first and foremost....ive read all the threads regarding no oil pressure during my search

i got my truck all back together for initial start up and was cranking it with the fuel relay pulled with a dry filter on it watching the front passenger rocker arm with a flashlight for oil squirtage... after about 3 or 6 short 5 to 10 second sesions of cranking i got no oil from rockerarm and the filter is still dry. ive got a full 5 quarts of oil in it. this is a melling high flow oil pump with a new pickup and the correct o ring according to the little paper that came with the pump. when i fit the pump with the double roller i did not rtv the spacers. i was thinking the vicosity of the oil would be too high to need it as the oil pump itself came with no gaskets and didnt have any when i tore it apart.

any advice or things to check before i pull the front diff back out and drop the pan?

thanks

this is on a lm7 turned ls1

 

i pulled the pan and checked out the o ring. looks fine not pinched. the inside of the oil pump is dry other than the spec of assembly lube i put in it. i replaced the o ring with a red one that came with my t cover gasket set, and cut the top off of a quart of oil and submerged the pickup while someone cranked the engine over. seems to suck oil into the pickup a little ways but thats it... any suggestions?

i need help please. trucks been down for over 6 months i need to wrap up this project and get it out of the shop.

 

Did you swap the oil cooler blockoff plate over to the new engine? Whats the history on the LS1, been to the machine shop? Do you have a stock oil pump to try? Good luck and Glove Test and Ground.

 

yes i only removed the oil block off plate to clean the pan thoroughly but reused the gasket with a dab of rtv.

01 sierra lm7 completely tore down and bored to 3.89, stock rods, stock crank, melling hv oil pump, double roller, line hone w/ arp studs, 241 heads patriot gold springs, harland sharp rr, 54-408 comp cam.

stock oil pump is toast. foolishly threw it outside in the scrap pile.

all work done by competent machinist in biz for 30+ years. cope brothers racing... they are famous country wide for their sbc in oval track racing.

thanks brother!

 

Go over to ls1tech and do a search if you havent already. There are several good ideas to try over there. Usually when **** like this happens to me its always something simple and I feel like an idiot for not seeing it to start with.It should be a beast when you get it going, my brother had an iron LS1 in a 67 and it was quick. Union lineman or contractor?

 

Cranking my engines never showed a bit of oil pressure, no pressure until started. Crank it up!

 

i was more worried about the lack flow then the lack of pressure. i was worried when after cranking the filter was still dry...

i ended up pulling the timing cover and disassembled the oil pump. the plunger in the relief valve was dry and would not slide down for me so i put some oil in it and threw it back together. now when i crank it i get a constant oil drip coming out of the oil filter gallery! although its not alot of oil. (i think thats because its not cranking fast enough for anything more.)but i think this was my problem, i should have put some assembly lube in that area prior to bolting it together



IBEW local 77 currently working for potelco a contractor. yourself? and here in wa we are a stick state no rubber gloving as of yet. although we are pushing for transmission live line barehand work for bonneville power.

 

Shop left the dumbell out of the rear of the engine....

 

nope that was my first thought from reading all the posts during my search, but ive got oil pressure now, i ended up firing it up and have 75 psi at idle. doesn't fluctuate much while driving even when the engine is warm it stays about the same.


thanks to all that replied