The Violator

I did accidentally swap the power steering pressure/return and that made my PS pump very upset! They’re different sized fittings but I changed them to -6AN and then moved onto another project for a day or two... oops.

ThisIsLivin

I see big pressure drops after running hard, but my cooler is small and my oil gets really hot. The big problem is my machinist put too big a hole in the oil galley plug at the front of the motor to oil the timing chain. I still run 40 PSI at idle once the oil cools down below 200, which takes about a minute or two.

mcollinstn

Silicone RTV can contribute to oil foaming if it isn't fully cured.
What bearing clearances did you set it up with?

The Violator

Any sealants were cured at least a week, regarding the clearances, honestly I couldn’t tell you- I got a killer price on the motor after someone had it built then ran into a little financial trouble. I spoke to a friend with t/500 Merc EFI blue engines in a Formula 400 PC... he told me his port engine has shown really low oil psi from day one after a hard pull. He’s over 10 seasons on it with no engine removals.

Cerberus66

Dash gauges suck, NEVER EVER TRUST THEM. my oil gauge is 20lbs off ALL THE TIME. fuel pressure is off all the time. the only thing that is spot on is my speedo=gps and my oil temp. on the above you have the 10lbs bypass pring for sure. and whatever you do DO NOT USE THE SHORT OIL FILTER

BillK

That hole is not for oiling the timing chain, it is to bleed air out of the lifter oil galleys. It would really have to be a pretty gigantic hole to affect oil pressure much.

mcollinstn

2 bottles of ZDDP additive throws up a red flag for me. A high detergent oil has a "basic/alkaline" pH. ZDDP is acidic. You can pretty much dump it into a nondetergent oil and be fairly sure you won't get a weird reaction from it. But, really, if you want to break in a new cam in a fresh motor, I would advise a high quality break-in oil (with adequate zinc already in it), run a filter with no bypass in it, and change them both after lifter run-in and subsequent couple of heat cycles. I like to cut that filter open to see if it catches anything I need to know about. Running a hotrod (more zinc) oil is also a good idea between the break in and the next oil oilchange (at 10 hours).
Kohler and Kawasaki mower oil are great oils for motors with flat tappet cams.
I avoid additives unless I know for sure there are no possible undesired reactions with the existing additive pack in the oil.
For a performance marine motor, I also prefer a straight weight oil (Sae 30) because there are no viscosity improves to boil out or long chain hydrocarbons to shear up.
Full synthetic oil stocks are automatically rated as multi-vis simply because a true synthetic cold flows like a thinner conventional lube while maintaining the hot viscosity as listed..

At any rate,, if you've already run in the lifters, then dump that oil out asap. Keep the break-in filter on the motor. Refill with the absolute cheapest oil you can find. Start it and let idle long enough to open the oil thermostat. Shut it off, dump the oil again, change the filter, and refill with whatever you've decided will be your oil for the next 10 hours. Stop running WOT on your "zinc enriched" break in brew.

Baja Rooster

iTrader: (1)

I used Brad Penn 30w for my break in. 5 hours after changing the first time at about an hour and so far so good. Thanks for the tid bit about why to use straight weight for the break in. I believe the Valvoline 20-50 racing formula has some good zinc for after the break in, Yea?

mcollinstn

Most "racing oils" don't have very much in the way of detergents, corrosion inhibitors,, and acid balancers (blowby is highly acidic and is not great to leave in your sump very long).
Brad Penn break in oil is great. Bit pricey.
4 stroke motorcycle oils and lawn mower oil are, honestly, the best bargains for flat tappet oils. They have effective detergent packages, corrosion inhibitors, and neutralize blowby acids fairly well.
Lucas, Purple, several others have "hotrod" oils for "antique hotrods" and "MARINE" OILS - many of these are SG oils (before they yanked the zinc and phosphorus levels back).
"Racing Oils" can also skirt the API requirements that demand lower zinc, etc.
If you do use a "racing oil", choose one with good detergent and stabilizer package.
Valvoline VR1 Racing Oil conventional (silver jug) does have detergents. The Valvoline Racing marked "not fir Street or highway" does NOT have detergents.

SB

iTrader: (1)

^^^Killer deal right now on 20w-50 vr1 conventional. A bunch if us have bought a bunch of this deal.