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Loss of oil pressure


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Hi all,

Just about to try out my TR4 after a very lengthy rebuild and I've lost oil pressure completely having had a good pressure before. Tried everything thats recommended in the forums including checking the tongue on the end of the drive shaft, the woodruff key on the shaft, turning the pump with a long screwdriver ( Can feel some back pressure), pipe feed to gauge etc. with no luck. Worryingly I've just tried turning it over with the threaded stud where the banjo fitting to the gauge pipe goes and there's nothing coming out! 

Any thoughts please

Kind regards

Phill

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Hi Phil,

Welcome to the forum.

When you say 'before'  was that before the rebuild?

I take it that you do have enough oil in the sump.

Have you tried to spin the engine on the starter with the spark plugs out?

You may need to resort to taking the sump off to see if the pump is doing its job.

 

Roger

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Thanks Roger, I've had the engine running with good oil pressure after the rebuild then it disappeared!! Yep, full of nice new oil, and have been spinning it up without the plugs in but nothing.

Obviously hoping not having to resort to your last suggestion but fear it may be the only option left.

Thanks again

Phill

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Before dropping the sump might it be worth wiping the rocker cover off and seeing if you have oil to the top end. at the moment the actual symptom you have is no oil out of the banjo feed to the gauge (i'm guessing) so you may have oil pressure but no indication of it .............Maybe 

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^ + 1 Regarding the banjo.

As said rocker cover off and check if oil is present, if it is suspect the gauge. If not did you check the oil pump rotor is “staked” with a pin onto the oil pump shaft ? There were some bad examples that started spinning on the shaft instead of with it.

Mick Richards

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13 minutes ago, trchris said:

Hi Phil

For complete loss I would also suspect pump especially as you have already checked pump drive shaft.

Chris 

He hasn’t checked the pump drive shaft Chris, only turned it with screwdriver “and felt some resistance” which could be the driveshaft spinning and slipping in the rotor instead of turning it.
It only needs to lose some degree of drive ie 40-50% And the oil won’t get pushed up from the pump.

Mick Richards

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I do have a spare NOS  original Triumph oil pump rotor set if you get stuck.

Cheers

Peter W

PS which has of course the inner rotor cross pinned to the shaft.

Edited by BlueTR3A-5EKT
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Thanks Roger, I've had the engine running with good oil pressure after the rebuild then it disappeared!! Yep, full of nice new oil, and have been spinning it up without the plugs in but nothing.

Obviously hoping not having to resort to your last suggestion but fear it may be the only option left.

Thanks again

Phill

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2 hours ago, RobG said:

Take distributor off and attach electric drill slow speed to oil pump driveshaft ?

 

 

+1  Do not forget it runs anti clockwise.

Peter W

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Hello all,

Quick update, luckily before dropping the sump and removing the oil pump I tried one more time to spin it up and this time did it for about 40 seconds and 'Hurrah!' it arrived. Presumably I just didn't spin it up for long enough before, rookie error! Still a little surprised that I lost the pressure to that extent by just letting it stand for a month or so? Thanks again for all your help guys.

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Groan !

Mick Richards

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Whenever I change the oil in my TR4, I remove all 4 spark plugs, then let the (geared) starter motor grind away until I see the oil pressure rise from zero to about 30 psi.  This takes a surprisingly long time!

Only then do I replace the plugs and start the engine.

Phill: I think that with your engine unused for ages, all the oil has drained from the galleries into the sump, so it took a long time to restore the pressure.

Ian Cornish

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2 hours ago, Horacehoare said:

Still a little surprised that I lost the pressure to that extent by just letting it stand for a month or so? 

I'm surprised at that too. Mine often stands over winter for 3 or 4 months, but the oils pressure comes up while starting in the spring.

When you said it was rebuilt, what was done altogether?

Pete

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The reason it takes ages to get oil pressure after an oil & filter change is that the filter has to be filled up from scratch. Once full it cannot drain away.

Bob 

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I have always followed Ian's technique after an oil change. I still have the original canister with replaceable element and prime this with as much oil as I can without it running down my arm when I refit it (having a pit helps  a lot when you don't have a spin on conversion). Even when priming the filter however it takes about 20 secs of churning with plugs out before any pressure registers on the gauge.

Sorry I only just saw this thread Phill, I would have simply suggested you try spinning the engine over for longer! Glad you are sorted.

Tim

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Thanks again folks for all your comments. The engine rebuild consisted of new rings, new main bearings and a reground crank and new top end, valves, guides, springs and seats for unleaded.

I had it running with bags of oil pressure only a month or so before so was a bit confused (not difficult!) Anyway, all seems good now.

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