Now that is funny.:lolhit::lolhit:

formula18 put his question in the wrong forum. Perhaps Ray stays out
of that one.
"Do It Yourself, Boating on a Budget" is here for a reason. With that in
mind though could Ray be sweeter? Sure. But I believe he has helped
many more people than he has hurt their feelings. Sometimes
certain people need a kick in the nuts to focus their attention. :eek:
No I don't think formula18 is one of them at this time.

P.S. Ray - the K&N filter you told me to put in the valve cover seems
to be working. I know it is just a band-aid but that's all I can do for
the moment.

does anyone have pictures of these plugs? when i put the timing chain cover on i remember there being openings going into tthere...i just figuerd it was to keep the chain lubed...

ps... guys thanks for your support and your help...still searching for an answer on the very low flow...oil is flowing correctly just at such a low flow

This is not a great pic, but just above the camshaft, you can see the three plugs. They are press in stlye plugs.

i will check those thank you...i spoke with my engine builder...who built the longblock...he is sending me a new oil pump a high volumeone so hopefully that works...i will check those plugs as well..

I tried to take a video of the drill spinning with the sender out...it does pump out just not with the flow you guy describe...i feel like its losing pressure somewhere...as it won't read on two gauges or reach the rocker arms

if i hold my finger over the sender hole...should i feel pressure against my finger?

Not sure with a small block (haven't seen one in a while) but with a 454 there is plugs by all the red arrows. There is also a couple plugs on the back but if they were leaking you would see oil pouring out the back of the block.

http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/7335/unled10g.jpg

PS, I do it all myself. If I had to pay someone to do everything I do there would be no restored raceboat, Monza, Nova 19, Larson, etc, etc. They would all be filling landfills by now. Hell that's why I moved to floating pins on pistons. Even though they cost extra (30 bucks) i don't have to pay 10 bucks a piston to have them pressed on and wait the weeks until the get to them.

Excuse me, back to more important things
 

I knew I would piss a few off here with that reply and you are right, I am not here to piss people off. I have always been here to help and suggest and contribute to the sport.
So I will just say that in the future I will keep my opinions on subjects like this to myself.
However, I refuse to take my time to run basic engine rebuilding 101 here on OSO. If a boater who is doing engine rebuilding on SBC's and BBC's and he does not even know what and where the oil galley plugs are, he's way over his head and its not my job to get him out of a mess he should never be in. Nuff Said!

Best Regards,
Ray @ Raylar

Raylar, I think you are missing the point. Yes it’s true that some people should not be allowed to check their own oil. And yes us novices screw up a lot. But in my case if I didn’t try and succeed on occasion I would have a sailboat. I cant afford to pay you all professionals for everything. And it has to be said that you professionals screw up a lot also and I don’t care how “professional” you are. A lot of motors go boom every Sunday and I’m sure Jack Roush or Rick Hendricks knows a bit more about engine building then the local race motor builder does. Hell I’ve gotten things from local shops that made me scratch my head and wonder what the hell were they thinking. So then you find another shop and maybe by the time you are my age after a bunch of tries and a bunch of wasted money you find a shop that is good and wont rip you off in the process but now you have to worry if they are going to close or retire and then you are back to square one. Not everyone can do that.
There is times that you have to throw in the towel and go to a professional. I gave up on an 1970 Johnson 6hp outboard this summer and bought a brand new Tahatso (sp?) 6hp but for a Chevy small block? They should be the motor that anyone who wants to know about motors should be working on.
All I really have to say is yes there is a lot super nice boats on here. Just look at some of the poker run pictures. 30, 40, 50 foot boats with more HP then all the cars on my street put together. But there is also some folks like me who want to learn from you. And I’ll tell you, A couple years ago I put a motor together that had low oil pressure and then filled with water. A finger tight head bolt will do that. Crap happens.

Formula18, I would either start the motor or take it back out. Some thing is wrong. I’m sure it’s simple but it’s wrong.
Also I may have missed it but was this a simple refresh or was it rebuilt for a reason?

thanks...its a rebuild with a different block than the first one...

im goign to pull it...i just removed everything...going to pull it this week...

and as far as raylars comments....i wouldnt know of the plug becuase i didn't build the motor...im simply bolting on accesories and simple things...i had the long block built for me...should be simple enough...unless something is wrong and obviously it is...

if you don't want to waste time helping someone thats wants to learn from someone one this site then why are you on it wasting your time on this thread...im sure you started somewhere???? you werent' born knowing the ins and outs of a small block...maybe i would like to eventually be able to rebuild one myself...right now i just don't know enough and am struggling....everyone else thank you so much for your help...ive been posting here for a few years and everyone is so helpful...

