guys i am losing oil pressure!the motor is 454 brand new internals including high volume oil pump.when i first started engine after putting on dart pro 1 heads i had 60lbs at idle.i put a test run come home and next morning i had 30 lbs at idle,listen this is important,when i rev to 3000 it droops to 20 then 10 then five and i shut it down.i start it back up same then,30lbs nad it drops when i rev but regains when it idles.as long as it idles there is no drop but when i rev pressure drops.my next move is to use my oil primer and not start the engine anymore.there is no knock or anything yet so i am not going to start until i find the culprit.any ideas.

Have you changed the oil and filter since these symptoms began?

um no but the oil only has around 50 street miles on it.still breaking in engine.i figured break in oil is good for 500 miles.i used rotella 15w40 because of the extra zinc.i will change it bit i dont think that is the problem.what is that plate under the oil filter?i noticed mine has an after market plate of some sort,its the plate that the oil filter goes on or something like that.there is an allen screw that holds it on.my machine shop guy thinks the pickup may have come off but i welded it on.anyway i am not starting unless i get the full pressure i had before,i will use the oil primer to figure it out.i need help bad.this is an expensive motor.thanks for any info.

Did you use any thick break-in lube on your engine, like moly or graphite? Sometimes the filter will collect this stuff and clog up, so changing the oil immediately after the initial fire-up/break-in is a good idea. Oil is cheap compared to the motor and there's no reason to try to get 500 miles out of the break-in oil.

I would check the pressure with a separate mechanical gauge with a primer or a brief start up. Changing the oil will let you know if you have a mechanical problem such as a bearing issue. If that is not the case be looking at the pump and pressure relief valve.

i just checked with a drill and primer and i get 40lbs with that.is 40 lbs normal with high volume oil pump?remember this is cold.yes i used bg bearing lube.its kind of thick,like the old motor honey stuff.

i just checked with a drill and primer and i get 40lbs with that.is 40 lbs normal with high volume oil pump?remember this is cold.yes i used bg bearing lube.its kind of thick,like the old motor honey stuff.

Depends on the drill RPM. But, I'd be happy if I saw 40PSI before I fired a motor. Try changing the filter and re-prime, see what happens. I've never had one clog from break-in lube, but that doesn't mean it can't happen.

Thankfully, the oiling system is pretty simple and shouldn't be difficult to figure out the problem.

What type of oil filter did you use. Some will collapse with a high vol. pump and cold thick oil if the bypass is blocked off.

No one else has said it so I guess I will...how did u set up the oilpump pickup? Is it possible that it is too close to the pan bottom? It might have moved before you welded it.If it was too close it would starve the pump when gaining RPM..might pull enough at idle but when the demand grows the pickup does not have enough clearance to allow enough oil flow...would drop oil pressure.I put a thin magnet (1/16 to 1/8 in.) in bottom of pan and no oilpan gasket to push the pickup into the correct clearance, then remove pan and tack weld on side.With no gasket and magnet I would guess I had about 1/4 to 5/16 in. clearance.Shade tree, I know but it has worked for me.I would change the oil also just to rule that problem out as the culprit.Hope you figure it out.

this thing is weird.drill prime and 40 psi,i can unhook coil and crank and get 40 psi while cranking,the minute i start engine it goes to 20 psi and 5 if i stab quickly,but i shut it down instantly when it does this.going to pull the pan tomorrow so i can get a solution.i think the pickup tube may be dislodged from pump.

always fram filters,i cut filter and no bearing material but i will see tomorro.any more suggestions?

If you rev the engine quickly in neutral, does the oil pressure dip for a split second when you first hit the gas, then go up with the rpms?

Jody

I agree change the oil and filter after initial break in. Break in oil is just good for break in and should be changed before the car is ever driven.

With that said Fram filters are known to cause 0 (zero) oil pressure readings. The regular fram filters are not high quality. The HP series filters are decent but the plain orange ones you get for $2.50 aren't very good. You might want to go to a Wix or Napa Gold filter (same thing), K & N oil filters are good as well as good old AC Delco filters.

I agree with the post of no clearance between pan and pickup. That will do exactly what you are complaing of. The cranking and priming oil pressure doesn't mean anything. Not enough rpm or heat to cause your issue.

guys remember my motor has been running before,i only changed the oil for head breakin(pushrods,lifters) not bottom end break in.the motor has about 1000 street miles on it so far,all of those with the pro comp heads.i have no street miles with my dart pro 1 heads yet,i just change oil with heads as precaution so i dont get anything funny in old oil.

I would lose the Fram filter for sure. I had no choice but to run one once (long story) and had similar issues. Went to a Wix filter and it has never happened again. JMHO.

Ok, thanks for clarifying the "break in" oil. I assumed it was a new engine or a new cam at least.

Could be caused by the pick-up clearance but, it sure is a lot easier to change the filter to see if that's the problem first.

I agree change the oil and filter after initial break in. Break in oil is just good for break in and should be changed before the car is ever driven.

With that said Fram filters are known to cause 0 (zero) oil pressure readings. The regular fram filters are not high quality. The HP series filters are decent but the plain orange ones you get for $2.50 aren't very good. You might want to go to a Wix or Napa Gold filter (same thing), K & N oil filters are good as well as good old AC Delco filters.

