Re: [Amc-list] recently rebuilt 343 - No Oil Pressure

["Greg DePratt" <gdepratt@xxxxxxxxx>]

Thanks for all the replies...i sure hope it is not torn up.  It wasnt
running for a straight 5 minutes... maybe 15 seconds at a time with
some breaks inbetween. i slathered it with good lube and oil putting
it together. i will take it apart and let you all know.

On 11/13/08, Frank Swygert <farna@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> I missed that post somehow! I'm ranking about the same as Tom --
> "experienced amateur builder". Those two plugs at the top near the front of
> the valley DO have to be plugged. IIRC they are 3/8" plugs, but I'm not 100%
> certain. Those plug the holes that are drilled through the block to the
> lifter galleries (and pump on one side). Without the plugs you were just
> running oil up into the valley. It wasn't building pressure because there
> was nothing slowing the oil's progress through the pump and out the top.
>
> If you used a good assembly lube you SHOULD be okay. Install the plugs,
> prime the engine with a drill before you start it to make sure you have oil
> pressure (the drill may not pump up much over 10 psi before it bogs down),
> then start it.
>
> I doubt you did enough damage to warrant disassembly. If you did, you'll
> know right after it cranks up and starts knocking. You may as well fire it
> up and see. At worst my guess is you took a few hundred miles off the
> bearings (assuming a good assembly lube was used). You should be fine on the
> camshaft also, as there was no oil to wash the lube away.
>
> Make sure you use a good break-in oil additive! With today's low ZDDP oils
> that's VERY important. I'd run the additive in the second batch of oil too
> (in the second oil change). Unless you are using stiffer than stock valve
> springs you should be fine after the second oil change with regular oil, but
> it won't hurt to run a bit of supplement from now on.
>
> ----------------
> Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2008 23:52:52 -0800
> From: Tom Jennings <tomj@xxxxxxx>
>
> Hmm, no engine builers replied... OK, I'm rank amateur engine builder,
> but... that sounds bad to me. The first few minutes are the most
> critical by far.
>
> Usual practice is to spin up the oil pump with a drill and flattened rod
> until you see oil pressure, BEFORE you fire up... or at least spin it up
> until it "gets stiff" so that the galleries are all full of oil and the
> pump primed.
>
> No way you wanna hear this... if it were me, I'd pull the engine now,
> with the assumption that if you don't, you will later, with ruined hard
> parts. Or see if you can get the pan off and pop a bearing cap or two. I
> dunno though, cam lube is dead critical at start up. Did you use
> high-zinc lube on everything at assembly?
>
> Sorry, I think no one wants to say anything so depressing. Maybe the
> more-optimistic will slap me down here. I do tend to be on the paranoid
> side when it comes to assembly.
>
>
>
>
>
> Greg DePratt wrote:
>
>> > Finally got my 343 back together and in my Javelin.  Fired it up and
>> > found
>> > that I am not getting any oil pressure....bummer.  So I checked my oil
>> > pressure gauge and it is working.  Next I checked the oil pressure gauge
>> > tube and also removed the tube from the port.  Some oil will come out of
>> > the
>> > port while it is running but not a lot.  Next we removed the distributor
>> > and
>> > turned the oil pump with a drill, thinking maybe the pump didn't get
>> > primed
>> > properly.  Still no oil pressure.  After scratching our heads for a
>> > while we
>> > remembered that the local machine shop sent the block back to us without
>> > any
>> > of the plugs in it.  Usually they put the plugs back in the correct
>> > spots
>> > before giving it back. We installed all the plugs we had but were unsure
>> > on
>> > the two plugs at the front of the engine under the intake.  With the
>> > drill
>> > turning the oil pump we see a lot of oil flowing while looking into the
>> > oil
>> > fill tube.  Is this the souce of my low oil pressure problem?  Thought I
>> > would ask the experts before I pull the intake and have to buy a new
>> > gasket.
>> >
>> > The total run time for the engine so far was less than 5 minutes.  Do
>> > you
>> > think I could have damaged anthing?
>> >
>> > If it is those plugs that I need to fill, does anyone know what size
>> > they
>> > are?
>> >
> --
> Frank Swygert
> Publisher, "American Motors Cars"
> Magazine (AMC)
> For all AMC enthusiasts
> http://farna.home.att.net/AMC.html
> (free download available!)
>
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