How to diagnose an oil pressure problem? Bad Sending Unit? Bad Gauge? OR, worse?

[@FastMonty]

Be sure to subscribe for more ... click here; kzbin.info

[@javierkarl14]

That sucks! I feel your pain. Way to work through it. Cars awesome!!

[@FastMonty]

Thanks Javier... part of the hobby. Thanks for the comment!

[@anotherdedchannel]

I can't tell if my oil sensor failed or my oil pump. I caught it when it happened as luckily I was watching the gauges in my driveway. Second engine and it's not looking good. It's got me down and I dont think there will be a third if this one let's go. You couldn't have turned the engine off any faster as it was instant when pressure dropped. I'm just depressed and feel like I'm going to blow a second engine despite taking every precaution possible.

[@FastMonty]

I feel you... I felt the same when I found my shattered lifter, and even worse after this video... as it was my fault. Anyway, I hope it's your sending unit/gauge. Thoughts and prayers to the wrenching gods for you!

[@andrer3854]

Man I feel for you brother. I am ready for you to get that 🐐 going strong 💪without malfunction. I am still set on pontiac power.

[@FastMonty]

Thanks A Rob! Yeah, we'll see what I did wrong... another learning experience.

[@andrer3854]

Yes sir Ee are all learning

[@jsnmrphy]

Love your video's, sorry to hear about your oil pressure/glittery oil issue. you have some great content. keep it coming!!

[@FastMonty]

Thanks Jason... yeah, a part of the learning experience... you know me, learning the hard way. Ha, ha... should be fun finding out what I did wrong.

[@stevenb3027]

Sorry to see this as you have put a lot into this project so far, i am in the process of finishing up my re build so if anything i will learn more as you move along

[@FastMonty]

Thanks Steven... yeah, it's all about learning from my mistakes. :) We'll see what happens.

[@gibsonexplorer8777]

I think you are right the pcv problem could definitely clog the oil pick up I have always run a oil line oil pressure gauge to me its more reliable you will get it right I have seen that metal flake gold many times lol on a 289 high po with a nodgaler crank turning 10 grand! We would change crank bearings every five races crazy haha

[@FastMonty]

Yup, agreed about a Mechanical oil pressure gauge, which I just installed. definite re-assurance as to what's going on. Thanks!

[@gibsonexplorer8777]

That 289 I was telling you about was a kick but motor we ran it for three seasons then my uncle sold it to a guy that put it in a fiat lol I bet it would fly then we moved up to super stock you and people like us were born motor heads!

[@FastMonty]

@@gibsonexplorer8777 Wow, that Fiat must have been nuts! ha, ha... yeah, brother. Wish I could do this full time. :)

[@gibsonexplorer8777]

@@FastMonty the guy forgot to lock down the rockers and the a few of the pushrods came out or dented the valve covers at 160 mph then he wanted his money back when it was his fault? My uncle told him sorry but no way! Lol

[@FastMonty]

@@gibsonexplorer8777 Ha! What, no warranty? Too funny.

[@restaurantrewind9026]

Thanks again for going into so much detail. How long since the last rebuild, Monty?

[@FastMonty]

Welcome... it hasn't been that long, but I also didn't do a "Full" rebuild. I changed the cam and lifters, due to the lifter failure, and only did a top end rebuild, which is why I suspect the bearings are worn from before the last build. Absolutely my fault. Won't happen again.

[@conchrisafis2617]

Lov ur videos man bad news with the beast unfortunately these are the joys of pure muscle cars we enjoy fixing em just as much as driving em . 😎

[@FastMonty]

Good point there... it sucks, but I do enjoy learning the hard way. ha, ha... we'll see!

[@gregschultz2029]

Damn That Sucks , I Can See You’re Upset ,Like Any Gear Head Would Be ,Take Care !!!

[@FastMonty]

Thanks Greg! Yeah, another learning experience. We'll figure it out.

[@SidewaysTA]

Oh god Mike, I feel for ya man. I felt sick when I saw all that sparkly oil. I said, Nooooo, he just got the engine back in there. Geez.

[@FastMonty]

Thanks Brother... yeah, I almost barfed too. I'm sure it was my fault... we shall see!

[@paulcampbell25]

Next time its gonna win cant what been away for a minute

[@FastMonty]

Yeah, next build will be done right. Thanks Paul.

