TE20 Main Bearings

Good plan to do oil pump at same time. On the Standard engine, the camshaft bearings tend to be where the oil pressure takes a dive on an old tired engine.

Main thing is to have plenty of flow - loosen oil pressure feed to gauge at the block end, and see how much of a 'squirt' you get - plenty and don't worry too much. Additives in modern engine oils will make up for a lot of the wear, and prevent further damage.

Are you sure it isn't your gauge that's the problem? Only reason I ask is that mine gives over 90 with a cold start and then settles to an indicated 15 after a few hours working - and I would say that mine was not brilliant for oil pressure.

No engine would live long if there really was only 1lb of pressure - so my gut feeling is to replace the gauge first, and see if you achieve a miracle cure. Those old gauges were never that accurate anyway, and we are all conditioned now to believe what gauges tell us.

Be very careful if anyone suggests adjusting your oil pressure relief valve to increase the pressure - doing this on a tired engine will also reduce the flow, with potentially nasty results . . . . .

Loss of power will not be connected with oil pressure (or lack of it) unless the bearings are so hot that they will melt down anyway - and since you've been running with low pressure for a while, and your engine still runs, don't worry.

Replacing the rotors in the oil pump MAY help, but it isn't guaranteed. You may also need to do a bit of gentle machining to the pump to reduce the head clearance (the gap that exists between the rotors and the pocket they sit in when it's all bolted together) to get best efficiency. New rotors will do fine for a start.

Ignore your big end and main bearings unless they are noisy - I did mine along with the oil pump, and it was a waste of $$ - but the job is done now.

Like I said earlier, slacken (not remove!!!) the union on the gauge oil pressure feed on the block, and see what sort of a spray you get at half throttle - good spray, no worries, feeble dribble, fix it now. Incidentally, is your oil pressure pipe OK - and not kinked or flattened badly?

Loss of power is more likely connected with points, timing (is the advance/retard in your distributor working?) plugs or carburation.

Just a few thoughts.

If not, as these parts are at the end of the oil line, then you really do have a problem that needs fixing (new camshaft bearings boring, new camshaft etc) as the oil pressure has genuinely dropped, so your main and other bearings will be getting a very low feed, and will be relying on splash lubrication within the sump.

If there is lots of nice wet fresh oil, don't worry about the oil pressure too much - if you have good oil flow (the block union test) and a good supply of (clean, regularly changed) oil reaching the valves, springs, rockers and tappets, then don't fix it until it breaks, so to speak.

After all you may need the $$ for more toys for the tractor!

All the above is a low cost (free barring your time) method of finding out the general condition of your engine and works well for the Standard engine - so should work as well for the Continental version, if the rocker cover is also last on the oil line.