I'm about ready to give up here....

sounds like the pickup could be sucking itself to the pan as well, however it should go back to normal as you let off the gas.

-nate

 

just pulled my engine with no oil pres. put new intake and carb on and got towed after ten miles. pick up tube came loose. kept thinking what i did wrong but things happen.

 

I'm going to pull the pan sometime this week and check the tube. I put a new gasket on it when the engine was out and made sure it was 'clean', and made sure it was tight. If it can't find any concrete evidence that the pickup is the problem (sucking air, or getting stuck to the pan) I guess i'll be pulling the engine back out.


Harry

 

Just a quick update. I just got the pan off the engine. The pickup screen looks completely clogged with crap (that black crunchy stuff). Even the check valve in the screen was jammed open by it. I'm guessing this has been the problem. It's strange that the engine looked so clean inside when I had the pan off over a year ago. I'll try and post some pics tonight or tomorrow of the screen. Guess all that stuff was just stuck on the inside waiting to come off, never trust a visual inspection I guess:Smarty:

I'm gonna order a new pickup, gasket and pan gasket from T/A tomorrow. Maybe be back on the road next week I hope....

It's a relief to know that it isn't the main's.

I'll update when I get it back together

Harry

 

If you are right there you should @ the bare minimum check the rods & mains.:idea2:

It would not be that much to put new bearings in.

I mean the way you described it was worse than listening to DISCO




SR66:TU:

 

I've seen this happen before...My guess the new fresh detergent oil loosened existing crud which ends up by default in the pick-up screen.

 

Hi all,

Just a quick update, been 'soaking' the pickup tube in gasoline or 2 days. It's not clearing up as I hoped. I guess I'll buy a new tube and gasket tomorrow from T/A.


Harry

 

Industrial strength carb cleaner would eat that stuff all off in about a half hour. Last time I bought some, it cost about $50 a gallon, but if you have other parts to clean and have a pair of rubber gloves you'd be surprised how fast it dissolves the crud. :Brow: Autozone or NAPA should have a gallon in stock......

 

Hopefully the last update.....

Joe, You were right, I took your advice and bought some 'Chem-Dip' carb cleaner. Dropped the pickup into it at about 8pm. Got up at 9am the next morning and pulled it out of the can, it looked brand new!!!.

So after some fiasco's with T/A (ordered a pan gasket set, with the pickup tube gasket in the picture in the catalog but when it got here no pickup gasket. Called T/A and they said it doesn't come with the pan set... I advised them they should fix the picture or put a note in the description that the pickup gasket does not come with the pan set), I finally got the engine back together. Fired it up and immediately noticed I had about 20lbs more oil pressure. Took her out for a ride, I now have 65lbs of oil pressure at 4000rpm vs. 45lbs prior. Had it out for about an hour and did 'jump' on it several times and it all seems fine now. When I got home I had 13-15lbs @ idle vs. 8-10lbs prior to cleaning the screen. It was a really great feeling to be able to put the car cover on it when I pulled it in the garage instead of just parking it and leaving the hood up, waiting for more work to be done.

I'll take it out for a longer drive next week and see if it maintains those numbers, can't do it this weekend since I have plans to go to the Renaissance (spelling?) festival in Houston with the family for the weekend.

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone here for all the help on this issue and so many others I have posted. This site is truly great, and the people here are the reason for it!!


Harry

:3gears:

 

Harry
The stuff lining your oil pick up tube is that Permatex brown gasket sealer .
I just tore down a 455 that I used this stuff on oil pan gasket a few years back and my oil PU screen was 50% blocked with this black stuff and it is the gasket sealer that oozed onto inside of of the oil pan gasket that had hardened from hot oil exposure then fell down in pan and semi welded itself on to PU screen
Never again!!!! Stuff is in the garbage

 

Great news, Harry! Did you see any metal in the pan when you dropped it? Did you pull an end cap and look at a bearing just to make sure?

 

...dont you just love a happy ending ?? :beer

Guy meets Buick
Guy falls in Love
Buick breaks guys heart
Guy talks to friends about his problem relationship
Friends give him good advice
...Buick finally loves him back

 

Yardley,

No metal in the pan. I did pull one main and one rod cap, the bearings looked good and were within tolerances....


Harry

 

Great thread, i was experiencing the same type of probs with my 430, 69 wildcat I bought this past summer. The car didn't appear to have had regular oil changes during its life and had not run in years. When I had the valve covers off I saw grey sludge everywhere and suspected there may be similar crap in the oilpan. I wasn't even going to fire the engine cause it looked so bad but I thought what the hey, I kept doing oil changes and tried every kind or oil additives, straight and multi viscosity oils but eventually just lived with hot low pressure at idle all summer, but the engine is quiet.. (I've had experience with spun bearings) I figured shes a tired engine and needed a total rebuild but its not something I want to tackle this winter with other projects on the go. After following this thread I think I can handle dropping the pan and cleaning the pickup to get me through next summer. thanks for the good info, and great job troubleshooting your problem...

 

I had a similar incident several years ago. Turned out the oil pick up tube had came loose from the block (2 bolts) and was sucking air. Mike D.

 

I have a Buick 350 engine with same problems after rebuilt.I was running 15w40 motor oil and stp oil filter.After driving the car on city my oil lite come on at idle,good thing i was home.With engine off i ck rear main seal for leaks and no leaks.i drop the oil and ck for bearing or metal residue on oil to last drop of oil,come clean.When i rebuilt the engine i have new timming cover new oil pump gears but use same oil pump head.When to store and buy resurface plate.USE PETROLEUM JELLY [VASELINE] NOT GREASE TO HOLD PUMP GEARS,READ INSTRUCTION.After i use 4qt castrol10w40 1qt lucas ,ac delco filter,reajust idle from 650 to750 rpm and test the car.Never oil lite come on.Hope my problems with oil presure help you.

 

Just an FYI - the stock oil pressure sending unit activates (lite comes on) at 4-5 psi and that may be too low of an indicator if you have a problem and are too far from home.

All Buicks should have a good oil pressure guage installed...

- years ago I noticed a drop in oil pressure from 22 at hot idle to 14-15 hot idle with nothing having been changed. I was concerned but it held constant and increased when revved, so I continued to drive it. It dropped again about a week later to 10-12 and thats when I said "OK, something is wrong" and like this thread it turned out to be junk covering the screen.

the point is - IF I didn't have a guage and only relied on the "idiot" lite I never would have known I had a problem and would have eventually had a very expensive repair bill.