1949 Dodge B1D - no oil pressure

[Big Red Rustmobile]

Hi all,

 

This is my first post.

 

I have a 1949 Dodge B1D with a commercially rebuilt 230ci flathead 6. The engine hung on a chain in my garage for 15 years before I could resume returning the vehicle to service. In that time it collected a lot of rust and a family of mice moved into the oil sump. After dealing with the rust and mouse nest, I got the engine running on an engine stand but it has never developed oil pressure. I've eliminated the oil pump and pressure relief valve as possible culprits. I've confirmed that the pump is actually primed and can see a weak flow of oil coming up from the center post of the oil filter canister. The pressure relief valve had a little black crud in the oil galley behind it that I removed with a rag to no avail.

 

Has anybody else here encountered something similar? If so, were you able to find the culprit and fix the problem?

 

Many thanks!

[Don Coatney]

Most likely you have a bearing issue or possible flow restriction issue or both. A complete tear down inspection is in order. Pay close attention to the camshaft bearings as they are frequently the first to go.

 

[wallytoo]

check the  again, being sure it is installed correctly.  it is possible to install it "backwards", which results in no  pressure.oilrelief valve

[Dozerman51]

Perhaps some gunk was not cleaned out of the block properly and it has let loose and plugged an gallery somewhere in the block.

[johnsartain]

Are you working with the trucks pressure gauge of an external gauge?  Make Sure you have a working gauge and that the oil pressure line is not restricted.

[kencombs]

2 hours ago, johnsartain said:

Are you working with the trucks pressure gauge of an external gauge?  Make Sure you have a working gauge and that the oil pressure line is not restricted.

Best answer so far IMO.  The fact that you see oil coming into the oil filer canister indicates to me that you do have oil pressure.  That's because the oil is only routed to the filter when there is sufficient flow and pressure to direct oil to that area.  IOW, the bearings get priority, excess would go to the filter.

[Dodgeb4ya]

Any pressure/flow dumped off by the pressure Relief valve goes to the oil filter.

Not a huge amount at that either.

[Big Red Rustmobile]

On 9/27/2018 at 12:25 PM, johnsartain said:

Are you working with the trucks pressure gauge of an external gauge?  Make Sure you have a working gauge and that the oil pressure line is not restricted.

I just got my butt kicked by a plugged oil pressure line. The butt-kicker is that there was oil at both ends of the line. The seepage that was getting past was enough to convince me that the line was OK before I connected it, but not enough to move the gauge. D'Oh! I poked out the gunk with a wire and cleaned it out with gasoline and now everything is as it should be! Thanks!

 

For a while I had nightmares spinning around in my head about oil dumping out around a missing cam bearing and what it would entail to replace the bearing. It is as unpleasant as it sounds, hehe!

 

Thanks though, to everybody that contributed. I appreciate your time and expertise!

[johnsartain]

On 10/3/2018 at 9:07 AM, Big Red Rustmobile said:

I just got my butt kicked by a plugged oil pressure line. The butt-kicker is that there was oil at both ends of the line. The seepage that was getting past was enough to convince me that the line was OK before I connected it, but not enough to move the gauge. D'Oh! I poked out the gunk with a wire and cleaned it out with gasoline and now everything is as it should be! Thanks!

 

For a while I had nightmares spinning around in my head about oil dumping out around a missing cam bearing and what it would entail to replace the bearing. It is as unpleasant as it sounds, hehe!

 

Thanks though, to everybody that contributed. I appreciate your time and expertise!

Actually it's not that bad a job replacing cam bearings once you get the motor out of the truck. You don't even have to disassemble the valve train either. Plastic or wood can be cut for each valve to hold them open while the camshaft is removed. Cut them in a U shape with a slight ramp on the from end so that they will lift the valve as they are tapped in place with the valve opened fully.  The bearings can then be removed with the proper tool. The flat head presents a small problem that a overhead valve train does not. With overhead valves, the push rods can be removed which allows the lifters to be suspended or removed so they don't interfere with cam removal. I used a Teflon cutting board to make my tools for lifting the valves. It was easy to cut and plane to thickness. 

There wasn't anything wrong with my cam bearings. I was having a problem with lost oil pressure at my middle connecting rods. It was suggested to me to turn the 2 center cam bearing to where the smaller hole aligns with the gallery opening. The smaller opening was said to provide ample lubrication to the cam while increasing the oil available at the crankshaft.