I just started my new lt1 and when we started it up we took off the oil filler tube so we could see the top of the head. Well there was no oil coming into there. We didnt rev the engine over 2500 the whole time but i would think there would be enough pressure to get oil up there. I broke the oil pressure sending unit when i out the engine in so i dont know the oil pressure. Also my lifters arent pumping up like they should. Do i have an oil pump problem here??

 

It can take a little time to get oil out the pushrods, but why are you starting up a new engine with a broken oil pressure sensor? That just seems crazy, IMO.

 

We primed the oil pump a while back and oil started comin up but we had to stop bc oil was comin out the front seal bc we didnt have the balancer on yet. I know there is oil circulating bc i can hear lots of oil pouring back into the pan after i turn it off. Its just that there isnt any oil gettin to the top of the heads when the engine is on. Should oil come to the top when i am just cranking it over??

 

what kind of preload do you have on the rockers

 

I adjusted them according to the Haynes Manual. I found #1 DTC by putting my hand over the spark plug hole and when i felt the transition between air being blown out and air being blown in a stopped, I assumed this was TDC, could this have been TDC for the exhuast stroke tho???

 

oh sorry, after i found dtc i adjusted those valves and tightend the nut till all play was removed from the push-rod and then i tightend it 3/4 of a turn.

 

what lifters are you using im using compr lifters mine are1/4 turn past lash try that

 

I am not sure what type of lifter they are. The engine was built by Recon and i am assuming they used some from a rebuild kit but i cant be for sure. Will having the valve adjustment off cause oil not to come up and the lifters not to pump up??

 

orignally i had similar problem to much valve lash little oil found its way to the top of the head backed off all of my rockers reset them 1/4 turn past lash

 

You are not going to get oil out the pushrods during cranking. Still, I would get the gauge working.

 

Did you ever figure it out?

 

Yes we did, are u having similar problems??

 

Yep. See the thread about the head bolts or whatever, the one that's right next to this thread.

 

Well, our problem was this. When i picked up my new motor it had a list of things that needed to be swapped from the old motor to the new one. Well that list of parts didnt mention anything about dropping the gear down into the back of the lifter valley for the oil pump to run off the cam, this has to be done on an LT1 bc there is no distributor on the back. I had never had experience with taking apart an LT1 so i didnt notice it and we didnt put one in, so therefor no oil pressure.

 

Holy f()K, so you were running your new engine with absolutely no oil circulation!!!!!???