S55 diesel rebuild-no oil pressure

MikeS55d

Member
My trusty S55 diesel has been apart for more than a decade after suffering a catastrophic failure due to a clogged pre-combustion chamber. I have done a complete rebuild and wanted to build some oil pressure before actually firing the engine. I turned the engine over with the starter a zillion times and couldn't get any pressure, pulled it with my OC46 to turn the engine over-still no pressure. I have a long list of things that I have checked and found everything good (yes I swapped oil pressure gauge). Finally I started the engine and ran it for 30 seconds and still no pressure. I have done this a couple of times but have chickened out fearing bearing damage.

My question is: does it usually take a long time to build pressure on these engines? I don't remember it taking this long even when changing the filter. I can get oil flow at the filter and pressure relief valve (spring and valve are new, $60 yikes).
Mike
 
If you have oil flow at the filter I'd say somewhere an oil galley plug got left out inside the engine allowing oil to just dump back in the engine and not
make any pressure. I'm dealing with that right now on a farmall A that someone else put together. The machine shops take those out when they clean
an engine.
 
Waukesha engines used in the Olivers of that era used a vane pump that is slow to prime, and probably will not prime by cranking
the engine. If you have the engine running, it should pick up prime in a minute or so. In the future, soak the oil pump in oil,
or some people will stuff the pump with grease.

Some things to check;

1) Did you install the restrictor tube in the oil filter?

2) Can you see the oil pump turning by removing the small cover on the side of the engine and cranking the engine? Where the
distributor would be on a gas engine.

3) Are you getting oil to the valves? Have to pull the valve cover.

4) Did you install the oil tube from the head bolt to the rocker shaft? Have to pull the valve cover.

5) Did you install the plugs in the front of the block under the timing cover? Have to pull the front end cover.


Those are the mistakes I have seen and made, there are probably others.

Good luck
Rich
 
I pulled the oil pump, vanes are correctly oriented and move freely, spring applies pressure against the vanes. If I remove the filter or pressure release valve and turn the engine over oil flows out of the opening even at cranking speed. The restrictor tube (prong that goes up into the filter?) is in place. No oil to valvetrain.

When I pulled the pan I forced oil down the filter prong and got drips around the main bearings and a slow flow dripping down from the gear train, I credited that to the gear lubrication tube above the timing gear. I was looking for a large flow if the main gallery plug(s) had not been installed. I was aware of that problem when I assembled the engine (5 years ago) and I am pretty sure that the plugs are there. IIRC, if the rear plug is missing the oil would flow into the bell housing, not the pan. No leaks from the engine or bell housing. I have been contemplating pulling the front of the engine apart just to check the plug. I also forced oil down the valve train lube tube (and through the hollow head bolt) to check for a blocked passage. It was hard to push through probably because the tube/passageway is so small but it did go through.

Currently I am just trying to determine if I need to run the engine for a minute or so to fill the filter and get pressure. I realize that the engine doesn't generate much pressure and probably not much flow by design but I cringe at running it and damaging parts that I just replaced. I am getting close to pulling it apart but I don't want to do that if what I am getting is "normal". I am also working on my Ferrari 308 engine, it's oil pump puts out [b:fba7fc9ce0]double[/b:fba7fc9ce0] the volume of a Chevy small block and I get 70 psi at idle hot. The other end of the scale from an Oliver, then again not many Olivers can run at 8000 rpm.
Mike


(quoted from post at 18:25:19 02/14/19) Waukesha engines used in the Olivers of that era used a vane pump that is slow to prime, and probably will not prime by cranking
the engine. If you have the engine running, it should pick up prime in a minute or so. In the future, soak the oil pump in oil,
or some people will stuff the pump with grease.

Some things to check;

1) Did you install the restrictor tube in the oil filter?

2) Can you see the oil pump turning by removing the small cover on the side of the engine and cranking the engine? Where the
distributor would be on a gas engine.

3) Are you getting oil to the valves? Have to pull the valve cover.

4) Did you install the oil tube from the head bolt to the rocker shaft? Have to pull the valve cover.

5) Did you install the plugs in the front of the block under the timing cover? Have to pull the front end cover.


Those are the mistakes I have seen and made, there are probably others.

Good luck
Rich
 
(reply to post at 22:13:40 02/14/19)
Mike, did you have the restrictor tube out the filter base? I think there is a restrictor orifice under the tube that may be missing. Mine always prime just by cranking them with the spark plugs out. Don't run it until you have oil pressure or you will be rebuilding it again. Good luck with this, Chuck
 
Oil holes in bearings lined up? I had a
set of Clevite bearings for my Super 88
that only had oil holes in one shell half
for the mains and rods. Most I have used
have holes in both halves so it doesn't
matter which half goes on top or bottom.
On that particular set, it did matter, as
you could possibly block the oil holes
off if you put the shell with no holes on
the block half or rod half instead of the
caps. Maybe not your problem, just an
idea.
 
Had a 1951 gas 66 engine rebuilt and it was completely boiled out as it was very dirty. The rebuilder forgot to replace an oil galley plug behind the camshaft
gear. Had to pull the front cover, crankshaft pulley and other accessories. Was able to replace the plug thru a hole in the camshaft gear, wasn?t easy, but it happened, instant oil pressure.
 
(quoted from post at 14:02:17 02/18/19) Had a 1951 gas 66 engine rebuilt and it was completely boiled out as it was very dirty. The rebuilder forgot to replace an oil galley plug behind the camshaft
gear. Had to pull the front cover, crankshaft pulley and other accessories. Was able to replace the plug thru a hole in the camshaft gear, wasn?t easy, but it happened, instant oil pressure.

thanks to all that replied, I am going to take the front of the engine apart and check for the plug.
 
You can rent an engine pre lube tank from O'Reilly's. It connects to the oil pressure gauge port and forces oil through the entire engine including the oil pump and filter. It works great on engines you can't run the oil pump with a drill. I used one when I did my 60. Worked like a charm.
 
(quoted from post at 00:51:52 02/21/19) You can rent an engine pre lube tank from O'Reilly's. It connects to the oil pressure gauge port and forces oil through the entire engine including the oil pump and filter. It works great on engines you can't run the oil pump with a drill. I used one when I did my 60. Worked like a charm.
I had a guy build a engine for aD10 Allis when he got it running he could not get oil to top end he gave up closed his shop and went to work for someone else I later retrieved it and tore in to it checking everything we thought put it back in but no oil on top later found out that top end feeds off of center cam bearing which has a hole for oil to go to top he had used the wrong one and had blocked the hole
 

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