Just my .02 on filters. I used a Fram ultra guard and every time I started my car it would tick for a couple of seconds. My oil pressure was 60 psi cold and 25 at warm idle 50 driving warm. I changed to a NAPA GOLD and my NO MORE TICK at cold my pressure is 75psi at idle its 35 psi warm and driving its 60 psi warm. JUST FROM A FILTER! My .02

changed to wix and still same.would bad bearings do this?i have no knock or rattle.pulling the pan today and hopefully pulling the pump for a cause.

If it was a bearing you would have a knock. You have eliminated the filter as the problem. Next would be the pick-up (either broke off or too close to the pan). If it was broken off I would have expected to see the oil pressure surge up and down as you drove it home (from sloshing). Let us know what you find when you remove the pan. One last thing did you remove the spring from the oil pump before you welded the pick up on? If not that would be a good place to look as well (thought I would just expect lower oil pressure across the board).

changed to wix and still same.would bad bearings do this?i have no knock or rattle.pulling the pan today and hopefully pulling the pump for a cause.


Did you ever try the rev thing I asked about earlier?

Jody

Are you sure your not sucking youyr pan dry? High volume oil pumps do that, atleast thats what I was told.

Erik

problem found,i am embarrased and am pissed as can be.AUTO ZONE has been selling me the wrong filter!i just took for granted they knew basic stuff like maintenance and i thought all big block stuff is different.its not,same filter as 350.sorry but this was my first real big block build,i have always wrenched on one but not complete rebuild.the filters that i got were about 2.5 inches tall,as soon as my machine guy got a look at my filter he said "working on a lawnmower".he caught it right off and well i went one more time and got a k&n hp2002 filter and penziol 10w30 and wham,70 psi at idle.never drops below 50 psi and no knocks.he explained to me that alot of big block stuff was the same as small block.while i was at it i cut both filters and no bearing material but there was a little "glitter" in it.he said it was normal for new lifters and top end.he also told me the bg stuff has also been known to stop a few filters up and no longer than cam breakin should it be used.i feel so stupid,but you know i should go to the ZONE and complain that they almost caused me greif.but i am happy now.thanks for support guys.

That's good news. No need to be ashamed, that's a lesson you will never forget. It was/is a cheap fix and very little labor. No damage to the engine so it's a win/win. Thanks for being man enough to come back and update us.

Erik,
The whole sucking the pan dry "myth" is always "talked" about but, never proven. Where exactly is 6-7qts. of oil going to hide on the top end of an engine? There was an issue with some Chrysler big blocks if I remember right but, not with Chevy engines. I have run both high volume and hi pressure with no issues. The oil drains back to fast to empty the pan.

Wow ..that is great!!! Easy fix. I was under the impression that it was a fresh build with my pickup to close idea. Glad you got it fixed.I like WIX filters myself.

Do you have a Bypass Block off plate between the filter and the block? I had a simular problem due to this. If your not sure check!

Sorry! Never mind me.

problem found,i am embarrased and am pissed as can be.AUTO ZONE has been selling me the wrong filter!i just took for granted they knew basic stuff like maintenance and i thought all big block stuff is different.its not,same filter as 350.sorry but this was my first real big block build,i have always wrenched on one but not complete rebuild.the filters that i got were about 2.5 inches tall,as soon as my machine guy got a look at my filter he said "working on a lawnmower".he caught it right off and well i went one more time and got a k&n hp2002 filter and penziol 10w30 and wham,70 psi at idle.never drops below 50 psi and no knocks.he explained to me that alot of big block stuff was the same as small block.while i was at it i cut both filters and no bearing material but there was a little "glitter" in it.he said it was normal for new lifters and top end.he also told me the bg stuff has also been known to stop a few filters up and no longer than cam breakin should it be used.i feel so stupid,but you know i should go to the ZONE and complain that they almost caused me greif.but i am happy now.thanks for support guys.

What was the oil filter # that AutoZone was selling you?

also glad it was an easy fix!
erik, believe it or not, i have sucked a pan dry before. it was at 60 mph on a 25 mph freeway on ramp (right hand) though, about 3800rpm if my fuzzy memory serves me right. i was very suprised, so i duplicated the circumstance, and it did it again.
Eric B

Eric, You were on a turn. You oil was away from the pick-up. You didn't suck yje pan dry, you had poor oil control. There is a difference. I am not trying to be a jerk about it but, that is one myth that just won't die. The only way you are going to suck the pan dry (meaning pump all the oil out of the pan) is to have plugged up oil drain back hole in the head and lifter valley. Try to pour a qt. of oil into your cylinder head and see how much it will hold. It is actually common practice to plug up some of the drain back holes in the lifter valley to reduce the amount of oil that flows back to the pan, to keep it off the crank, force all the oil to drain to the back of the block.

If your pick-up is set correctly and you have the proper amount of oil in the pan, I HIGHLY doubt you will suck the pan dry on either a big block or small block Chevy.

Oil starvation and sucking the pan dry are two different things.