The Ford Barn

daveymc29 · 05-18-2015, 10:02 PM

I had an oil pump failure. I took it to the builder of the engine and he told me the shaft driving it had broken and gave me the two pieces. No sign that anything had jammed between the teeth of the pump. So how would that be possible? Then today I started the same engine and there was zero oil pressure. I shut it off and pulled the filter, cranked it over and no oil came forth. I undid the line to the front of the engine, pumped a half cup of oil in it and hooked it back up. Cranking with the starter didn't produce oil reading on my gauge, but when I turned the key on it ran right up to 35+ psi, which had been the normal range. I'm told this is a Chevrolet pump form a Chevy six. Anyone have similar problems? What was the eventual cure? This is a full pressure touring engine from Cal's in Oakdale, if that helps. I'm not knocking them, just want to solve the problem. Less that 2000 miles on the build.

Mike V. Florida · 05-18-2015, 10:17 PM

Ask them again. A wise businessman will be sure a customer is happy within the realm of his business. Giving a moment or two of his advice to a customer will pay him back. The customer of course has to follow that advice.

Kurt in NJ · 05-19-2015, 07:15 AM

Eventual cure---proper restoration to original specifications

sometimes filling the filter with oil before starting can prevent the pump from picking up a prime by causing airblock, but it is not likely with a good pump that is primed with assembly oil, do you have pictures of the oil setup, how the pipes are run, did you pour oil into the pump output pipe, or the bearing feed-----in the end did you get pressure to the bearings

Brentwood Bob · 05-20-2015, 01:06 AM

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

I am wondering about the oil gage.
And I have thought how the oil pump could loose prime.
On a pressurized motor the baffle is drilled to allow unrestricted return of spent oil to the bottom of the pan. Then I wonder what seal the oil pump has where it sucks up the oil.
I have an earlier pressurized motor from this same builder with a hole in its side, but complete except for the oil pump, if that would help. It will probably take some doing to get it into the daylight, but let me know if you are curious. I think it met its demise due to misbalanced rods that were welded on.
The builder needs to weigh in on this.

05-18-2015, 10:02 PM	#1
daveymc29 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Danville, CA Posts: 1,554	oil pump again I had an oil pump failure. I took it to the builder of the engine and he told me the shaft driving it had broken and gave me the two pieces. No sign that anything had jammed between the teeth of the pump. So how would that be possible? Then today I started the same engine and there was zero oil pressure. I shut it off and pulled the filter, cranked it over and no oil came forth. I undid the line to the front of the engine, pumped a half cup of oil in it and hooked it back up. Cranking with the starter didn't produce oil reading on my gauge, but when I turned the key on it ran right up to 35+ psi, which had been the normal range. I'm told this is a Chevrolet pump form a Chevy six. Anyone have similar problems? What was the eventual cure? This is a full pressure touring engine from Cal's in Oakdale, if that helps. I'm not knocking them, just want to solve the problem. Less that 2000 miles on the build.

05-18-2015, 10:17 PM	#2
Mike V. Florida Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: South Florida Posts: 14,054	Re: oil pump again Ask them again. A wise businessman will be sure a customer is happy within the realm of his business. Giving a moment or two of his advice to a customer will pay him back. The customer of course has to follow that advice. __________________ What's right about America is that although we have a mess of problems, we have great capacity - intellect and resources - to do some thing about them. - Henry Ford II

05-19-2015, 07:15 AM	#3
Kurt in NJ Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: on the Littlefield Posts: 6,159	Re: oil pump again Eventual cure---proper restoration to original specifications sometimes filling the filter with oil before starting can prevent the pump from picking up a prime by causing airblock, but it is not likely with a good pump that is primed with assembly oil, do you have pictures of the oil setup, how the pipes are run, did you pour oil into the pump output pipe, or the bearing feed-----in the end did you get pressure to the bearings

05-20-2015, 01:06 AM	#4
Brentwood Bob Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: brentwood, ca Posts: 4,249	Re: oil pump again Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) I am wondering about the oil gage. And I have thought how the oil pump could loose prime. On a pressurized motor the baffle is drilled to allow unrestricted return of spent oil to the bottom of the pan. Then I wonder what seal the oil pump has where it sucks up the oil. I have an earlier pressurized motor from this same builder with a hole in its side, but complete except for the oil pump, if that would help. It will probably take some doing to get it into the daylight, but let me know if you are curious. I think it met its demise due to misbalanced rods that were welded on. The builder needs to weigh in on this.