why was there no oil pressure? Was it due to no oil in the pan, or is something plugged?

Did this happen on the first start up or was it recently rebuilt?

Lets just start with "why was there no oil pressure"?

 

I would take it apart and see how bad it is. Does it turn over still or is it locked up?

 

Need more info, unless your sure it had no oil psi,but what about the noise?

 

Oil Pump

The noise was a screeching sound, it was a rebuilt long block and I was just starting it up. had run the oil through the engine with a drill and in removing the drill the driver came out of the pump and then slid off to the side out of the gear, so the oil pump was not turning on start up. I thought if any one had a similar experience they might be able to give me some idea of what I would be looking at if I tore it down. I would assume the crank and bearings would have to be replaced but 'm unsure about the cam and cam bearings and lifters as they turn at half the speed of the crank.[I also wonder about checking the block and heads for cracks because it did get hot and 'm sure that they were ok from the builder. Thanks for your input. The engine still turns with a screw driver on the fly wheel. /I]/I]

 

How long did it run for? 2 min 5 min 20 min? Maybe the screeching sound was the oil pump shaft running against the distributor. Hopefully the assembly lube held out for the duration. I would fix the oil pump issue and restart the engine and pay attention to your oil and oil filter the next couple of oil changes before tearing the engine down.

Don't you have any gauges hooked up? The first twenty minutes is the most crucial for the engine living or dying. Get some gauges hooked up and keep your eyes on them!

 

I would fix the oil pump issue and restart the engine and pay attention to your oil and oil filter the next couple of oil changes before tearing the engine down.

i would have done this first.

 

the couple of minutes that you say it ran......was it at idle or higher rpms?

After you get the engine started back up pay very close attention to rocker arm movement. If they all move the same amount you might be okay but chances are you wiped a cam lobe if it's a flat tappet cam and ran for a few minutes without oil. Might not be a bad idea to pull the intake and check out the lifters before startup.

Or maybe disable the ignition and pay attention to rocker arm movement and if you can hear the screeching sound. was a premium assembly lube and lots of it used?

 

As Crussel said, I would fix the pump and try it. If it is damaged, you arent going to hurt it much more. If not damaged, you got lucky

If you can yank the pan and look at the bearings would be a good idea, if not too difficult

 

If the drive came out of the pump you will have to pull the pan to retrieve it - so with that chore ahead, you can then pull rod caps and main caps. If you heard screech noises and had boiling water, you, unfortunately can expect to find significant damage to any and all bearings along with cylinder wall problems. The heads - probably not damaged, but as long as you have the bottom end apart, you might as well check them out - and yep, I do know how expensive gaskets are for this FE engine.

Dave W

 

Hind sight is always 20/20.I should have-I could have,etc.So even if you get it running,the damages are likely to rear their ugly head at some point resulting more damages than if you torn it done now.The sound you say it made,well the percentages are likely the rings making that sound.

Primary question you need to ask yourself.You rebuilt this engine because what the engine was wasn't acceptable.That was your motivation.So now why would you settle for less??.

You could scope the cylinders threw the spark plug holes,leakdown test it,compression test it,pressure test it,tests,test,test.All in all NOTHING REPLACES TEARING IT DOWN AND INSPECTING IT. NOTHING!!!

So you very well might find it to be ok.That is on a need to know basis and you do need to know to protect the investment you made on the rebuild.Without,is just a wishful thinking that can make it worst in the end than it is right now.

 

((with a drill and in removing the drill the driver came out of the pump and then slid off to the side out of the gear))

That means it wasn't assembled correctly in the first place. There should have been a retainer on the pump driveshaft. The retainer when installed correctly, is just below the block hole in the casting, which prevents the shaft from being lifted out of the oil pump. The rod, and oil pump has to be installed together when bolting it up to the block.

Denny - unfortunately that on an original FE isn't always the case. I've owned two where there wasn't a retainer, one of which I did exactly what the OP had happen (a '63 with a 406) but didn't start it without digging the drive out of the pan. The second was a '68 390 in a Torino but I was 'smarter' by then.

Screeching = damaged bearings

Dave W

 

390 fe

Well guys, I made a stupid mistake and now I'm trying to correct it with the least amount of problems but in a manner that will a good job. The engine is out of the car and every thing is off except the pan and heads, so my decision is will I tear it down and look for and correct any damage or will I do some thing else. What I'm looking for is input on what I can expect to have to do if I tear it down and There was no retaining ring on the pump just a short rod that goes into the pump and the dist falls down on the top of the rod to drive the dist. The engine ran for about 2 minutes and I fixed the pum p by dropping the pan and reinstalling the drive rod and restarted the engine that was when the water boiled over the radiator.

 

And did you have oil pressure indicated on the second start, verified by a gauge?

I think the members posting here have given you a pretty good idea what to expect. Possible block damage, crack, warped deck, etc, depending on how hot it got, main and rod bearing damage, crank damage, cylinder wall, rings and possibly piston damage, skirts mainly. I would check wrist pins. Good chance the heads are OK, check them for warp. Pretty much anything that rotates, pivots or slides, requiring lubrication.

 

input

well Thanks for all the advise guys and I have just come to the conclusion to buy another rebuilt and chalk my loss up to experience but I can assure you that the rod will be in the pump and the distributor mounted before the pan goes on, Thanks again guys the knowledge and advise on this board is outstanding.

 

well Thanks for all the advise guys and I have just come to the conclusion to buy another rebuilt and chalk my loss up to experience but I can assure you that the rod will be in the pump and the distributor mounted before the pan goes on, Thanks again guys the knowledge and advise on this board is outstanding.

Hey Mel-my post wasn't for you to build up a entirely different engine,but more so to repair the damages on the engine you have.

 

Ok, but he primed motor before hand. I've ran motors b4 for at least that long with no oil and had no noises. Sure damage but not noises he says, just curious I guess.

 

Believe me, that prime does not last long at all on a new build. And I think it was probably a little longer than 2 minutes. I had more than one over time, where a pump, plug ot something was wrong, and things didn't get oil pressure. It really doesn't take long at all to go dry, build up a lot of heat real fast.
It was probably a high to medium pitched squeal. I know that sound for sure.
And then again, it could be something else. It's something that I myself is familiar with. I remember walking out of the office, hearing that, and hollering at the guy to SHUT IT DOWN NOW !!!

According to 'ole Smokey Yunick, Remember him, 2 seconds without oil, that's a quote from his book!
BB

 

when i fire a new engine up... i prime it like you did.. but then once the distributor is in, I crank it with the starter until I see oil pressure again.. then let the ignition system have power... just for this case...

 

life is too short...

Hey don't beat yourself up over the mistake. Yes its a shame and a waste of money but keep moving forward and enjoy the process for what ever it brings. Life is too short to look back much. Evaluate what you have, acknowledge the mistakes, accept them because they are yours, correct them and move ahead.