Again 22re,

I hooked up a mechanical gauge started her up and the oil didn't even make it up the tube. We pulled the tube from the gauge and started her up and the oil made an appearance in the tube but very slowly and didn't make it very far. Pulled the tube and adapter from the block and blew through it and found no blockage.

We loosened the filter started the engine and had oil come out just not heavy.

We've removed the sending unit and had oil come out when started.

I've kicked the drivers side tire and yelled profanities at the motor. No pressure still.

Could it be the relief valve stuck open? I pulled the top nut and relief valve spring and added oil at that point hoping to maybe loosen it up at that point.

The pump is new and is the same as what came out.

Leon, the buddha on the mountain, builds engines and is a hired gun for racing teams diagnosing engines for them at the end of their lives. He will be 80 this year and has been working on engines since he was a boy. he's worked the Nascar circuit. He did my head and valve work. What he does't work on is early model Toys though.
He is stumped.

Any expeience with this problem here on the board? I'm sending these posts from a now absolutly filthy mobile PC phone. It's getting cold here in Denver and my fingers are beginning to freeze up.

Pack the oil pump.
After that, it's possible to leave a plug out somewhere (pan area) that might result in no-flow.

Sigh... Alright, off with the pump. Are there any perticular pump packing procedures I should follow? What should I not do? I guess I pack around the drive and driven gears. Do I also pack through the relief valve channel? What else is there to pack?

Now for the million $ question: why? does the petroleum jelly creat a vaccume and pull up the oil from the pan?

Also should I prime the pump after packing? This would be done, how?

Thanks for your help,
Dean

Packing the pump is a moot point now, and generally not necessary. They don't pack them at the factory where they make these engines, and you don't remove and repack the pump every time you suck air because you were upside down or such.

Packing is helpfull for priming the pump when cranking it over dry on the starter motor. That's a slow spin, and the pump sometimes doesn't do a good job of pulling the oil up initially then. As soon as it starts though, it pulls it up.

You've got oil, so the pump is getting it up. Ie, it's primed. Now what the pump is actually doing, and the rest of the oil circuitry, that's another question.

I'm going off memory here, but as I recall, the back of the oil pump has a seal where it bolts up to the block. If that seal is missing/damaged, you'll be losing oil via that seal and not getting it up to the galley.

At this point the pump will be coming off regardless. I may have left a plug out of one of the oil journals.

If all is fine at the pump the only thing I can think to do next is to pull the pan and inspect the pick up.

ive seen the front and rear oil journal plugs dissapear at machine shops.... you have to check that stuff , i usually make a check list to check off after i pick up a block from a machine shop... if the ***** aint there they better find it... although that would really suck if you just plain forgot to put one in....

It'd be easy for a machine shop to leave out one of those jounals, unfortunately.. Easy to miss on inspection also.

On the oil pump, all I can say is that my experience has been that turning the motor over (plugs out) - I won't pull oil on a new motor. Packing the gears of the oil pump, same situation, I pull oil just fine.

I've read there is a way to force oil into the pump via grease gun w/o taking it off, but I've never tried it and can't confirm.

Pull the timing cover... The oil journal plug was left off of the front of the block.

Looks to be a long, cold day...

Sounds like one of the oil plugs is missing... I had the same problem when rebuilding my engine... left the plug out of the bottom (under the oil pan...)

Ken