BBC Oil Pressure!!!

I have a 540ci rodeck 14-71 blower 47%od brodix heads alum rods 10.5.1 comp and on first startup only had 10lbs oil pressure on idle, running 60wt penn oil..... Not much more on rev, maybe 20lbs... Very concerned about what is going on!!!! Going to drop pan and put on brand new wet sump oil pump and try it again. Also have olberg filter and it had some really small shavings in the screen, is this normal??? Any suggestions??? Also I have went from a 110 fuel pump to a 990 fuel pump and it seems to be running alot richer with the same size pill. THANKS

 

BB Chev low oil pressure

Maybe they forgot to bolt the pump in.... we run a billet Moroso wet pump and maintain 70'ish psi hot with 50 weight oil. You may be missing the restrictors in the block and putting too much oil upstairs. Small stuff in the filter is OK for a new engine but it depends on what material it is, we normally have some bits of copper/ bronze looking stuff from the bearings but they are small and not shavings. The 990 pump flows about 15% more than the 110 (15.7gpm verses 13.4gpm) so it will be running richer with the same jet sizes. Cheers Graham

 

no oil pressure

Is everything getting oil? If so crack your oil pressure line to your gauge. I had one that seemed to be air bound and bleeding the line took care of it.

 

Oil pressure

I took oil pressure line off which is very small copper and blew it out with compressed air... It seems like everything in the engine is getting oil... Where the oil filter would be on the block there are two lines to hook the oil pressure fitting to and at first I had it hooked to the one with a 45 degree angle and now I hooked it up to the one that is coming straight out!!!!! Maybe it will make a difference..

 

I have two blown BBC iron block--Bowtie and World--motors with aluminum heads, 14-71's at 46.5% over with Mellings hi-volume pumps, 50 wt Brad Penn oil, Milodon flat bottom dragster pan. We have about 100-115 PSI on start up and 70 after our 13 sec WOT tractor pull pass. The Oberg screen has a lot of junk on first start after freshen, and normally cleans up well after about the third pass. I change screens after every pass. For what it is worth

 

The only time I have seen oil pressure that low on a BBC is when someone is using a new fram filter. If you are - STOP!!! - and never do it again.
Then put on a real oil filter and watch the pressure rise!

 

Fram filters are bad about water also. Couple of spoons of water and you have a pluged filter. Any time you have low oil pressure always change filter first. Ask me how I know, rebuilt my 5 stage Barns oil pump then found the filter pluged. Use a quality filteralways !!! Bob

 

where are you picking up the oil pressure from right above where the oil filter goes if your up higher the restrictors may keep if from reading correct just just a thought

 

Seems to me that you may have left out a oil gallery plug internally. If you are using that SMALL copper pipe for oil pressure , you should seriously consider throwing it & replace it with a -4 or minimum -3 line & see how a gauge should work.

 

Thanks guys.... I plan to replace oil pump, get rid of 1/8'' copper line and replace it with a 4an braided line!!!! Hopefully I will get all of this done and try starting it again sometime next wk!!!!

 

Replaced oil pump and put 4an line on oil pressure gauge... Now it has 50lbs of oil pressure on idle!!!

 

oil pressure

Ditch that small copper line and put a -4 on it at the front of the engine drivers side close to pan rail you will see a plug there that is where you will get very accurate oil pressure readings at.