[RattVette]

Have a phantom oil leak that I have nailed down to either the fuel pump gasket or the oil pan gasket (finding oil in this area), I will be cleaning both surfaces and installing a new gasket for both

Now on to my question, my oil pressure seems to drop after the engine has come up to temp (normal has been 45 to 50 at idle but drops to 25 to 35 after coming up to temp)

But this said this symptom started when my leak starts to appear, could this leak be the cause of the drop in oil pressure, the motor in question is only 2 weeks old and the oil pressure problem started when the leak did.

Has anyone experienced a problem like this before and does the leak sound like the culprit thats causing the drop in pressure

[DoubleVision]

I don`t think it`s caused by the oil leak. It`s common after the engine gets some wear on it after break in for the oil pressure to drop. Your oil pressure is excellant. Look on the passengers side at the 9 o`clock position of the harmonic balancer. You will see 2 bolt holes a couple inches away from it, one on top of the other, is there a bolt in the upper hole? If not this is where your oil leak is as the fuel pump push rod is in direct line of it.
If there`s no bolt use a short bolt dabbed with a little sealer, if the bolt is too long it`ll make contact with the fuel pump pushrod.

[RattVette]

Bolts there, oil seems to be coming from along the fuel pump, was just a little worried on the dipping pressure since I just built the motor .

I have degreased the engine compartment and will see if I can pinpoint the leak, also I am thinking on changing the pan gasket to a 1 piece instead of the 4 piece as I am thinking the leak if it is not from the pump gasket then it is from right where the front gasket meets the side gaskets

[cobalt327]

Originally Posted by RattVette

Bolts there, oil seems to be coming from along the fuel pump, was just a little worried on the dipping pressure since I just built the motor .

I have degreased the engine compartment and will see if I can pinpoint the leak, also I am thinking on changing the pan gasket to a 1 piece instead of the 4 piece as I am thinking the leak if it is not from the pump gasket then it is from right where the front gasket meets the side gaskets

There is a bolt on the FRONT of the engine that was a holdover from when the SBC had forward positioned motor mounts- that intersects the fuel pump push rod hole. Be sure this bolt is sealed and tight so no oil can find its way out.

This same bolt is sometimes removed and replaced temporarily w/a longer bolt to hold the fuel pump push rod back out of the way while the pump is changed. Sometimes if this is done, when the shorter bolt is put back in place, it will not be sealed or tightened enough.

The results are a leak like you've described.

Your oil pressure is OK, and the leak has nada to do w/it.

Be sure that the filter is changed often during break in- if the bypass has been plugged in the filter mount (which it often- and rightly- is), a loss of flow from the filter picking up debris will cause a lower oil pressure, because having a blocked bypass is forcing ALL the oil through the filter.

[RattVette]

there is a bolt in both of the holes and I pulled the upper one and put some sealent on it, but the leak is still there fuel pump is covered with oil , pulleys belt are clean so is the timing chain cover, oil seems to be on both sides of the pump and right in the front upper section of the oil pan on the passenger side.

[cobalt327]

Originally Posted by RattVette

there is a bolt in both of the holes and I pulled the upper one and put some sealent on it, but the leak is still there fuel pump is covered with oil , pulleys belt are clean so is the timing chain cover, oil seems to be on both sides of the pump and right in the front upper section of the oil pan on the passenger side.

If the fuel pump has a bad seal, it can allow motor oil to leak as well.

[DoubleVision]

If the fuel pump is covered from oil from above then I`d check the valve cover gasket.

[RattVette]

Oil leak solved, bottom bolt on passenger side of the timing cover was loose and oil was leaking there

Thanks for the help guys