Lost oil pressure in a fresh build

[jeepsr4ever]

I cant remember the last time I saw a plastic plug in the bottom of a pickup...maybe the last year was 1974 I cant remember but if you were running fine then it dropped off I wouldnt guess the pickup. I would guess a cam bearing walked out on you, filter stuck, pressure relief stuck, blown out gasket on the timing cover. I would measure from the bottom of the block to the end of the pickup and then from the top lip of the pan to the bottom of the pan. This will tell you if your pickup is not screwed in all the way.

[TKFireman]

I pulled the oil pan again this morning. From the bottom of the block to the bottom of the pick-up is 7 1/4" From the top of the pan to the bottom of the pan is 7 5/16" Only 1/16" difference. Of course that is with no gasket in there. That could definitely be the culprit. So I went to unscrew the pick-up and found that the headers and the passenger side motor mount are in the way. So now I can either support the engine, remove that motor mount and header, install new pick-up, with spacer, re-install oil pan and hope that fixes it, or I can go ahead and pull the engine and strip it down on a engine stand and check everything, all the way to getting new high pressure cam bearings installed. That's lots of work, but only the cost of new gaskets and cam bearings. This is the first engine I have ever built and would appreciate any suggestions on where to go from here.

[jeepsr4ever]

Did you lube the threads on the pickup tube before installing it? Can you tighten it 2 more turns?

[TKFireman]

I used thread sealant on the threads, and if I remember correctly, I screwed it in until it got tight. I may can tighten it, but again, I'll have to remove the pass. motor mount and header to do so.

[TKFireman]

Is it possible it sucked to the pan and actually bent the tube slightly and lost some clearance? I put modeling clay on it and sat the pan in place to test the fit when I was first assembling it, seems like I had plenty of clearance, however I don't recall the exact amount.

[tufcj]

I'd just MIG a nut to it. Be very careful not to get any spatter in the engine or pickup. Normal engine vibration could let it drop if it was marginal to begin with.

Bob
tufcj

[tufcj]

Another thing I thought of is that I've seen the tube on the pickup stress crack at the bends. It will suck air thru the crack. Inspect the tube carefully.

Bob
tufcj

[TKFireman]

I'll inspect it, try to make sure its sealed to the block,and make a spacer of some sort for it. Think I might order the steel midplate set with thin gaskets too, seems like a good price for extra insurance, what does the oil filter bypass plug do for your engine?

[tufcj]

The oil filter bypass is just supposed to open if the filter is constricted enough that oil can't pass thru it. Dirty filter, bad media, etc. It does let unfiltered oil back into the engine. That's why they eliminated it sometime in the 80's. Later oil filters adapters don't even have the passage machined.

I use the Bulltear midplate in all my builds. Cheap insurance.

Bob
tufcj

[TKFireman]

I'll order the midplate, .007 gasket and bypass plug, any other upgrades from Bulltear recommended while I'm at it? I assume I get some plasti-gauge and try the .007 and .085 gaskets to see which has the best clearance? What is the optimum clearance? It says these gaskets go in dry, with no sealant whatsoever, is that right?