No Oil Pressure

[dgoodhue]

I was driving my truck last night on the highway when all of sudden my check guage light started flashing. I quick figured out my oil pressure guage was reading 0 and the engine wasn't running right. It usually read 40-60 psi. I quickly pulled off the road on the grass (no breakdown lane) and shut the engine down, I was able to shut the engine off within about 15 secs of the light coming on.

A cop pull in almost immediately and he let my use his flash light to look around to see if I was leaking fluid. Everything looked fine, so I tried starting the engine but it didn't sound right, it wasn't spun bearing noise, but the noise was not right. When I started the motor the oil pressure jumped up to 40psi on factory guage and then quickly went to 0 again.

I have about 1300 miles on the 2003 Vortec motor conversion. What could cause me to have no oil pressure? When I did the motor I used a Melling Select Oil pump and welded the Oil pick tube. I supose either on those could have failed. I looked back through my engine build post and I did not remove the bypass valve in the factory oil filter location (that doesn't seem like it would affect it). Bearings? My oil is full, I have no oil leaks.

This is frustrating, I was making good strides in my code $59 tune. If I need to do another engine, my Syclone might down for a while...

 

[WyoSyclone]

Re: No Oil Pressure

Cracked/broken oil pump housing?

 

[Don W.]

Re: No Oil Pressure

Hopefully you and the truck are back home. Cut the oil filter and inspect it looking down in the folds. I agree with WyoSiclone. Another thought might be an oil galley plug came out. The ones up front behind the timing chain are only pressed in although they are commonly staked also. Oil pump retainer bolt coming loose is another thought.

When you say the engine wasn't running right can you describe that a little better? If it was missing I wonder if something happened with the gear on the dist which also drives the oil pump?

 

[dgoodhue]

Re: No Oil Pressure

I added quart no difference, I tried adding a second, no difference. The motor was running like crap like it was timing issue. The distributor has fallen out of the hold down . I must have bolted the hold down on crocked or barely on the distributor (I always double check to make sure my distributor is tight when doing it and the bolt is tight), as anyone who has work on these truck they are sometimes PIA. The distributor had jumped timing (reason it ran like crap) and the oil pump wasn't being spun. I started the engine up and it is running good again, finger cross that this didn't cause any long term damage.

BTW I did ask to have the oil pump brazed, I had it done by a local speed machine shop.

 

[Quickstop [UK]]

Re: No Oil Pressure

Phew - lucky you!

Maybe worth looking at the teeth on the distributor as it will have ground/chipped some off if that were the case. Would they be floating in your pan if so?

 

[bezerk]

Re: No Oil Pressure

damn, my only advice is to cut open the filter, to see if you bearings are still OK. it's only a $5 now, could be $1500 in a few miles

 

[dgoodhue]

Re: No Oil Pressure

Phew - lucky you!

Maybe worth looking at the teeth on the distributor as it will have ground/chipped some off if that were the case. Would they be floating in your pan if so?

I pulled out the distributor and the teeth looked unharmed.

damn, my only advice is to cut open the filter, to see if you bearings are still OK. it's only a $5 now, could be $1500 in a few miles

I will look at it. I have to change my oil now anyways, because I am 2 quarts overfull.

 

[ed hess]

Re: No Oil Pressure

Dave

You may or may not have gotten lucky.

But i just wanted to add totis thread regarding welding the pickup.

But in addition jeggs sells a clamp to add to the pickup tube. The clamp wraps around the tube and then uses 2 of the oil pump cover bolts to secure everything in place.

Fwiw I recommend using both the clamp and the welding.