hey guys. im another new guy to FE engines with oiling problems. i just finished rebuilding my 390 in my 74 f100. just basic overhaul i guess. rings, bearings, full gasket set. any way, when i tore it down it had a bent pushrod. didn't think much of it just replaced it and kept on. now i got it back together witha new oil pump and mechanical gauge. it the gauge didn't budge at idle, and only went up to 10 or 12 at 2000rpm. was making a lot of tapping noises so took the valve covers off and another bent pushrod, not the same one i replaced. thought , thats no good. so took the oil pan and pump off, checked it out, didnt't seem to be anything wrong, so put it all back 2gether start it up and its tapping again wich i think is the hydrolic lifters. but also still has only 5lbs oil at idle and won't show more than 16 at 2000rpm. any advice, sugestions, similer problems, help. much apriceated. thanks.

 

Off hand, sounds like to much bearing clearance. How are you tightening the rocker arms? Finger tight and then 1/2 to 3/4 turn per valve front to rear or vice versa till at proper torque. Also there is one special bolt per rocker arm that the oil flows through. It has to be in the right hole.

 

Did you remove any of the oil gallery plugs when you did the engine work? Sounds like one got left out. There's one behind the distributor that is often forgotten.

 

i have been finger tightening the rocker arm shaft bolts then torqing them to 25 back to front then to 45 back to front. i'm sure i have the bolts for the oil passages in the right holes too. i did not soak the lifters overnight or anything b4 assembly, ive heard this called pumping them up? just figured they would fill up with good oil pressure but seeing as im not getting good oil pressure maby i did something wrong?? .

Im not sure about the oil galy plugs. i had a shop do the block. i was cleaned honed, new cam bearings and all new plugs. would i be able to check this one without removing the manifold?

 

You can check the plug behind the distributor easily enough. Pull the distributor and look down the hole while the engine is cranked over. If you see a gush of oil, then the plug is missing.

 

ok. ill have to check it out. will this work even with out the distributor turning the oil pump?

 

No, LOL. In my exhuberance to be helpful, I didn't think it out all the way. That and I am suffering from a head-cold the last few days. Sorry about that.

You need to use an oil pump priming tool. You can easily make one from an old distributor shaft. Just remove gear, and then shaft from old distributor. Use an electric drill set to reverse so shaft rotates CCW to run oil pump. Engine doesn't need to be cranked this way.

If you try to make a tool out of a socket and extension, make sure they can't come apart, or you could lose the socket down inside the engine. I would think most sockets wouldn't fit anyway.

 

ok. that sounds better lol. i got a priming tool and used it when i got ready to start it before. i didnt notice a gush of oil but i wasnt really looking for one either. ill give it another shot and pay more attention. another quick question though, when i used the priming tool i got a little oil through the rockers after a few seconds then it quit and i couldnt see any more coming out. could i just need a faster drill or think somethings wrong?

 

Something doesn't sound right. When I prime using a drill, it spins free for anywhere up to 30 seconds, and when the oil gets into the pump, you can feel and hear the drill slow down under the load.

At that point, the oil should start to flow, and I see no reason why it should stop unless something is wrong.

Unlikely, but possible, is the oil pump bypass valve stuck open.

If you're going to pull the distributor and look for that oil gush, best pull the valve covers and check for oil flowing out around the rockers as well.

If you still seem to have a lack of oil, it may be time to remove the pan, and check the pick-up and oil pump.

Anyone else got any ideas? Sure seems like he's losing more pressure than merely loose bearing clearances.

 

I use the extension to a 1/4" ratchet to prime, it fits in the chuck of a 1/2" drill, not sure if it will fit in the smaller size. I hook up a mechanical oil pressure gauge and read the pressure while I prime. No electric wires to mess with. On a new build, pressure runs 60 with a drill. Oil barely leaks out of the rockers, if you want to check pressure in the rocker shaft remove one of the bolts.
puttster

 

i took the distributor out and valve covers off. took the rocker shafts w/rockers off, double checked the oil passage bolts are in the right spots, and everything looked ok with the rockers/shafts, it did. then torqued them back down from back to front in 3 steps to 45lbs. also moved my mechanical oil pressure gauge so i could see it while priming. i used my priming tool on an 18v dewalt cordless drill, ran it for about 2min. only got about 15lbs pressure and only could see a small amount of oil coming from the last rocker on passenger side. should i try again with a stronger drill? or any new ideas on whats wrong? i checked the oil gally plug behind the dis. its there+no gush of oil. what would i need to check on the pump or pick up, if i take the pan off?

 

Bearing clearances.

 

Yeah it just drips out of the rockers. Try taking out a rocker shaft bolt and priming with a drill (remember in reverse) even with that cordless drill oil should shoot out of the bolt hole. Another way to check pressure is to leave the oil pressure sensor off and when you crank, oil should squirt up out of that that hole like a 19 year old's xx at a massage parlor.

Low oil pressure could also be due to the weak drill, maybe weak oil pressure gauge, maybe very loose bearings. If a galley plug off the main galley popped out out you would need to take off the manifold and valley pan to see it but if one in the rear was not screwed in you would see the oil coming out from under the bellhousing.

Do you have a deep oil pan but are using the old stock pickup? Is the pickup clean? Did you put a new gasket and tighten the pickup to the block? If it is loose there you can suck air instead of oil. Make sure the gasket, the one with the elongated holes is in correctly so oil can flow down inside the gasket

Could be a worn shaft to the pump. And check the pump itself, might be worn and have clearances or scoring in the rotating parts. I notice the picture in Steve Christ's book the rotor is in backwards, maybe you followed that

Good luck

Puttster

 

tried a stronger drill and a different gauge and got up to 25lbs so i don't think its the 1st gauge, but i still only got a little dribble of oil from the last rocker on the pass. side, is this simply from not enough pressure? is it likely one of the galley plugs came out, could that cause low pressure like this? also what would be the best way to check my bearing clearances? I'm pretty sure I'm using the OE pan. it a rear sump and my pick up goes the the back of the pan. i ordered a new pick up but it was for a front sump i guess, it was different than the one i took off so i just cleaned up the old one and put it back on. i was able to put jack stands on the frame rails and let the front axle droop enough to get the pan and pump off before so maby i will try putting the old pump i took off back on? would this be worth a shot. maby my new pump is a dud? I'm using 6 quarts of castrol. 10w30 w/ 1bottle lucas break in fluid. if that means anything.
thanks