850 low oil pressure

[Arachnd]

Thanks - that's nice and straightforward.

 

[Arachnd]

Confirmed by the test gauge - 37 psi at 1500 rpms cold, 5 psi at 1500 hot. Is there any chance that a new oil pump will fix this? (please?) Recall that pressure has been perfect for 9 years until the distributor seized and sheared the drive gear pin and spun the gear down the shaft. Shaft is replaced, everything sounds normal but no oil pressure.

 

[NM850]

Doubtful. But since the pan will be off you can check the bearings. Thats usually where the problem is.

 

[Arachnd]

Rods? Mains? Both? Now I'm also wondering if, since the cam would have gotten a nasty jolt when it sheared that pin, could the bearing on that end have somehow gotten out of shape? It's just hard to grasp that the crank bearings could have been damaged in about a 2-second event when that distributor seized up.

 

[NM850]

Yes the oil runs through the center cam bearing so that can be a source of low pressure. Fingers crossed the pump will fix it

 

[Arachnd]

Problem solved! I gotta get a new mechanic... Dropped the pan again to replace the oil pump. Went to disconnect the oil delivery pipe from the front main, and discovered that I had never finished tightening it in the previous reassembly. Tightened that up, reassembled again, and everything is just like it always was - 60+ at idle cold, 20+ hot.

Thanks everybody for your thoughts and support. It was nice not to be in it alone.