350 Oil pressure problems! Trouble shooting tips requested.

Good idea!

 

Next to zero oil pressure won't blow anything out.
Best to drill & tap those. Hope you find the problem, I'm curious abt the 108* solid cam performance.

 

I'd bet you can look down the distributor hole and see with an inspection camera. Oddly, this is my second post to recommend looking in the distributor hole with a camera.

 

get a gauge, put a drill on oil pump and you should get close to this I used a 3/8" drill, it starts to get hot if I go over 10 seconds really need to use a 1/2" drill

 

Great O.P.

 

Just re-read the original post. The fella states the oil pan is smacked in, and he replaced the sender because his kid poked a hole in it. Then he had trouble making the new sender work, presumably from the dent. I'd bet a cold beer the old sender was bent up from the hit, and now the new one was too close to the pan..

There's a million ways to go wrong.

 

On my first engine build, i forgot the oil galley plugs. i broke it in with no oil pressure, just the moly lube. after a mile of driving it started ticking, and i parked it and fixed the issue. only lasted 5500 miles before it ate #7 rod bearing. cam was perfectly fine l0l.

 

Hench the need to have a gauge that works and in the car so you can monitor the pressure. A stock motor is going to have 3-5 lbs. at idle in gear on a 350 600 rpm and probably did not get past 40 at any time. I had that ever since I put a gauge on it long time ago. Upgrade the system and get 20 at idle hot in gear.

That is how mine has lasted so long the oils system is upgraded and I use the large gears in my oil pump, which is a no no on a 455.

 

Okay. Pulled it all apart.

No damage to the main bearings. Slight polishing, but that's it. All still are within tolerances and no copper showing.
No damage to the cam bearings.
Oil was in all the bearings.

I can identify no damage anywhere. Looks like I got lucky.

As a result I went back into the oil I drained from the pan and examined more closely.

The parts I thought were bearing fragments we actually RTV/Black Gasket Maker. They stuck to the magnet but not magnetically as it turns out. Only very fine metal particles as expected with no chunks. Whew. Looks like I was being overly paranoid on that front.

Got the new gaskets ordered.

This time I'll clearance the pump AND the oil Pickup Tube. Then I'll make sure I can get oil to the pump before I install the timing cover. Then I should be able to prime the pump. If I can't get prime using my priming tool, I won't be moving forward.

Got lucky the first time, and we'll see how it goes the second time.

Good news is that it only took me 5 hours to tear the whole thing down. I think I'll have it back together in a weekend without rushing, now that I know what I'm doing.

Note: What I called a faceplate is actually this: https://www.taperformance.com/proddetail.asp?prod=TA_1510

I didn't install high-volume gears. That's what I was planning on doing but TA pointed me in a different direction; my info when I first posted was incorrect!

TA Performance (Mike and team) have been amazingly helpful through the process.


Process:
1.) Clarence Oil Pump Dry
2.) Pack with Vaseline and re-assemble to timing chain cover.
3.) Before I put the timing chain cover on the block: Clearance Pickup Tube
4.) Put a little oil in the pan and make sure I can easily vacuum pump oil out of the feed hole on the front of the block.
5.) Assemble timing chain cover and with the block out of the car use my priming tool to be sure I have oil pressure to gauges.
6.) Assemble rest of the engine, drop in the car, validate oil pressure with a drill and priming tool after attached.
6.) Finish assembly. Add the rest of the oil.
7.) Start while I'm staring at the new gage.
8.) Rejoice. (or that's the plan.)

 

Glad everything looks ok!! I know how stressful break-in is, good luck!

 

Put abt a half qt. of oil in your filter before screwing it on.
If you've got it on eng stand, fill it up to top.

 

I like prefilling filters. It helps get the prime started faster and limits the dry run time once you start changing the oil.

 

You can get it about half full. I let it sit and soak into the filter media and test turning it sideways to see when I've got enough.