302 oil pump not pumping?

[nvrstuk]

I still

Plastigauge is your best friend before firing anything back up.

Being the way I am, I would pull the engine, disassemble and inspect everything then reassemble per the book check all tolerances.

Tim

I would do exactly the same. It is way too much effort to pull everything 2 or 3 times rather than Do it right the first time

 

[nvrstuk]

Yes it also depends if you drive it once a week to the ice cream place in the summer and don't drive the other 9 months a year.

 

[blade]

Your best bet is to go through the engine. A friend had a fresh rebuilt engine die because of a bad cam bearing causing a loss of oil pressure.

 

[Broncobowsher]

Pressure is the resistance to flow.
Worn out engines have low oil pressure because the clearances are worn too wide. The flow is great, but it is just flowing out the bearings.
As long as it ran without oil, I would expect bearing damage. You can plasti gauge the rod and mains, the cam pretty much requires pulling the engine as there really isn't a way to check clearance with the cam in place.

I would pull the engine and take it apart. Best case is just need a gasket set. Worst case you find the damage done and have to fix that too.

 

[cldonley]

So true.....Easy to drop a main cap and inspect.

Tim

This^^. You gotta pull the oil pan to replace the pump anyway, so take a gander at those main bearings.

 

[DirtDonk]

Do the pump manufacturers recommend filling the cavity with petroleum jelly anymore?
That was kind of our standard practice with pumps of the type that were assembled in the engine, or a pump that had been disassembled for any reason.
Meaning you had a separate housing, sometimes a shaft and two gears/impellers and a cover. Whenever you had to have the cover off, you packed the gears with Petroleum jelly, and that helped create the suction to start the priming process.

Maybe that was just something we did only on certain applications, but I remember talking about it more than once way way back.

 

[DirtDonk]

Of course, pumps also have specifications for clearances that are pretty easy to check once you have them out of the engine.

 

[Gas Pig]

Well, I talked with my engine builder and he couldn’t touch it for two months at best.

So I have two options go through this engine myself or find a ‘known’ good running 302 to swap out and deal with the other one later.

I have never have messed with a lower end of a motor besides replacing a rear main seals years back. So for me going through it myself it’s an unknown.

Any thoughts?

I’ll at least put something on want section to see if anyone has something close by.

 

[Timmy390]

It's not hard....I use this as a reference
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0912656891/?tag=classicbroncos-20

Tim

 

[jamesroney]

Well, I talked with my engine builder and he couldn’t touch it for two months at best.

So I have two options go through this engine myself or find a ‘known’ good running 302 to swap out and deal with the other one later.

I have never have messed with a lower end of a motor besides replacing a rear main seals years back. So for me going through it myself it’s an unknown.

Any thoughts?

I’ll at least put something on want section to see if anyone has something close by.

Bring it over. We can knock it out in a weekend. Otherwise I've got a couple of good roller 5.0's that you could borrow. I don't want to give them up, because they are stock bore, and factory forged. But you could certainly borrow one for a few months. I also have a good running stone stock 1971 flat tappet Bronco 302 that another Bronco guy has been trying to give me.

Where are you located?

 

[Gas Pig]

Bring it over. We can knock it out in a weekend. Otherwise I've got a couple of good roller 5.0's that you could borrow. I don't want to give them up, because they are stock bore, and factory forged. But you could certainly borrow one for a few months. I also have a good running stone stock 1971 flat tappet Bronco 302 that another Bronco guy has been trying to give me.

Where are you located?

I’m a little west of Cleveland Ohio. Where are you at again?

 

[jamesroney]

I’m a little west of Cleveland Ohio. Where are you at again?

I am 2,472 miles west of Cleveland, Ohio. I live in Fremont, CA. 94536 (my location is posted under my avatar.)

That's not going to work out so well...

 

[Gas Pig]

I am 2,472 miles west of Cleveland, Ohio. I live in Fremont, CA. 94536 (my location is posted under my avatar.)

That's not going to work out so well...

Yeah after I posted that I remembered you were in CA. It’s a bit west of Cleveland.

 

[ba123]

Do the pump manufacturers recommend filling the cavity with petroleum jelly anymore?
That was kind of our standard practice with pumps of the type that were assembled in the engine, or a pump that had been disassembled for any reason.
Meaning you had a separate housing, sometimes a shaft and two gears/impellers and a cover. Whenever you had to have the cover off, you packed the gears with Petroleum jelly, and that helped create the suction to start the priming process.

Maybe that was just something we did only on certain applications, but I remember talking about it more than once way way back.

I haven’t heard of that not being recommended anymore. I used to do that and prob did it on the current engine, but I plan on priming it before I put the intake on permanently since I can’t access the hole after.

What about using a preluber? I haven’t done it but I found this video of a guy making one cheaply:

Couldn’t hurt to try and then see if filling those oil passages makes a difference.

Or find a faster drill and try the shaft again?

Best of luck, that problem sucks.