Shakadula Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 Just had my 400 rebuilt. I installed a mechancial oil pressure guage and am not getting any reading. Pressure seems fine. Car runs fine. I removed the oil fitting from the block and started the car. No oil came out of where the sending unit or fitting screws into the block. Any ideas? Can this port get blocked? Can I insert a coat hanger to maybe open it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BqUICK Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 Shakadula,Yeah '67 GS 400, I remember those. Really sharp, can outrun the same year GTO, trick "Starwars" air cleaner. Excellent investment potential. Hmmmm. The one thing Buick people do not want to hear is "I removed the oil fitting from the block and started the car." The good news perhaps is "No oil came out of where the sending unit or fitting screws into the block." In any case, this may be bad for several reasons. Do not start a Buick engine with a suspected high pressure oil leak.Oiling issues are very critical in any engine. Buick has some special needs in the 400-430-455 series due to the large mains, aluminum oil pump wear, narrow passages, etc. Make a list of all of your concerns. Talk to the owner and ask them to take you through what they did and why. Be patient but firm. Find out why the passage was blocked. Asking "Why was the engine not painted in Buick Red?" may be a good ice breaker. The responses may indicate if the shop is familiar with Buicks of certain years only. I admit that without much information it is tough to tell what happened or more importantly what will happen to your engine over time. Ok, Ok, so now I have you a bit worried, but that is ok. We can talk you through this because many of us have been there. Now, figure out everything that is out of place or not quite right and let us know. Hang in there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shakadula Posted July 8, 2004 Author Share Posted July 8, 2004 Thanks for the reply. I first removed the tube from the gauge and started the car and had no oil there. At that point I removed the fitting and the port was dry. I spoke to the owner (he also rebuilt the motor) and he thinks I have the fitting in the wrong hole. He said he brought the motor up to pressure. Wonder. Anyway, I don't have the fitting in the "wrong hole". I think there is something blocking that port so that is why I was asking if I can stick something in there without damaging something. Or can I just blow some air in the port? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BqUICK Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 Shakadula,Breaking through some sort of blockage IS dangerous. As I noted earlier, do not run a Buick with a known high pressure leak. (Especially 400-430-455) At this point I am more interested in what are the root causes. Do you have a relationship with the engine builder where he could come over and look at this with you? Can you review the reciepts and have him detail what was done and why? Good luck, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shakadula Posted July 8, 2004 Author Share Posted July 8, 2004 When you say "known high pressure leak" what do you mean? I don't have any leaks and I think the pressure is fine. I just can't monitor it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BqUICK Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 Shakadula,Referring to: ""When you say "known high pressure leak" what do you mean? I don't have any leaks and I think the pressure is fine. I just can't monitor it.""This means, if you expect to see oil when you pull out a plug in the oil pressure hole, remove your oil pressure guage, or anything that could POTENTIALLY result in a rapid loss of oil pressure, this is what I meant. Sorry for the confusion. Buicks are sensitive to having rapidly diminishing oil pressure. Although your pressure is probably fine now, it may be in a danger range as your engine becomes hotter or under high load. It would be good to know what it is at start- up and how it changes with varied RPMs and as temperature increases. You see, not only does your oil viscosity lessen but the aluminum cover expands relative to the steel gears and your engine warms up, this may cause oil pressure reduction. Tom Wagner, 1969 Wilcat owner running at 11.7 sec in the QTR, indicated that this can be a problem with extended driving. This is why my Scotty Guadagno built "Intimidator" STAGE I has the new TA Performance cover and oil pump. It was costly but, with a fresh engine I spent lots of hard earned money for I figured it was worth it. The pressure is also ajustable. (Look up oiling on Electa GSX Road Racer.)I hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shakadula Posted July 9, 2004 Author Share Posted July 9, 2004 Understood. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shakadula Posted July 13, 2004 Author Share Posted July 13, 2004 Something had it blocked. Dropped the oil pan (what a pain) and got in there and cleaned it out. Blew some air in the port, put it all back together and now it works. Geeezzzzz! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now