[@Hayleyandmadisongrwm22]

I have the same exact issue and just discovered it. But my oil pressure has been slowly decreasing. I’m suspecting crank bearings. Already started to pull engine. Good luck!

[@FastMonty]

Ohhh man... I know the feeling. Looks like we're in this together. Good luck to you too! (I'll be filming the bearing blue printing process, which is painful. ha, ha...)

[@stevebrown6175]

I’ve spun rod bearings twice in two 455’s. 80psi pumps in both of those. My current 433 is so far so good but at this point, I get another glitter bomb in the oil filter, that’s the last Pontiac motor that’s going in my car.

[@FastMonty]

Man, that sucks... I agree. I don't want to see any more glitter bombs either!

[@paulcaruthers9647]

Hang in there Mike, I don't know if the Pontiacs have a similar problem that Buicks do, sometimes our Buicks eat their distributor gear, So if you have a bronze dist. gear wearing down and wearing the cam gear it meshes with? Maybe?

[@FastMonty]

Thanks Paul... I have a composite distributor gear. (And I pulled the distributor already, the gear is perfect) We'll see!

[@craigannettewallace4653]

Sorry to hear your pressure issues 😌 I am going bearings stuffed Oil pump issue Sorry to say I did the same in a Ford .

[@FastMonty]

Thanks Craig... yeah, we'll see... I'm sure there are probably at least TWO root causes. Thanks again.

[@erica8664]

I feel for you. I just built a 389 motor aluminum heads, full roller cam and rockers used all good brand parts. put 100 miles on it. noticed ruff idle did a compression check three cylinders had low compression. yanked the motor out rings looked good, cylinders looked good, heads were good valves were nice on seats. couldn't find a obvious problem. so I rehoned new cast iron rings . Oh I also had some of my friends that are pretty good engine men look over the block and parts and they couldn't find anything wrong. ps i noticed when you were building your motor you put your oil pump gasket on the wrong direction i am pretty sure.

[@FastMonty]

Thanks Eric... now you tell me my oil pump gasket is backwards? Ha, ha... just kidding. Yeah, it's frustrating, but I'm looking forward to learning the root cause and fixing it. (The root cause is probably between my ears) Anyway, what ever happened with your 389?

[@erica8664]

@@FastMonty not really sure why three cylinders had bad compression and a lot of blow by , but I got it back together and hope to put it back in the car next week and see how it runs, keep up the good work and let us know what happens , did you check the oil pressure with a mechanical gauge on the top of the block instead of the oil filter housing?

[@FastMonty]

@@erica8664 Glad you got it back together. I used the mechanical gauge at the same location as the sending unit, to keep things equal. We'll see how it goes... See ya!

[@chadsgmabodies2637]

Monty you running a flat tappet cam or roller?

[@FastMonty]

It's a Roller. So, it's most likely trash in the bearings. We'll see!

[@65chevelleboys91]

Sorry to hear that brother

[@FastMonty]

Thanks Brother... more learning for me. :) We shall see!

[@robertpierce2581]

That was almost certainly caused by the lifter going south. I'm sure if you had removed the crank at that point you would have discovered scoring on the bearings and crank. Hope the new build goes good for you!

[@FastMonty]

Yeah, I'm in agreement... stupid me didn't check the bearings on the last rebuild. I was in too much of a rush rebuilding it... soooo dumb. Gonna do it right this time. We'll see how they look.

[@nachomax1639]

That really sucks. I'm contemplating on doing a rebuild on mine. Re-ring, and new bearings.

[@FastMonty]

Yeah, it does.. .but, I also can't wait to fix it, and learn what happened. We shall see!

[@nachomax1639]

@@FastMonty I think I might be in denial with mine. But it would definitely be the time to upgrade.

[@billmiller5075]

Sorry for your issues Mike Also where did you get your lift?

[@FastMonty]

Thanks Bill... I got the lift from a distributor that's no longer in business. If you get one, make sure you get a made in the USA lift, because the Chinese version use thinner gauge steel. Totally recommended!

[@FastMonty]

Bill, check out Radlifts.com... looks like they're now selling the same lift I have.

