New 200 Build - No Oil Pressure

pikesan

Well-known member
Finally... FINALLY got around to trying to start my motor and I'm getting no oil pressure using a 1/2" electric drill to turn the distributor rod clockwise for over 1 minute. I've done this troubleshooting:
1) The oil pressure gauge is brand new with a new sender.
2) Removed the valve cover and I don't see any oil coming up
3) Removed the rocker assembly (non adjustable) and there's no oil coming up from the hole above the #6 cylinder
4) The pump feels like it's moving oil - the drill loads up and there's oil swirling in the dizzy hole
5) With the dizzy back in, cranking the motor -quickly, it's a new battery- no oil pressure is showing on the gauge

My question is... will the drill method work to move the oil pressure gauge? Will cranking the engine for start (no start yet cause I got no spark, but I'm working on that!!) show oil pressure?

Or do I NEED to start the engine before I'll get good oil pressure?

Then, if I should be seeing oil pressure, where do I start troubleshooting?
- it's a new oil pump
- same oil pickup and pan as was used on the engine before

That's all I can think of. Any help is appreciated...
 
This may be a really stupid question, but are you getting voltage to the oil pressure gauge? You mentioned there being no spark, and I'm thinking if you are getting absolutely no movement of the needle at all you may not be getting juice to the gauge to display a reading.

Assuming the sender works on resistance, I would try changing the resistance at the wiring connection to the sender and see if your gauge needle moves. Or you could just disconnect the wiring and test the resistance right at the sender itself.
 
Remove the sender & install a an oil pressure guage. If the drill slows down its pumping & oil squirting out the oil passage for the nose of the distributor.
As previously stated i believe your problem is electrical.
 
I too experienced the same thing on my new build. I think it would be impulsive to start the engine without knowing you have oil in the rockers and everywhere else. I know it's exciting to get to the point of finally starting the engine after a rebuild, but take your time and slow down. Don't throw away all that hard work!

I started out with a battery powered Dewalt drill and ended up killing the battery before getting oil out the rockers. It must have taken a few (2-3?) minutes before the battery died and still saw no oil coming out. I didn't want to wait for the battery to charge again and afraid of damaging my drill (it was HOT), so I went and bought an old corded drill from the local re-use store for $15. Worked like a charm. After another minute or two (at a slightly higher RPM perhaps?) I had about 25 psi on my mechanical gauge and oil flowing as expected.

I also took my oil pump apart during the build and packed the cavity with assembly lube... don't know if that helped or not.

I wouldn't give up and try digging deeper into the problem until you've given it a few minutes of priming. Keep going!
 
Hi guys, thanks for the responses. I'm trying to be patient!! :mrgreen:

I have 12V going to the oil gauge. The no-spark problem was a wiring problem with the Duraspark. Total pilot error. I have not checked resistance at the gauge, I can try that. I don't think I have access to another/mechanical oil pressure gauge. I'll try.

One of my original questions is: Should I get oil pressure indicated on the gauge and oil to the rockers using a drill? (If I spin it for 3 minutes at max drill speed.)

Thanks again...

BTW... if you want to see the build (I can see I put the main bearings on correctly) it's on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p2JX_22cCg
 
Pikesan,
With a good electric drill you should definitely feel it load up and have visible oil to the top end with the cover off. With my used stock oil pump I get 60 psi on my mechanical gauge. I wonder about the prime. Not sure if these pumps come apart but I have always used Vaseline to prime models that can be packed before restarting. Good luck to you!
 
:unsure: Another FYI.When you spin the oil pump,have someone use a breaker bar and socket to move the crankshaft in 90 degree moves until they have done two complete revolutions.This will help to got the crank and mains and rods well lubed.Learned that little trick bout 50 odd years ago.Also make sure all of the oil passage plugs are installed in the correct places and none left out by accident.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo
 
Hi, did you fill the oil filter with oil? The quart or so it holds will take a while at the slow speed from the drill. Also I would remove the oil pressure sender until you get oil from that gallery. Good luck
 
no head on, filter filed plus extra, put the gage on the oil sender threaded port, spun a hex bar in the dizzy hole, & the gage read "go".
no 'dashboard style' ele gage used.
 
drag-200stang":1yzng8k9 said:
Is the oil galley plug in place behind the cam sprocket ?

God I hope so! I'm pretty sure it is.
So as an update... I have a manual oil pressure gauge to use. I'll take out the electric sender and spin until I see signs of oil then put the manual gauge in and continue. I didn't fill the filter first, but like I said, I spun the hex rod for a while. Next time, I'll spin it longer!

I'll keep you posted.
I rewired the car and unfortunately had messed up some things. That's the heart of the electrical mess and no-spark condition. I'm waiting for a new Duraspark box, then I should be ready to go.

thanks everyone! (y)
 
78 granada":1jddv8j2 said:
Pikesan,
With a good electric drill you should definitely feel it load up and have visible oil to the top end with the cover off. With my used stock oil pump I get 60 psi on my mechanical gauge. I wonder about the prime. Not sure if these pumps come apart but I have always used Vaseline to prime models that can be packed before restarting. Good luck to you!

this. if you didnt prime the oil pump before installing it, then you are going to have to prime it using the drill method, and that can take awhile. filling the filer takes but a few seconds.

one other thing, on a number of engines, you need the distributor body, the lower part in the block, in place before you will see oil pressure at the gauge. the distributor body directs oil around that area for gear lube, and shaft lube, and in some cases timing chain lube. if you look down the distributor hole, you might see an oil galley hole. if so then take an old distributor and modify it so that you can prime the oil pump.
 
"...I have a manual oil pressure gauge to use. I'll take out the electric sender and spin until I see signs of oil then put the manual gauge in and continue. I didn't fill the filter first…"
dat's da ticket!
less probs in the mix
 
Hi again, if you take the filter off to fill it (I would) you can use a squirt can to prime the pump through the main passage that the filter spins onto. Squirt away. Good luck
 
Good news is... the engine started. Bad is... no oil pressure. I'm getting a new pump today. Gonna drop the pan. Anything else you'd do before then?
 
Update: I pulled off the oil filter. It was full of oil. I spun the oil pump shaft (5/16) for an instant and oil came shooting out. The pump is working. Replaced the filter with an new FL-1A. Spun the oil pump shaft and NOTHING.

Are there oil galley plugs in the front and the back of the motor? If the ones in the back were missing, wouldn't there be oil spilling everywhere?
Thanks!
 
One behind the timing gear & just above the camshaft thrust plate. If the rear plug was left out, you would have 4QT's of oil on your garage floor.
If you installed a late model head & milled it .070" has nothing to do with your current issue, but if you are using a oil fed rocker arm shaft make sure you grind the cavity in the LRr of the head which allows oil to flow to the rocker arm shaft. Milling the head reduces the surface area of this oil passage to the rockers.
 
wsa111":vjw9l2f3 said:
One behind the timing gear & just above the camshaft thrust plate. If the rear plug was left out, you would have 4QT's of oil on your garage floor.
If you installed a late model head & milled it .070" has nothing to do with your current issue, but if you are using a oil fed rocker arm shaft make sure you grind the cavity in the rr of the head which allows oil to flow to the rocker arm shaft. Milling the head reduces the surface area of this oil passage to the rockers.
Drier's side rear head bolt/stud: peanut/kidney shaped (#11 pg 44 in "Handbook")...
 
Chad, would that cause low or no oil pressure? Anyone got a picture of the kidney/peanut shaped head bolt?
Thanks!
 
"... (#11 bolt/stud, pg 44 in "Handbook")……"
 
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