Oil Change Problem

[healeyblue]

I agree with Randy. I once pulled an intake off a chevy v8 engine that the owner religiously changed his oil and he used Quaker State. It had about 2 inches thick of sludge with the consistency of wax. I have always been a Castrol fan and never had sludge problems, even on the neglected cars when I was young and poorer.

 

[John Turney]

Doing a search, I came up with this thread. A friend is having low oil pressure problems, and after redoing the rocker shaft and the relief valve, changed the oil pump for a new one. No improvement in the oil pressure. Yesterday, we pulled the new "County" oil pump and checked the clearances. They were as bad as the old pump, and the gears looked like they were cast instead of machined. Rotating the two pumps (he still had the old one) by hand, the old pump was smoother and tighter.

Does any one besides DRW make a good 6-cyl oil pump?

BTW, we looked at one of the main bearings - he's due for a rebuild.

 

[John Turney]

I agree with Randy. I once pulled an intake off a chevy v8 engine that the owner religiously changed his oil and he used Quaker State. It had about 2 inches thick of sludge with the consistency of wax. I have always been a Castrol fan and never had sludge problems, even on the neglected cars when I was young and poorer.

Quaker State is refined from Pennsylvania crude oil, which is a paraffin crude oil base (think paraffin candles). Other oils have an asphalt crude oil base. Different dinosaurs, I guess.

 

[jman15]

Michael, what you describe happens to me all the time when I change the oil filter on my BJ8 with the spin on filter. This was the recommendation from our tech guy on this subject that I found to be very helpful and works every time:

PLEASE NOTE: The process of filling the crankcase with the spin-on filter NOT installed is important. There is a check valve built into the spin-on filter which will ‘air lock’ and not allow the fresh oil to enter the oil pump if the filter is installed before the oil is filled.

After the oil is filled, install the mostly oil-filled spin-on filter (Oil Filter models for the “spin on” units include: Mobil 1’s M1-209, K&N’s HP2009 and Fram’s PH3600).

Disconnect the White wire with the Black Stripe from the coil to distributor (stock ignition system) so the engine will not fire. Run the starter until you see oil pressure register on the gauge. Once the engine shows oil pressure, reconnect the wire, start the engine and verify there are no leaks at the filter or drain plug.

NOTE: If your engine oil pump pressure will not come up with about 15 to 20 seconds on initial crank and you have a spin-on filter, unscrew it until it is not firmly against the adapter, then crank the engine while watching for oil to flow out. When oil does flow out, immediately re-tighten the filter and then crank it again until oil pressure registers on the gauge. Once it does, reconnect the wire and start the engine.

After the engine has passed the leak check, drive for a few miles to thoroughly dilute any old oil which remained in the engine, then park it for the winter, disconnect the battery.

 

[nevets]

Probably a long shot but easy to do, but have you tried installing a different oil filter (even the old one), in case the new filter was defective in some way?

 

[Bob_Spidell]

re: "... There is a check valve built into the spin-on filter which will ‘air lock’ and not allow the fresh oil to enter the oil pump if the filter is installed before the oil is filled."

Sorry, but this makes no sense to me. The pump is in the sump () and will be bathed in oil when it's filled whether the filter is on or not. With the engine running, the pump will/should pump oil through the filter--under pressure, up to 50PSI or more with a cold engine--and into the upper galleries (some will prime the pump before startup, but I've not heard of a convenient way to do it, at least on Healeys). I have two Healeys with spin-on adapters, I always install the filter before refilling the sump--through the filler cap on the valve cover, from which it drains directly into the sump--and have never had this problem in several dozen oil changes (I usually get full oil pressure within 5 seconds of startup after a change). Every other car I've changed oil on has a spin-on--except the '46 Chevy 2-ton which has no filter at all--and I've never experienced this issue. It's a good idea to pre-fill the filter, if you can, but the spin-ons I use are mounted parallel to the ground, and you can't get much more than half a fill without losing some when you reinstall, so I don't bother. Most spin-ons have an anti-drainback valve made of silicone rubber, which is soft and very pliable, and will not resist oil, moving in the expected direction, under any reasonable pressure.

My first question: Does he have a stock, cartridge-type oil filter? We seem to be assuming he has a spin-on. The stock filters have to be installed 'just so,' and are a real PITA, which is why so many have changed to a spin-on. Filters usually have two 'check valves' installed: One is an overpressure valve that will allow oil to be pumped through an engine--dirty oil is better than no oil, at least in the short run--even if the filter element is plugged, and an anti-drainback valve that keeps at least some oil in the filter to help prevent dry starts.

The thing many owners say to do first is check your oil pressure gauge; when I bought my BJ8 it had little-or-no pressure at idle according to its gauge, then when I had the gauge overhauled I 'gained' 20PSI at idle. I'm no fan of County brand parts (long story), but the fact two pumps have (unspecified) issues leads me to believe there's more or other issues. Did this problem just start, or has pressure declined over time? Does the pressure fluctuate? Could be a blockage in the galleries; maybe, with at least one shot main bearing the engine is just tired, etc? Need more data.

My dad--a meticulous mechanic--restored a '34 Ford 3-window couple, and had no pressure at first startup. He tore the freshly overhauled engine completely down to make sure nothing was damaged, and discovered he'd neglected to install a necessary gasket between (IIRC) the strainer and the pickup.

 

[kozelding]

Doing a search, I came up with this thread. A friend is having low oil pressure problems, and after redoing the rocker shaft and the relief valve, changed the oil pump for a new one. No improvement in the oil pressure. Yesterday, we pulled the new "County" oil pump and checked the clearances. They were as bad as the old pump, and the gears looked like they were cast instead of machined. Rotating the two pumps (he still had the old one) by hand, the old pump was smoother and tighter.

Does any one besides DRW make a good 6-cyl oil pump?

BTW, we looked at one of the main bearings - he's due for a rebuild.

I don't know what's currently available, but I did put a new County oil pump in my BT7 a couple years ago — other than Dennis Welch, it's all I could find.

Despite my fears seeing the name "County," it actually seemed (and, knock on wood, continues to seem) fine. I wonder if they just have terrible quality control, and your friend got a bad one?

(I've read the occasional other complaint about County oil pumps, but I have to think if they were all _that_ bad — like County water pumps of yore — Moss and other suppliers would respond. Oil pumps are kinda vital engine components.)

 

[Bob_Spidell]

AH Spares has oil pumps (no idea if they're County, but they're tested):

Austin Healey Oil Pump | BN4 to BJ8

Suitable for high revving and steel bottom end engines.

www.ahspares.co.uk