[@jamespowers8142]

I hope you find out what is wrong with the engine mike. Just thought I mention Wagner adjustable pvc valves are really cool check them out when you have time. Also what type of oil do you run ? In my Pontiac 461 I found conventional oil works best like Lucus hot rod oil or brand penn I stay away from the synthetic oils but it really comes down to what clearance you have at the crank journals that really will determine the oil viscosity and type you use. Stay positive you will get it going again I’ve been working on my 67 Gto for 8 years and I’m still not finished because of all kind of problems like these. take care

[@FastMonty]

Thanks James! I use Driven HR oil, recommended by Butler. Funny you mention the M/E Wagner PCV valve. I talked to Gene for over an hour, and I'll be doing a video of installing exactly that, obviously at the end of this rebuild, along with a properly baffled Tomahawk valley pan. More on that later... this is most likely my own fault from not cleaning the block very well, after the last lifter failure, in combination with a long term PCV issue from day one. (When I pulled that last oil pump, the screen was completely clogged, but I wasn't thinking much of it, or knew how much Sludge can mess up your engine, until that recent PCV video) Anyway, to your point, it almost never ends, getting our project perfect, which is also half the fun. See ya next time!

[@kimosabbe50]

Well, I guess you can look at the bright side (and I believe you are) ... an opportunity for some new and interesting content 😊👍

[@FastMonty]

Ha! Thanks KimoSabbe! Totally agree... looking forward to learning what happened, and making some more improvements.

[@Rick-O-Shay60]

I'm not buying the pcv issue as to why those bearings are letting go. It takes A LOT (Years of blow-by, or crankcase non evacuation to plug up a pump screen bad enough to cause this type of problem. if even) I've pulled apart engines with so much sludge from non oil changes, with pump screens so gunk'd up and engine still running with out bearing issues. Besides, didn't you just pull this engine recently with a lifter issue? How many miles on it since it was rebuilt? not many, right? Sorry for your troubles brother although IMHO, these issues your having are more to do with how the engine was put together... I haven't been a subscriber to your channel long enough to know who built the engine, if I were you though, THAT is where I would put my focus into. Anyone can have a bad day. Bearing failures such as this after recent rebuilds 99% are assembly errors.

[@Rick-O-Shay60]

Watch this guys video. He explains tolerance stack, and why it's important to understand why it's critical in building engines. I feel your pain there brother. I've been there myself. Stay positive, like you mentioned, this is a learning experience and you will get that ol' Goat up and running again soon! kzbin.info/www/bejne/aJKYgWpuob2ljJI.

[@FastMonty]

Thanks Brother... between you and I, I know I didn't clean the block out very well after the last lifter failure. AND, when I did that the oil pick up was full of sludge. So, the oil starvation has been going on for a while too... that said, I do love learning as I go. We shall see. Thanks for the comment, and sharing the Tolerance Stack video. I'm actually well aware of it. I didn't do the original bearing fit up and blue printing. This time I will, or at least double check a professional, etc... We shall see! Thanks again.

[@johnmilner7603]

And that’s why I use a mechanical oil pressure gauge T’d with the dummy light factory sender in my 70 Z28. Remember that the thicker viscosity oil you run with, the higher the PSI will be at all rpm’s. 8:13 looks like bearing material. That is a pisser!!!! I know how you feel. I lost 2 solid lifter cams in my 70 Z28 then decided to go roller in 2012. BTW I like oil filter cutting tools. Here is mine kzbin.info/www/bejne/jpnLaIqclpx9fNk Proform 664090

[@pontiacontap]

Heart dropped when you started pouring that oil out of the filter :(. The thought occurred to me, when you installed your remote filter setup, did you end up removing or otherwise disabling the oil filter bypass? Many filters will not flow enough volume to cope with WOT or heavy load situations where demand is higher.

[@FastMonty]

Yeah, a big bummer. Good thought about the lack of bypass... but, that's only when the filter fails. Anyway, I never told anyone that when I tore apart the motor when the lifter broke, my pickup screen was clogged. (So, bypass or not, if oil can't get through the pickup screen, it's a moot point) I didn't know why at the time, until I recently went through educating myself on proper PCV plumbing. So, I've basically had a PCV issue from day one. Second to that, I didn't inspect the bearings when I was changing the bad lifters. That was dumb. Oh well, gonna do the bottom end right, this time. Thanks for the comment!

