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03-22-2020, 11:08 AM | #1 |
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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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03-22-2020, 11:12 AM | #2 |
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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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03-22-2020, 01:24 PM | #3 |
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Re: Low oil pressure solved
A well known shop, but not reliable.
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03-22-2020, 01:36 PM | #4 |
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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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03-22-2020, 01:38 PM | #5 |
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Re: Low oil pressure solved
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I use the F word a lot no not that word these words Flathead , Focus and Finish. "Life Member of the Bonneville 200 MPH Club using a Ford Flathead block" Owner , Builder, Driver of the First Ford Flathead bodied roadster to run 200 MPH Record July 13, 2018 LTA timing association 200.921 in one and a half miles burning gasoline. First ever gas burning Ford flathead powered roadster to run 200 MPH at Bonneville Salt Flats setting the record August 7th 2021 at 205.744 MPH |
03-22-2020, 01:54 PM | #6 |
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Re: Low oil pressure solved
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03-22-2020, 03:17 PM | #7 |
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Re: Low oil pressure solved
Thanks !
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03-22-2020, 04:05 PM | #8 |
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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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03-22-2020, 04:13 PM | #9 |
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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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03-22-2020, 04:21 PM | #10 | |
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Re: Low oil pressure solved
Quote:
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03-22-2020, 04:25 PM | #11 |
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Re: Low oil pressure solved
Thanks Ken, that makes more sense to me.
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03-22-2020, 04:28 PM | #12 |
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Re: Low oil pressure solved
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03-22-2020, 04:46 PM | #13 |
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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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03-22-2020, 06:08 PM | #14 |
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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"). |
03-22-2020, 06:13 PM | #15 |
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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.
Sal |
03-22-2020, 06:14 PM | #16 |
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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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03-22-2020, 06:56 PM | #17 | |
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Re: Low oil pressure solved
Quote:
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03-22-2020, 07:03 PM | #18 |
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Re: Low oil pressure solved
Agreed!
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03-22-2020, 08:47 PM | #19 | |
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Re: Low oil pressure solved
Quote:
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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03-23-2020, 04:24 AM | #20 |
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Re: Low oil pressure solved
John, of course we all agree, so why are you yelling?
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03-23-2020, 05:44 AM | #21 |
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Re: Low oil pressure solved
Ken, good find and a great thread/reminder. It goes further than a flathead, most if not all our trades people fall in to this "learning curve".
With out proper supervision and being an apprentice of sorts, if you don't know you made a mistake and learn from it you will keep making that mistake. As Sal said best, "mistakes happen, If it happens on a regular basis that's a different story". |
03-23-2020, 06:15 AM | #22 |
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Re: Low oil pressure solved
FYI ALAN, because when I quote someone's post.... I normally type my response in bold so it does not appear as part of the quote.... that's not considered to be "YELLING" by most folks... YELLING WOULD NORMALLY BE CONSIDERED WHEN USING ALL CAPS, this could either be in BOLD or not in BOLD.
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03-23-2020, 06:24 AM | #23 | |
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Re: Low oil pressure solved
Quote:
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03-23-2020, 06:42 AM | #24 |
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Re: Low oil pressure solved
A friend once said, the difference between an experienced and novice technician is the experienced one has alredy burned someone else's equipment.
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03-23-2020, 06:46 AM | #25 | |
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Re: Low oil pressure solved
Quote:
Well, even at the "Big Three", there are Monday cars and Friday cars. Maybe the "apprentice" was on his way to get the tool to press that bushing into the block when someone stopped him to offer a roll of toilet paper or hand sanitizer at a "good price"... |
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03-23-2020, 07:13 AM | #26 |
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Re: Low oil pressure solved
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In the Ford engine rebuilding book it says every engine should get a oil pressure check--- before the pan is put on, a pressure pot is to be connected to the oil gallery, and oil dripping is to be monitored, --- everything should drip, but steady stream is a problem |
03-23-2020, 07:40 AM | #27 |
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Re: Low oil pressure solved
Well shucks, John, as my post didn't actually quote you, how come you're so sure I meant YOU?
EDIT~ I'm just funning with you, John, have another cup of coffee!
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Alan Last edited by ford38v8; 03-23-2020 at 08:05 AM. |
03-23-2020, 07:40 AM | #28 | |
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Re: Low oil pressure solved
Quote:
In this game of big dollar, non-essential toys, most businesses can only afford so many "come backs" before folks start going elsewhere. Let's face, no one really needs a high-dollar flathead. If that's your bread and butter, you better make sure people are getting what they pay for. I'm making a lot of assumptions as to which shop it is, but this is not the first time issues with quality control have been brought up. Last edited by Tim Ayers; 03-23-2020 at 07:50 AM. |
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03-23-2020, 08:10 AM | #29 |
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Re: Low oil pressure solved
And on top of lack of pride in the work or stress or what else it is...we have to deal with failing new parts...
Had a brand new oilpump push out the lower bushing due to the fact it had to little pressfit...thought the days of bad oilpumps was history... |
03-23-2020, 09:18 AM | #30 |
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Re: Low oil pressure solved
Good catch Ken - now miles of smiles for your friend!
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03-23-2020, 01:12 PM | #31 |
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Re: Low oil pressure solved
LOL, or maybe he was on his way to the bathroom, and someone stopped him with TP and hand sanitizer telling him he may need these items because the dispensers were all empty, and as he was taking care of business, somebody pushed the button, and moved the assembly line forward ...
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03-23-2020, 04:59 PM | #32 |
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Re: Low oil pressure solved
I really appreciate posts that warn us of things like that.
Thank Ken. |
03-23-2020, 05:21 PM | #33 |
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Re: Low oil pressure solved
Reminds me of one I was involved in.
I was working at a new car dealer in St.Paul. in 1966 the dealer in Minneapolis sent over a car to our dealership for me to find out why it had circulation but no oil pressure. They had tried oil pumps, rod bearings, relief valves filters, I don’t know what all, but they had given up. It was a three liter straight six pushrod engine. Brand new car, had not been sold yet. The first thing I did was pull the radiator and timing cover. I thought maybe the chain tensioner had been left out. It was in there. I watched the front while another guy turned on the key and pushed the starter button. It fired the first turn and shot a pint of oil under my work bench. It turned out there was no front main bearing insert on top of the crank! The factory had set the crank in without it. |
03-23-2020, 05:51 PM | #34 |
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Re: Low oil pressure solved
Lol at that one^^^
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