No oil in head
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 256
Likes: 0
No oil in head
I Started the lt1 for the first time couple days ago... (bought used).
Ran it for about 20 seconds. Looking inside the valve cover fill hole, and doesnt look very wet. I dont think oil is reaching the lifters.
Now the oil pan has been dented in about an inch on the lowest part of the pan, opposite of drain plug. Could the oil pick up in the pan be blocked??? I dont know how low the pick up hangs so if its near the bottom as it is, i could see this happening. Thoughts?
Checked oil Psi and it goes to 80 and stays there. (i have digital dash being an 87 chassis).
May be dropping the pan, push dent out and check out what it looks like up there
Ran it for about 20 seconds. Looking inside the valve cover fill hole, and doesnt look very wet. I dont think oil is reaching the lifters.
Now the oil pan has been dented in about an inch on the lowest part of the pan, opposite of drain plug. Could the oil pick up in the pan be blocked??? I dont know how low the pick up hangs so if its near the bottom as it is, i could see this happening. Thoughts?
Checked oil Psi and it goes to 80 and stays there. (i have digital dash being an 87 chassis).
May be dropping the pan, push dent out and check out what it looks like up there
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 1,210
Likes: 17
From: When Democracy becomes tyranny, the armed citizens will still get to vote!
I would be inclined to think that if you are getting an oil pressure reading, the pick-up is not your problem. If it has been neglected and left to sit for a while, the oil passages to or thru the lifters could be plugged.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 81,241
Likes: 3,063
From: altered state
St. Jude Donor '05
Dont those have a baffle in them? Oil doesnt really go tearing around in there esp at idle. Hard to tell with the valve cover on really.
If you had no oil pressure youd know. Ding in the pan shouldnt hurt you.
If you had no oil pressure youd know. Ding in the pan shouldnt hurt you.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 256
Likes: 0
45,000 miles on it.
I did not rev it up at all. If i leave the cap off, should i easily see oil. Or should i take cover off and turn it over a couple times.
Mind you the oil is brand new so it hard to see clear liquid, but like i said... it looked dry and i couldnt find anything oiled up around lifters.
AND It sound Great running
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 17,700
Likes: 1,667
From: moraga ca
If there was no oil going to the top half, your lifters will be clacking in a few seconds. If you have oil pressure, you should be fine. As mentioned, you shouldn't be able to see past the baffles if these are stock valve covers.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 2,765
Likes: 5
I bought it from vette2vette. Said engine ran fine.
45,000 miles on it.
I did not rev it up at all. If i leave the cap off, should i easily see oil. Or should i take cover off and turn it over a couple times.
Mind you the oil is brand new so it hard to see clear liquid, but like i said... it looked dry and i couldnt find anything oiled up around lifters.
AND It sound Great running
45,000 miles on it.
I did not rev it up at all. If i leave the cap off, should i easily see oil. Or should i take cover off and turn it over a couple times.
Mind you the oil is brand new so it hard to see clear liquid, but like i said... it looked dry and i couldnt find anything oiled up around lifters.
AND It sound Great running
Been to his shop several times in the past.
He won't sell you junk.
If he said the engine is a good runner,
Then it is.
He has never sold me junk for my 87 vert.
If the engine has not been run for several months then the entire engine oil galleries have been drained of oil from gravity.
It takes around 2 to 3 minutes of high engine idle RPM's( 1,000 - 1,500)
to fill up all the hydraulic lifters full of oil again & up through the hollow pushrods & out of each rocker arm.
Till then,
the engine is pumping air out of each hydraulic lifter.
Brian
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 256
Likes: 0
WE ran it longer yesterday. Had the cap off and did see oil trickling through. I Didn't know it would be as little as it was, but it was flowing 
Yea there is no clacking and we ran it for about a good 5 minutes, revved it a couple times too.
Yea there is no clacking and we ran it for about a good 5 minutes, revved it a couple times too.
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 3,660
Likes: 22
80 psi is the default for the digital gauge when the signal is broken !
Get a mechanical oil pressure gauge on there and see what it REALLY is before calling it "good".
Showing 80 psi means there is an 'open' to the gauge...the sender is disconnected or damaged.
Last edited by leesvet; Jun 29, 2011 at 12:21 PM.
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Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 256
Likes: 0
WAIT ! !
80 psi is the default for the digital gauge when the signal is broken !
Get a machanical oil pressure gauge on there and see what it REALLY is before calling it "good".
Showing 80 psi means there is an 'open' to the gauge...the sender is disconnected or damaged.
80 psi is the default for the digital gauge when the signal is broken !
Get a machanical oil pressure gauge on there and see what it REALLY is before calling it "good".
Showing 80 psi means there is an 'open' to the gauge...the sender is disconnected or damaged.
One says oil pressure indicator (which we had wired up)
other says oil pressure, and i think this is the one we need to hook up.
Going to make that change tonight.
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 3,660
Likes: 22
Yea we noticed this. I had the wiring harness done by Lt1wiring... He had two oil pressure wires labeled and i think we had the wrong one hooked up.
One says oil pressure indicator (which we had wired up)
other says oil pressure, and i think this is the one we need to hook up.
Going to make that change tonight.
One says oil pressure indicator (which we had wired up)
other says oil pressure, and i think this is the one we need to hook up.
Going to make that change tonight.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 256
Likes: 0
Ok got the correct oil preesure wire hooked up. REads good now, around 40 at idle. Checked inside the cap today and the head is all wet with oil now... so yea guess it just needed to work through all the passages again. Engine had been sitting for a least a year.
Anyways... thanks for the help and cheers!
Should be on the road soon!
Anyways... thanks for the help and cheers!
Should be on the road soon!