I have built some motors but am far from an expert. But I am mechanical engineer and know some stuff about positive displacement pumps (what oil pumps are) and the odds of it being a "bad" pump is very small. Unless it is BONE dry it will self prime as long as it does require much "lift". I am betting on galley plugs being left out because ****z happens. That being said , I can totally appreciate formula18 wanting to learn and budget. IMO the professional builders have their place and I respect their craft, they know more then i could ever dream of. But they also didn't invent the ability to rebuild something adequately.
I think some professionals do get frustrated by Mr. Fix it types but you have understand that there are some very capable folks that enjoy doing their own stuff for a variety of reasons. I once had a guy that runs a local shop (and a very good mechanic) that engineers are worst customers because they fiddle. He didn't know me from Adam, I have built everything from 11 second Volkswagens, numerous automatic transmissions and designed and build some space hardware that is above us right now on the international space station. He told me I cant tune up my boat properly because I am not a trained tech. Really, that's kinda interesting. I challenged him to he choice of whatever troubling shooting contest since obviously I am "worthless" in the marine world........
Raylar, I say either make a genuine effort to help the thread author or be secure enough to go about your life doing what you do very well.

Formula.....maybe you're farther along by this point, but something escapes me from this thread.

If they left a plug out, it would be in one of two most likely spots.

1) Either at the rear and you would see oil dripping out of the bottom of the bellhousing when you are priming the pump (oil in the bilge).

or

2) it would be at the front behind the timing gear. Have you removed the timing cover and tried to prime the pump and see if you have oil flowing down behind the timing gear?

There are also oil gallery plugs externally right above the pan/block joint. Of course, if these were out, you'd have oil in the bilge just like in Option 1.

Before you yank the engine, have you ruled out the things you could fix with the engine installed?

When I primed by BBC's just a few weeks ago, a Hitachi cordless 1/2" drill was all it took to get 60psi on the gauge.

Randy

YES.
Are you spinning the pump the right way? You have oil in the pan? Does the drill "load up" when you run it? It should drag some as the pressure starts to build. If not, you have plugs missing (behind timing cover or under rear main cap,) there is one also. Somtimes missed by inept rebuilders. Check pickup. Does it have a collapsed hose? not sure what you have for pickup, should be 3/8 to 1/2 inch off floor of pan. New pump? or old pump with relief valve jammed open? Main bearings in properly? the ones with holes go in the upper side of the block. A very costly mistake if you try and start the motor.
Stick with a Melling Select STANDARD VOLUME pump, no need for high volume unless you are pushing 500 hp or more, and have an 7 or 8 qt pan.

I agree Formula 18.. some like to do these things but we learn the hard way.. We also learn from friends and from people here on OSO Not everyone is an expert like Rylar but we enjoy what we learn and how we learn,,, Bad comment Rylar:lolhit:

I forgot to hook up one of my oil lines before priming one time. The oil shot about 20 ft in an instant. And this was with a little 3/8 drill on the priming tool. Another time, I hooked up the remote oil lines backwards. Because there was an anti drainback valve in the oil filter, pressure in that line instantly went sky high and the drill bogged right down. These are simple things that can go wrong and the results. Bcause of the symptoms the poster is having, I would guess it's the plug under the main cap or the plugs under the timing cover. All of the lifters are in aren't they? Good luck.

engine building
 

I guess some of these PRO ENGINE BUILDERS were born with this sixth sense of engine building.Just started doing it because they had the gift,never had to ask a question or get help from anyone,HMMMM.Oh I guess that could happen.JOHN SR

I just read this thread and a good point was just made. Are all the lifters in with pushrods, rocker arms, etc? If so, then as mentioned, a plug(s) were left out under the rear main or behind the timing set. The one under the rear main bearing is easy to miss in a SB.
Formula, you should not be able to hold your finger over the hole. It should not only push your finger back, but should blow oil EVERYWHERE. You should be able to sneak out the timing cover without pulling the engine. Not sure about that particular boat, but sometime it's easier to just pull it and work on the stand. You should be able to make 40+ #'s with a decent cordless drill and a standard volume pump. Let me know if I can help.
Eddie

thanks guys motor is coming out this weekend...stripped it down just waiting on using the lift at a buddys house

I had a low oil pressue issue on a new motor earlier this year and discovered that the builder had installed the correct oil pump; but, the low pressure spring. Consequently, my oil pressure shot up to 45 PSI and then stopped. Once I installed the high pressure spring, my pressure went right up to 70 PSI +.

