No Oil Pressure

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bob_o

bob_o

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I was given a low mileage, good running 225 out of a '64 Dodge pickup to replace the worn out 225 in my '66 Valiant. I was told the engine ran great.

While it was on the engine stand, my Dad and I turned it upside down so we could swap the oil pan out. The Valiant has the stock dummy light as well as a SW Oil Pressure gauge. Upon startup, the needle didn't move and the oil light stayed on. I started it a couple more times, but still no oil pressure building and no oil coming out the rocker assembly. Did I lose prime turning the engine upside down?

I ended up pulling the inspection cover on the oil pump, packing it full of Vaseline and putting it back together. Still no oil pressure building.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, I'm stumped. Thanks in advance!
 
Mechanical SW oil gauge or electrical?
The oil light could just be an incorrect "sending unit", they take different senders between factory gauges and warning lights.
Try swapping the sender that you had on the old engine onto the current engine (provided it worked in the first place?) and try again.
 
The Oil Pressure gauge is mechanical. Sending unit for the dummy light is the one from the truck.
 
When you swapped the oil pan, did you also swap the pickup? Is it orientated properly? Could the pickup tube be cracked?
If the above is OK, pull the distributer and look in the hole to see if the gear on the cam and oil pump are ok and not stripped.
 
Sure you put oil back in it? :lol: Also, use a live gauge to check the oil pressure and to eliminate any factory sender and gauge/light problem it might have.
 
Last edited:
bob_o said:
The Oil Pressure gauge is mechanical. Sending unit for the dummy light is the one from the truck.
Click to expand...
That's my point- trucks usually had factory gauges, cars generally used lights; and the senders are not interchangeable.
Factory light sender:
1689296237325.png

Factory gauge sender:
1689296306418.png

Neither will work in the incorrect application.
cudamark said:
Sure you put oil back in it? :lol: Also, use a live gauge to check the oil to eliminate the factory sender and gauge/light.
Click to expand...
Along the same lines:
Did you change the dipstick and tube when you changed the oil pan? The truck dipstick is the completely wrong length for the car pan, and you could have a seriously low oil level if you filled it according to the wrong dipstick. Just sayin'.
 
You said you have a mechanical gauge. Not being smart, but do you actually KNOW what that means? It means an actual OIL LINE coming from the engine carrying OIL to the gauge inside the vehicle. The factory gauges were not mechanical, they were electric.
 
I went back and read where you say it is an SW gauge, so I think that answers that. I would try removing the oil filter next and turning the engine over. You'll want a pan under it in case.
 
bob_o said:
The Oil Pressure gauge is mechanical. Sending unit for the dummy light is the one from the truck.
Click to expand...
What Badvert65 said, check that 1st, it is a common high-mileage Slanty issue.
 
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