KTM-EXC Posted August 8, 2007 Share Posted August 8, 2007 I recently installed an HKS 2mm head gasket and now after putting everything back together my oil pump seems to no longer be pumping oil. My oil pressure gauge constantly reads 0. After cranking the motor for quite a while I looked and not a drop of oil was on the cam. I also had someone watching while I was cranking and no oil was coming through at all. When I removed the cap on the distributor the rotor spins while cranking the engine. Also when I changed the head gasket I ended up having to take off the timing cover if that could have affected anything. Luckily my fuel pump was not hooked up and Im not getting any spark for some reason so the motor couldnt start and yes the motor has plenty of oil in it. Im not sure where to start looking for problems so any help would be greatly apreciated. thanks rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WizardBlack Posted August 8, 2007 Share Posted August 8, 2007 Just to throw it out there, Big Phil mentioned in another current thread that if the head gasket is installed the wrong way it could block oil passages to the head. How are you determining there is no oil? Via the filler cap and peering down into the top end or by using an oil pressure gauge on the block itself? Also, what is "quite a while"? I have seen some engines take 10~20 seconds or more to start priming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KTM-EXC Posted August 8, 2007 Author Share Posted August 8, 2007 Just to throw it out there, Big Phil mentioned in another current thread that if the head gasket is installed the wrong way it could block oil passages to the head. How are you determining there is no oil? Via the filler cap and peering down into the top end or by using an oil pressure gauge on the block itself?Also, what is "quite a while"? I have seen some engines take 10~20 seconds or more to start priming. Id say I was cranking for about 30-40 seconds and nothing. I had thought about the head gasket blocking the oil passages but I would think I would still get some oil pressure? And Im just going off the factory oil pressure gauge but I know it works. And yes I was looking down the filler cap and there was no oil going into the head from what I could tell. The cam was completely dry. Iv been looking at the FSM to try and figure out how everything works but if my distributor cap is spinning my oil pump must be spinning right? So the problem might be somewhere else? thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WizardBlack Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 Hmm, I think you'll have to wait for one of the seasoned L28 guys to answer for the specific motor. I could see a blockoff of the head limiting the oil pressure to some degree but you should still get it flowing through to your main and rod bearings. I would hazard a guess (sorry it isn't going to be anything to go on) that if the head was blocked off, you wouldn't have enough open discharge for the oil pump to push the air out and start picking up oil. One thing you could feasibly try is to remove the oil pressure sensor and try priming it with someone watching the hole to see if it starts pouring out with that hole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zcarnut Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 Did you prime the oil pump before re-installation? It's a must on the L-series engines. If you did not, then just remove the pump and fill it with oil. Re-install it and repeat your cranking test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GLENN280ZX Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 Just because the dist., is spinning does not meen that the oil pump is...I know I killed a crank and rod on a fresh eng. by not having the oil pump drive shaft properly in the oil pump. There is enough clearence in the dist., drive shaft and oil pump for this to happen. And just to inject, you will have oil pressure even if the head gasket was installed wrong side up. I have a long flat blade screw diver minus the handle that I use to prime my engines with, by chucking it in a drill. You do this by bolting up the O.P. with out the drive shaft. Makes a mess when you do install the shaft..but cheap ins. And after what you have done I think would be a step that I would do. Be sure to check your flats when you go to install every thing or your timing will give you fits when you do get oil pres., and you can't get the timing set properly. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlderThanMe Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 At least pull the pump and fill it with oil... I had the same problem and when I filled the pump I had oil shooting out of the cam within 2 seconds of starting to crank the motor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KTM-EXC Posted August 19, 2007 Author Share Posted August 19, 2007 Thanks for the help. I had also noticed that my gasket was torn up pretty bad so I figured maybe it was sucking in air or something. But most likely by big problem was not having enough oil in the pump. My new gasket came in today so I took out the pump, primed it and put it back in. I didnt attempt to start it because I may have messed up my timeing. With the timing mark on the crank pulley at 0 and at TDC the rotor in the distributor isnt pointing at the plug for the #1 cylinder, but instead its rotated a little bit clockwise. I thought at TDC on the compression stroke all cars should have the rotor pointing to #1? thanks for all your help rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlderThanMe Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 Thanks for the help. I had also noticed that my gasket was torn up pretty bad so I figured maybe it was sucking in air or something. But most likely by big problem was not having enough oil in the pump. My new gasket came in today so I took out the pump, primed it and put it back in. I didnt attempt to start it because I may have messed up my timeing. With the timing mark on the crank pulley at 0 and at TDC the rotor in the distributor isnt pointing at the plug for the #1 cylinder, but instead its rotated a little bit clockwise. I thought at TDC on the compression stroke all cars should have the rotor pointing to #1? thanks for all your help rob Did the dizzy driveshaft jump a tooth? Mine jumped two and had me wondering for quite a while... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KTM-EXC Posted August 19, 2007 Author Share Posted August 19, 2007 Did the dizzy driveshaft jump a tooth? Mine jumped two and had me wondering for quite a while... OTM, I feel pretty stupid but I forgot that I had bumped the car foward in gear so the distributor was actually in the correct place:twak: But I'm still not getting oil pressure. I filled both holes on the oil pump with oil and spun the shaft around a few times, everything apeared to be working perfectly. I put it back in with oil in it and with the new gasket. I also filled the oil filter and pumped oil into the sending unit hole. And still after all this I am not getting any oil pressure. I removed the sending unit and cranked the car and not a drop came out of the port? No oil is making its way into the head either. At this point I am completely bewildered as to why Im not getting any oil? Could it be something with the pump itself? It worked fine before I changed the head gasket. I dont see how the strainer for sump could be clogged or any of the passages if it was all fine before removing the head? thanks for the help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rags Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 Since you had the timing cover off, did you use a gasket or rtv to put it back on? Something is not letting the oil pump pull oil from the pan. My guess would be the oil passage in the front cover is blocked. One of my friends had this problem but his was a homemade gasket he put between the block and the oil pickup tube. Guess which homemade gasket didn't have a hole in the middle?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KTM-EXC Posted August 20, 2007 Author Share Posted August 20, 2007 Since you had the timing cover off, did you use a gasket or rtv to put it back on? Something is not letting the oil pump pull oil from the pan. My guess would be the oil passage in the front cover is blocked. One of my friends had this problem but his was a homemade gasket he put between the block and the oil pickup tube. Guess which homemade gasket didn't have a hole in the middle?! hmm, sounds reasonable. Im going to try one more thing and if it doesnt work.. then Im going to start by removing the timing cover and go from there. thanks rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WizardBlack Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 hmm, sounds reasonable. Im going to try one more thing and if it doesnt work.. then Im going to start by removing the timing cover and go from there. thanks rob Good luck. Let us know what you find out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KTM-EXC Posted August 21, 2007 Author Share Posted August 21, 2007 thanks will do, Im going to try to get to the junk yard so I can hack up a dizzy shaft to hook up to my drill and hopefully try to prime the pump a little better that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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