flathead ran with no oil
 

A pal brought his 50 Ford over this afternoon.He went to leave and it wouldn't start.Checked spark and petrol and all fine.
I stuck a spanner on the crank to rotate engine to get TDC to check if timing was out and i could barely move the spanner
It started cranking slower and slower and then the engine started squeaking.
turns out there was no oil in it whatsoever.
He's left it here and I was going to stick some oil in it and give it a try but not holding my breath
any thoughts appreciated
Thanks
Neil

Re: flathead ran with no oil
 

Where'd the oil go?

Re: flathead ran with no oil
 

looks like a stripped sump plug.I've seen the car loads of times and no smoke so not burned it

Re: flathead ran with no oil
 

If you can put some oil down the cylinders, and force some into the oil galley thru the pressure sender port, you could get it running again.

Re: flathead ran with no oil
 

I'd lube the pistons through the plug holes in addition to adding oil, then turn it by hand with plugs out just to see if it turns freely. If it does maybe crank it with the starter and plugs out to pump the oil through the bearings unless you have a pre-oiler, then use that. Its a crap shoot anyway.

Re: flathead ran with no oil
 

I hate to say it, but there is probably a good reason it started cranking slower and slower and then started squeaking - probably ruined bearings and journals.

Re: flathead ran with no oil
 

How did the motor/engine sound when he arrived?

Re: flathead ran with no oil
 

he had parked up and knocked on my door so didn't hear it
you never know, it may run but was very tight on the crank

Re: flathead ran with no oil
 

Just curious. How far did he drive it this afternoon?

Re: flathead ran with no oil
 

I know of a new high build motor that the shop was told not to start till the motor builder was there. The shop installed it ran it around a few times to check the trans and brakes etc.
The customer came to drive it away and got to the shop front gate and it seized. Yup oil lines the wrong way around so no oil. Outcome a slight rebore and apart from the block I believe it was new everything else. A big pile of scrap parts , scat ,ross ,isky, etc.

Re: flathead ran with no oil
 

My 2 cents.....don't run it!
If I had stopped when I heard the first noise I wouldn't have burned up a good crank and two rods. You may not be to deep now, don't make it worse. Damage has been done if you heard metal to metal, oil won't fix it!

Re: flathead ran with no oil
 

I think this would be a good plan for getting fresh oil in all the right places. In my way of thinking, what has been done, is done already, and if you're lucky the damage may be slight, or if you're really really lucky, possibly not at all. These old flattys took a lot of abuse back in the day and kept on going. Best case would be you put the oil back in....fire it up and listen for ticks, knocks, taps, and other noises. If you don't hear any strange noises, run it slowly on the road for a few miles and listen again. If no strange noises keep running it. Worse case would be,... if you do hear some bad noises, it's time to shut it down, and then tear it down. JMO

Re: flathead ran with no oil
 

You'll never know if you don't check.
I would oil the cylinders, see if it will turn. Pull the heads, look at the cyls.
Then pull the pan. Pull the front rod throw- 1 and 5. Keep track of the caps.
Look at the crank.

Best of luck

Karl

Re: flathead ran with no oil
 

I wouldn't be able to resist trying to start it after doing as SofaKing recommended above. Go for the gusto....You might luck out!

Re: flathead ran with no oil
 

Petehoovie x2

Re: flathead ran with no oil
 

Dad bought a new 51 Ford. After an oil change, we drove the car half way across Houcton and stopped for gas. On a hunch, the oil was checked. The new oil was not added after the oil change. When we got rid of the car, it had about 150,000 miles on the engine. It never burned oil. You never know. Give it a try as posted above.

Re: flathead ran with no oil
 

Thanks for the replies
How much oil down each cylinder please

Re: flathead ran with no oil
 

It's not an exact science. Just a few squirts.

It's impossible to say, but as stated, it's a crap shoot.

Make sure the owner is present during any attempts to get it going. If you get it going and it turns out to be damaged enough to require rebuild he may blame you. I don't know how well you know him, but just be cautious, or at least discuss it with him.

My wife drove her '82 3 series bmw for about 3 miles after the oil filter popped off. She arrived at her destination and stopped. (What I am trying to say is she didn't break down, or grind to a halt). I fitted a new filter and filled it with oil and some stp for luck. It started up and didn't seem to have suffered any damage.

I got away with it. You might also get away with it. You might not get away with it. It is, as said, a total crap shoot. The odds that some damage has already been done are pretty high.

Mart.

Re: flathead ran with no oil
 

Good point
He's over after work but I'll lubricate the Pistons now

Re: flathead ran with no oil
 

I'd try to pressure pump oil in too before you try to start it. If a shop did the motor, they may have a pressurized can or oil pump rig that they use. Here are a few threads on here regarding ways to do it.

"rumble seat: 3/25/2000 - 2:04:00 PM
Chad: I made a pre-oiler some years ago that works great. I use it to check for pressure leaks on the engine stand and, again, to pre-oil when it's ready to fire in the car. Used a 2 gallon bucket, a piece of strap iron, and a junk Falcon 6 or V8 oil pump with the oil pump drive shaft (most any late oil pump will work), a couple of fittings, and about 4 feet of clear plastic hose (you can watch the oil going through the clear hose). Mounted the oil pump on the strap iron so the pump pick up is just barely off the bottom of the bucket. I vise grip the strap to the bucket to stabilize things. Took about 40 minutes to make everything form scrap parts. The oil pump shaft is turned by a reversible 1/2 inch drill. Connect the clear plastic line to the pressure side of the pump and route it up to where the flathead oil pressure sending unit is located. Dump in 4-5 quarts of oil and start the drill. When checking the engine on the stand, I leave the pan plug out and position the bucket under it so it will catch the circulated oil and recirculate it over and over. I hook a gauge to the block so I know it's getting pressure (about 40psi). After running it for about 5 minutes I let it drip for awhile before I install the pan plug. When in the car, I hook everything up the same way and pump the same 5 quarts used on the engine stand into the engine. I monitor the car's oil pressure gauge while I run the pump. After the bucket is empty, I pull the oil pan plug and let it drain. Then I refill the engine with fresh oil before starting the engine. I save the oil in a plastic jug that was recirculated and use it on the next engine. Several friends have borrowed it and are making their own. Incidentally, be SURE you fill the oil pump gear cavity with thick oil or light grease when you assembly the engine. Many times, the oil pump won't pick up a prime when they're dry and you get to pull the pan and do it later! rumble seat"

This thread talks about different ways and some guys have had luck with just gravity feed.

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showth...iming+Flathead