No oil reaching the top of the engine...
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 164
Likes: 4
From: Shepherdstown, WV
No oil reaching the top of the engine... Hi all, I am having an oil pressure issue that has me baffled...
Last year my 2004 6.0 lost a thrust bearing. Time being an issue, I bought another engine and went with it. A few months later I disassembled it, had it cleaned and put it together with a crank kit, new bearings, new cam/lifters/pushrods, high pressure pump, and Holley oil pan. Installed it and had no oil pressure...like 5-7 lbs. I checked the o ring, primed the engine, and tried again. Still nothing. Thought maybe the pan was an issue...put original back on...nothing. Replaced the "barbell"...nothing. Put on a factory oil pump...nothing. checked oil galley plugs and camshaft retainer seal, rear seal...all good...no improvement. I have had this *&$@%! engine out and in like 5 times...I don't know what I could be missing. Anyone have any ideas? I pulled the sending unit out and cranked it and oil did spit out, just no pressure behind it when running...Nothing comes out of the pushrods. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated...What am I missing?
I did check the rod/main clearances before installation and they were in spec. Checked and changed the o ring multiple times.
Last year my 2004 6.0 lost a thrust bearing. Time being an issue, I bought another engine and went with it. A few months later I disassembled it, had it cleaned and put it together with a crank kit, new bearings, new cam/lifters/pushrods, high pressure pump, and Holley oil pan. Installed it and had no oil pressure...like 5-7 lbs. I checked the o ring, primed the engine, and tried again. Still nothing. Thought maybe the pan was an issue...put original back on...nothing. Replaced the "barbell"...nothing. Put on a factory oil pump...nothing. checked oil galley plugs and camshaft retainer seal, rear seal...all good...no improvement. I have had this *&$@%! engine out and in like 5 times...I don't know what I could be missing. Anyone have any ideas? I pulled the sending unit out and cranked it and oil did spit out, just no pressure behind it when running...Nothing comes out of the pushrods. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated...What am I missing?
I did check the rod/main clearances before installation and they were in spec. Checked and changed the o ring multiple times.
Last edited by lemans1; Jul 29, 2017 at 02:32 PM. Reason: correction
Like mentioned above, cam bearings could be the culprit. Unlikely, but their could be something blocking the oil passage to the top of the engine.
Is there anyway you can hook up a mechanical gauge and thread it into the port next to the oil pump on the driver side of the block. That will determine if the pump is actually creating oil pressure. I would remove the valve covers, poor some oil on the rockers and down into the lifters before starting and I wouldn't run it for more than 30 seconds.
Is there anyway you can hook up a mechanical gauge and thread it into the port next to the oil pump on the driver side of the block. That will determine if the pump is actually creating oil pressure. I would remove the valve covers, poor some oil on the rockers and down into the lifters before starting and I wouldn't run it for more than 30 seconds.