[@pontiacontap]

@@FastMonty definitely sounds like that may have contributed. In regards to the filter, even a healthy filter will represent a flow restriction. The factory Pontiac oil pumps tend to flow around 12-13 gpm. The popular wix 51069 for example has a max flow rate of 9-11gpm. So having a filter bypass disabled can still be an issue even if the filter hasn’t failed. Since pressure is flow meeting restriction, chopping off a couple gpm at 5500 rpm can really do some damage. Rocky Rowell’s has a great article online about this. Anxious to see you bring this back to life better!

[@FastMonty]

@@pontiacontap Ohhhh gooodie... more research I get to do. LOL. I'm anxious to get it re-built too! Thanks Brother!

[@pontiacontap]

@@FastMonty it’s seriously terrible!

[@FastMonty]

@@pontiacontap Hey Brother... so, just spent what seems more time than necessary, educating myself on this subject. You're totally right. The bypass valve opens when there's a 20psi difference between inlet and outlet pressure, so during hard accelerating, high rpm, the standard filter can't flow enough to keep the pressure high enough. So, I get it. Now, how to fix it... I called David Butler. He said the solution is easy, get a double sized Morosso racing filter, which doubles your flow rate and you won't see any pressure drop. My issue is now, I don't know if I have room for an 8" long filter. So, I'll be going back to the standard set up, for break in, while I figure out where to mount the long filter. Thanks so much for bringing this to my attention!

[@alfredodirks3537]

Are we guessing which bearing is worse? Might be cam bearing where exploded lifter died. Just a guess. Sucks to see it happen but we might learn something.

[@FastMonty]

Thanks Alfredo... it does suck, I'm sure it has something to do with that lifter failure, because I didn't do a good job cleaning out the block last time. Arrrrg... won't happen again.

[@ryandoe9278]

On empty?? Does your fuel gauge work?

[@FastMonty]

When my fuel tank is empty, my fuel gauge says the same. So, yes? Why?

[@ryandoe9278]

@@FastMonty I’m guessing you pumped out the fuel? I hit 1/4 tank and I don’t trust my gauges past that. Just shocked to see a muscle car all the way to empty.

[@ryandoe9278]

@@FastMonty I like that magnet in your oil filter. And I’m sorry to hear about your engine.

[@FastMonty]

@@ryandoe9278 Ohhhh, I see what you're saying now. No. Just like a modern car, even though it's says empty, there's still a couple gallons in there. I too usually fill up at a 1/4.

[@robertgeary7520]

Great video but that oil doesn't look good at all. It never ends

[@FastMonty]

Thanks Robert... and, no, it never does. More learning for me. :)

[@richardbaker5151]

Oh man, that sucks

[@FastMonty]

Ha! yup. Tonight's video is the tear down, or should I say tomorrow morning's video, for you. It's nasy.

[@joshuanehmer5552]

mannnn Huge bummer

[@FastMonty]

Yup! But, I get to learn what I did wrong... we shall see.

[@brewsemail]

That was quite a bit of metal flake. You should be able to roll in some new bearings from the bottom without having to take the intake and heads off. Murder Nova did a video that shows how to roll them out. kzbin.info/www/bejne/sInLgqONf9GMmbs

[@FastMonty]

Thanks Bryan... the engine still has to come out. After we inspect the bearings, we can then determine what to do. If there's too much trash, the engine has to be fully cleaned. (Which I did not do very well, the last time I had the engine out, my fault) We shall see!

[@brianmartin1133]

That sucks

[@FastMonty]

Sure does. But, we get to find out what happened... I hope. :)

[@brianmartin1133]

@@FastMonty my motor has to come out in a few weeks for a leaking oil pan seal and main so my 400 will be getting built over the summer might end up very similar yours

[@FastMonty]

@@brianmartin1133 Awesome. We'll see how the engine looks... I might be adding a bunch of videos for Short Block rebuilding. :)

[@ashqelon7267]

I think you hit the nail on the head on this, you didn't flush out oil galleys as should to ensure they are clean. I earned this in te 70's and the guy who showed me this "why so" demonstrated the crapped up debris in the galleys. He said LL this black crude machining debris leftover particles, will kill your bearings as soon as you fire it up.

[@FastMonty]

Yup! Thanks Ash!