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Pinto: No Oil Pressure Following Sump And Pickup Replacement


Guest boggie

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Guest boggie

Hi all,

 

To gain more ground clearance I have fitted a shallow sump and shortened pickup pipe. Once all back together i took out the spark plugs and turned the engine over on the key to get oil circulating before starting but I have no pressure reading on the mechanical gauge. The oil pump on this 2.1 Vulcan Pinto is high pressure / hi flow and usually cranking the motor produces good pressure and all was well before the swap so i need help identifying what is wrong please.

 

It seems like the pump is sucking air somewhere but I fitted the oil pickup pipe with a new gasket and the oil level is right on the top of the (standard) dipstick so the pickup should be well submerged. I was thinking of removing the rocker cover, taking the distributer out and spinning the oil pump with my variable speed drill to see if oil appears from the spray bar but before I do can anyone tell me why i have no pressure after what seems a simple sump / pickup swap?

 

Thanks,

B

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Guest boggie

Thanks for the fast replies..

 

I don't think the pickup pipe is leaking: I cut it down myself, created a very thin (couple of thou) interference fit internal sleeve that I inserted to cover the joint then welded it up. Afterwards I put my hand over the end to seal it and pressured the other end with my mouth. It was hard to get a good seal with my palm over the pickup / gauze end but it seemed ok.

 

There is 3/4" between the bottom of the sump and the pickup pipe.

 

Cheers,

B

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Guest boggie

I should also mention the engine has not been run for at least six months so the pump could be empty but the filter has not been changed so that should be full. I turned the motor over for about 20 seconds before stopping

 

Thanks

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I reckon turning the pump over with a drill (probably cordless, set to slow)

would be a simple way to prime everything.

Make sure you know where the engine is (eg TDC)

and what position the dizzy & rotor arm is before you take anything apart.

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Guest boggie

Thanks Bob,

 

I hope you are right but even after a six month winter lay-up I would get oil pressure very quickly turning the motor over on the starter. Aside from the shortened sump and pickup the only real difference here is that the engine has been drained of oil for a prolonged period waiting for me to find the time to swap the sump. I wouldn't expect the pump to need any more priming than usual....

 

Off to walk the dog then into the workshop to remive rocker and dizzy. At least by using a drill I can turn the pump as much as I like without risking damage to the expensive engine and having to get it to Steve Vulcan (especially now he is out in the West Country sticks..

 

More soon.

B

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If it's an oil pump pick up problem then from experience if it's the pickup to pump join then oil is frothy at the cam.

I had a gasket fitted the wrong way round pickup to pump and whilst it worked at low revs when giving it beans the gasket sucked in and now air can get in to the oil.

To check this I filled the sump with oil until frothing stopped, therefore problem was high up.

Dropped sump, took off pickup and saw that

A. It was blocking most of the tube

B. The gasket fitted on 1 side by only 1mm

The gaskets are handed left right

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Dry for 6 months might mean a dry pump. May well suck if you spin it with a drill but a prime could help. Had to do that on a zetec. Take one quarter baked bean tin, (eat beans first and wash tin), stick to block where the filter should be with plasticine/bluetack/playdoh (maybe not playdoh) and fill with oil. Wind engine gently backwards a few turns. Oil makes its way back to the pump priming it. Spin pump other way and all should be good. Stop when the tin reservoir starts to fill and replace filter.

 

Nigel

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Guest 2b cruising

Unlikely but it could be the pressure relief valve stuck open in the pump.

Do you know any history on the pump.

Worth taking sump and pump back off and checking the drive has engaging properly, the tube is fluid tight at all points, any seals are fitted AAND not split or broken up. and the pump is actually sucking or blowing in whatever direction you turn it.

Any effort is worth not having a blown or worn out engine.

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Guest boggie

Pump is a Kent high pressure / flow that was fitted when I had Steve Vulcan turn my humble donor 205 block 2 litre Pinto into a full GpA 2.1 175+ BHP beasty. As that was only 10K ago i had not suspected the pump.....

 

However, I bring tidings of great joy:

Took off the rocker and dizzy fitted long socket to long extension and span the pump with my dril set at 300RPM. Nothing initially and after a short while oil started jetting / spluttering out of the spray bar (went everywhere). So I stopped, made a cardboard shield to deflect the oil back into the head and used the drill again until the air stopped spitting occasionally out with the oil and ai had a smooth flow. Interesting to see how much oil flows out of the uprated spray bar at the equivalent of 600RPM, what must it be like at the rev limiter's 7500RPM....

 

While the rocker cover was off I took the opportunity to set all the valve clearances (exhaust on 2 and 3 are a real b@$tard with twin 45s) and dug out the chromed rocker cover I bought years back but never got around to fitting which I have just finished putting on.

 

So, all good. just got to put it all back together tomorrow, get an MOT on Saturday and I'll be back on the road!

Thanks all!

B

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Guest boggie

Bugger.

 

Completed the rebuild this evening, primed the carbs and fired him up. Started on the first turn, literally, and after I balanced the carbs and set the idle the engined settled down to the familiar lumpy / hunting idle of the RL31 cam and the deep burble through the 4:1:2 carbon cans. Lovely...

 

Started tidying up, cleaning around the engine bay etc then noticed a puddle of oil under the engine. There was oil coming out around one of the sump bolts. Not just dripping but dribbling, at tickover....

 

The crankcase breathes through a 3/4" pipe and a K&N filter so is not pressurised. The oil is just getting out around thie bolt so I assume the inner portion of the sump gasket is not sealing around the bolt and so I have to take it all off and start again. I have taken the bolt out, swapped the split washer for solid one and supplimented it with a nylon against the sump, cleaned everything with degreaser and then covered everything with instant gasket and bolted it all up.

 

It's a bodge to get me to the MOT......

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