.
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Old 03-22-2020, 01:36 PM   #4
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Default Re: Low oil pressure solved

Good catch. Not the first time I’ve heard some concerns from a well known CA rebuilder
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Old 03-22-2020, 01:38 PM   #5
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Default Re: Low oil pressure solved

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Originally Posted by flatjack9 View Post
A well known shop, but not reliable.



My thoughts exactly
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Old 03-22-2020, 01:54 PM   #6
Bob C
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Any chance they are in La Crescenta?

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Old 03-22-2020, 03:17 PM   #7
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Default Re: Low oil pressure solved

Thanks !
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Old 03-22-2020, 04:05 PM   #8
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Default Re: Low oil pressure solved

You lost me, are you saying air came our around the cap that holds the spring and poppet at the front of the valve gallery? There have been posts here about not running a fuel pump and the bushing was not supposed to make any difference, I have never believed that however, I do not understand the relationship of that busing going deeper in the hole to make more oil pressure.
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Old 03-22-2020, 04:13 PM   #9
keith oh
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Default Re: Low oil pressure solved

Another oil low oil pressure hint is if a bypass oil filter has been installed without a 60 thousands reducer in the inlet oil line to the oil pressure will read very low.
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Old 03-22-2020, 04:21 PM   #10
Ken/Alabama
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Default Re: Low oil pressure solved

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Originally Posted by jimTN View Post
You lost me, are you saying air came our around the cap that holds the spring and poppet at the front of the valve gallery? There have been posts here about not running a fuel pump and the bushing was not supposed to make any difference, I have never believed that however, I do not understand the relationship of that busing going deeper in the hole to make more oil pressure.
I had the cap removed along with spring and poppet . The bushing was not installed deep enough to seal it off from the tube that runs the length of the block. Running without a push rod won’t affect oil pressure, but the bushing must be in place. This engine is running an electric pump and has no push rod .
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Old 03-22-2020, 04:25 PM   #11
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Default Re: Low oil pressure solved

Thanks Ken, that makes more sense to me.
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Old 03-22-2020, 04:28 PM   #12
Ken/Alabama
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Default Re: Low oil pressure solved

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Originally Posted by keith oh View Post
Another oil low oil pressure hint is if a bypass oil filter has been installed without a 60 thousands reducer in the inlet oil line to the oil pressure will read very low.
It has the restrictor fitting .
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Old 03-22-2020, 04:46 PM   #13
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Default Re: Low oil pressure solved

here is another low/no oil pressure problem. 221 A block, totally rebuilt but little to no oil pressure! did the same check pump-oil relief spring, pulled the timing cover and gear and found the problem the builder forgot the oil gallery plug behind the timing gear!!!! went to another engine in storage a pulled plug and put it in, 50 lbs cold, 40 lbs hot at 1500 rpm, 20 lbs at idle. my one concern is wear on bearings but I pulled front main and it looked good
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Old 03-22-2020, 06:08 PM   #14
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Default Re: Low oil pressure solved

This is really odd; engines generally constructed well, but with one glaring error; This is not the first time I have heard of this; it seems fairly common. I had it happen to me once. I spent "Big Bucks" on a "quality" rebuild on an O/T 327/350 for a Corvette. It came with a HV/HP oil pump that kept the gauge pegged, even a hot idle. After a few miles and a lot of oil consumption, I pulled the pan and put in a stock spec pump which brought everything back to normal.

The only thing I can think of is that a Melling HV/HP pump is 1/3 the cost of a stock replacement (If you don't believe me, look it up). The rebuilder screwed up the job to make an extra $40 (and possibly brag "I upgraded your oil pump to a racing unit").
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Old 03-22-2020, 06:13 PM   #15
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Default Re: Low oil pressure solved

Mistakes can happen to the best of engine builders. If it happens on a regular basis, that's a different story.


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Old 03-22-2020, 06:14 PM   #16
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Default Re: Low oil pressure solved

not defending anyone but you'e got to remember any shop is only as good as the tech that actually did the work .It takes years of hard work by a team of good people to earn that name and one hiccup by one person or supplier to destroy it overnight My question is Did you contact the shop. and how did they handle you thats the measure of quality work
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Old 03-22-2020, 06:56 PM   #17
Ken/Alabama
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Default Re: Low oil pressure solved

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Originally Posted by aussie merc View Post
not defending anyone but you'e got to remember any shop is only as good as the tech that actually did the work .It takes years of hard work by a team of good people to earn that name and one hiccup by one person or supplier to destroy it overnight My question is Did you contact the shop. and how did they handle you thats the measure of quality work
I agree, I’m not here trying to bash anyone but I’ve learned a very good lesson . I didn’t build the engine so from now on I’ll be paying more attention to some of those kinda things .
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Old 03-22-2020, 07:03 PM   #18
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Default Re: Low oil pressure solved

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Originally Posted by Mart View Post
Good catch. Thanks for sharing. Every little snippet of information that can save a problem for someone else needs to be shared.
Agreed!
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Old 03-22-2020, 08:47 PM   #19
JM 35 Sedan
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Default Re: Low oil pressure solved

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken/Alabama View Post
Engine was rebuilt by a well known flathead shop on the west coast.
Ken, with all due respect, as soon as you made the above statement, most/many of us here knew exactly who you meant.
I think aussie merc made some good points in his post and I thought the same thing as soon as I read your post #1.
By going back to the re builder and letting them know what happened might help the guy in their shop who made this mistake to remember to double check things more carefully, and possibly avoid this from happening again.
On the other hand, by letting us Fordbarners know about that pushrod bushing not being in its proper location, which caused low oil pressure, was educational for many of us here as something to check for, should we be faced with a similar problem of low oil pressure
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Old 03-23-2020, 04:24 AM   #20
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Default Re: Low oil pressure solved

John, of course we all agree, so why are you yelling?
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