Finished breaking in my new engine. The oil looks kinda greenish and is real thin. It smells pretty normal, I can detect some gas in it, but I know I was running way rich. That could explain it being thin too,right? There was probably a good amount of carb cleaner in there to from cleaning parts and the cylinder walls. The oil was Quaker State 10w30, ran it for a total of about 15 min, got it up to 200degrees.

After it heated up it had 40psi@1000rpm, and a rev to 5000rpm got it to around 85psi. Good numbers? But the thing is I have a high volume or a high pressure pump in it, I honestly dont know which. My friend picked it up for me on the Summit clearance rack for $10, so I know its not a super high quality one at that price. I used it in my last engine, and that ended up wearing all the bearings, but we couldnt tell if was due to lack of oil from sucking the pan dry, or from running rich and bad clearances. After that happened the guy who built that engine tells me he didnt measure the main and rod clearances None of the bearings turned blue from the heat nor smelled like burnt metal, so that leads me to belive lack of oil was not the problem, so I can keep the pump in this new engine thats done. I hope Im all good to go, cuz my car will be back hear at my house tomorrow, so I can drop this new engine in and have a little fun before summer ends

 

Greenish oil... probably assembly lube?


Why did you re-use a oil pump from a motor that you knew had blown before? Typically any time that you find the occassion to have to drop the oil pan it's pretty standard procedure to replace the oil pump.... so not doing so on a rebuild just makes me wonder... "why?"

 

Yes that does seem pretty dumb to compromise a new engine just for the sake of saving a few $$ for something as vital as an oil pump!

 

why would you reuse a pump of unknown quality when you can buy a new one for 20 dollars

 

It is either the Summit brand or Sealed Power. And it keeps the pressure bewteen 40 and 80, so I know its working properly. I know a guy who used one on his 406sbc and stock oil pan, no porblems. The engines not in the car yet, I can change the pump if I need to.

 

buy a M55 and the mr gasket spring along with an ARP drive shaft

 

If the pan were sucked dry, would the pressure gauge drop?

 

in theroy all the oil would be in the engine and depending where in the engine the oil was would reflect on the gauge reading. if the oil was in the passage where the gauge port was it'd show oil pressure, if it was all in the top end or lifter valley it wouldn't

 

How much extra oil is needed for safe use with a high volume pump?

 

you need a deep oil pan, which adds about 2 extra quarts I believe.


It is fully cheaper to get a M55 oil pump, M55A oil pan sump, ARP driveshaft, and the Mr Gasket #26 spring. This will keep your oil pressure the same or higher than the one you have there, and for under 40 dollars it is good reassurance you arent bringing metal shavings that you cant see (the sandish lookalikes) into your new motor.


For the sake of all that is good in man... replace your oil pump with the one described above.

 

AMEM.

Steve, I totally agree with whan everyone above said. WHY ohh WHY skimp on a oil pump you know has had metal shavings thru it with the last motor.

I had the melling M55 in my old 383
Its like $17bucks at summit.