I'm wondering if this spring might be bad in the pump which would allow the pumps internal bypass to open immediately and not generate any pressure.

One more thing to check.

Good luck and let us know what you find out.

why would you not prime the pump before installing,it only takes 1 minute to do,the pump gears&shafts need lubrication,just as much as bearings etc.im not being a smart azz,i just dont understand why you would not do this 1 minute job.:party-smiley-004:

My point has been the same throughout this thread: The original poster has a NO oil pressure condition. Whether or not assembly lube or oil was used in the pump during installation, is NOT causing the pump to not produce oil pressure.

If you take an oil pump out of the box, install the pickup, submerge the pickup in oil and turn the shaft, either by hand or with a drill... the pump will pump oil... unless there is something physically wrong with the pump itself. The pump itself does not require priming to draw oil from the pan. This is not an opinion, it is a fact. When turning the pump in the pan with a drill motor and priming tool, you are priming the entire engine's oiling system... filling all galleys and passages so that all major components see oil pressure the second the engine fires. This procedure has nothing to do with priming the pump itself, with respect to it drawing or not drawing oil from the pan and creating pressure.

Whether or not to put oil or assembly lube in a pump before installation is another subject, but not relevant to the original poster's issue.

u say it is fact that the pump will self prime,you may think it is a fact,but the mechanical engineer at mellings sais you must put oil in the pump&turn the shaft by hand until the pump is primed,fact is,unless you know something that the engineer doesn,t know,YOU SHOULD FOLLOW DIRECTIONS AND PRIME THE PUMP.i have been doing it this way for 30 years,and will keep doing it that way.it is a free country,so carry on,good luck.

can't wait to hear the cause.....:confused:

Pack the pump with vaseline. Vaseline will dissolve right into the oil without clumping. It is also used in automatic transmission rebuilds.

I have packed pumps with vaseline, poured oil in outlet and turned pump backwards by hand, and also used my cut off distributor to prime a dry pump. All methods work. Look for a missing galley plug.
Don't get me started on the Buick nailhead with the hidden double plug in FRONT of the distributor. Oil pressure to only one side of the engine!!??!!
Ask me how I know...

*sigh* :picard1:

Ok, so how is it that the pump your buddy uses in the video picks up, and pumps oil, without first being primed? And, as I asked the other gentleman in my earlier post... How does the procedure in the video differ (as far as the pump itself is concerned) from installing the pump in the engine, filling the pan with oil, and spinning the pump by use of a priming tool and drill? Here, I'll answer: it doesn't! The point is that the pump will pump oil just the way it comes out of the box... whether it be from a dishpan on your bench, or from the oil pan on your engine. The pump does not need oil, vaseline, or anything else, poured or placed in it before it will function. That's a fact... Still.

I'm not telling you, or anyone else, that you're wrong... if it makes you sleep better at night to put oil in the pump before you bolt it to the engine... fine. Myself, I prime all engines by means of a priming tool prior to start-up... thus filling the pump, and the rest of the system, all in one procedure... same end result as what is demonstrated in the video.

My original point is still the same: Original poster has a NO oil pressure condition. This is NOT being caused by the fact that he may not have put oil in the pump prior to installation... he's putting oil through the pump after installation by means of his priming tool. In an effort to assist him with his issue, I felt it relevant to point out that this was not likely the problem... Period. :kiss:

Formula 18, you stated that the oil barely comes out of the remote oil filter. Is the hole where the oil is coming from direct the oil to the outside of the oil filter (if the filter water installed??)

Is there a pressure relief on the boss for the oil filter on the block??? If that is stuck open or missing you won't get much pressure (at the remote oil filter).

I don't think it is a missing gallery plug based on low oil pressure on the SUPPLY from the oil pump. The oil is pumped directly to the oil filter boss through the filter and then to the galleries right? If so it is a pump or tool or pressure relief problem.

Try putting an oil filter directly on the block and try again. That will eliminate the remote oil rigging as the issue.

A dry pump will prime itself. If you pack it with vaseline it will start pumping a bit faster. In any case this is obviously not the problem with this engine.

What was the final answer to the low oil pressure?