[AMC-list] AMCRC event, and...

[tom jennings <tomj@xxxxxxx>]

Got back from the AMCRC meet Sunday night. I was there only for
Saturday, I'd visited a friend in Oakland Friday, drove up first thing
Sat. morning. Saw Joe Fulton, we got into a drunken brawl and the
police came as usual. Umm just kidding. Met Steve Fox, but no one else
who'd admit to being on this list!

AMCRC has a LOT of Americans! Mine was the only breadbox American,
which seems odd to me. Lots of pre-61's and post-63's.

Pretty friendly crowd. I was surprised at the number of people driving
Americans who aren't hooked up to the various online info sources,
there were many drivers with very basic problems that we discuss all
the time, the BW auto trans throttle cable, parts sources, brake swap,
tune up tricks etc. This makes me think that all the little stuff we
collectively know and think is ordinary isn't so ordinary. It should
be put into print (paper) and made available through the clubs, etc. A
book of semi-random practical AMC lore. Matt's cyl head oiling fix
(and how to diagnose that problem), all that stuff.

I took some pics, I'll upload 'em somewhere soon.

Well I got back Sunday night, but my ride home did NOT go well -- lost
oil pressure pulling out of a rest stop onto I5, the desolate section.
I will spare you the incredible nightmare I had with SoCal AAA, it's
too traumatic to talk about still and I ain't no delicate flower.
ANYWAYS. Car got towed how to LA. $$$$. I killed the engine within 1 -
2 seconds of the light coming on.


I assume I sheared the woodruff key. I'll find out when I get the pump
out. So depending on what the problem turns out to be, I have two
possibilities: deal with and fix it, or restore the oiling to stock
configuration. But I think I have another more basic problem...

This motor should not have 60 - 80 psi all the time. It's 60 psi at
700rpm idle, hot, 10W30, even now with 1600 miles on it. It can only
be one of two things:  too much pump volume, or a restriction in the
load side of the oiling system.

Volume: I did two things that increased volume: blueprinted the pump,
and eliminated the bypass filter (which bleeds oil right into the
sump). But it's hard to believe dropping the gear end clearances from
.009" to .002" did THAT much improvement, nor that the bypass filter
with it's 1/8" brake line bled off THAT much oil. I assume the
blueprinting is the larger effect. I wish I knew.

Restrictions: I would be worrying that the machine shop did the cam
bearings wrong, but I recall distinctly the machinist telling me
without me asking that the oil holes in the bearings lined up OK (I
told him to watch for the wrong parts, eg. the 61 oddball year
bearings). I personally looked at the front one. If the crank or rod
bearings were installed wrong, it would have died long ago. Top end
gets plenty of oil.

The bypass plunger and spring should only be operating at "high
speed", 2000, 3000, or whatever. At idle, the pump shouldn't be able
to put out enough volume to lift the plunger. There should be enough
flow through all the journals etc for the pressure to not get up that
high.

So why do I have 60 psi at idle? Was I an idiot to "blueprint" it
without knowing whether there was a volume problem or not?

Should the pump be physically stressed putting out 60, 80 psi all the
time, normal or not? Is that too much stress on a dinky 1/8" thick x
3/8" wide woodruff key? (Yes it was a new key.) Is my earlier bypass
spring problem related somehow? Maybe I stressed/fractured it then,
and it's just failing now. It went out as I revved it to 3000 in 2nd.

If the woodruff key is simply marginal, I could use a harder key, or
mill the shaft and gear for a larger key. Two different gauges both
read the same oil pressure, for the record.


Damfino. Driving the Classic wagon now, always a pleasure.
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