No oil in valve cover?

TrAb · May 3rd, 2008, 01:29 PM

Hey guys im new here and i really need some help here. I had broken a lifter in my mustang not long ago... I replaced the lifter and did all that, i had to adjust that rocker so now its off by a little bit no biggie right. Well i started the car with the valve cover off to see which rocker the ticking was coming from(to see if it was the one i was messing with). Anyways i was expected oil to hit me in the face but to my surprise no oil at all showed up... The only oil up there was the oil that was there when i started working on the car to begin with. What could be the problem guys? When i bought the car about a month or so ago i noticed at idle the oil pressure was VERY low but when i reved past around 2krpm it would shoot way up. Thanks in advance...

chvyeter · May 3rd, 2008, 01:36 PM

Could be anything from a bad oil pump, dirty pickup, trash in the oiling system going to the rockers and pushrods.

TrAb · May 3rd, 2008, 01:41 PM

Alrighty, i just ordered me a high flow oil pump from napa. Even if it doesnt fix the problem i was wanting to put a high flow on it already.

88stangGT · May 3rd, 2008, 08:44 PM

make sure you didn't break your oil pump shaft they break very easily...

Darrell · May 3rd, 2008, 09:38 PM

Originally Posted by TrAb

Alrighty, i just ordered me a high flow oil pump from napa. Even if it doesnt fix the problem i was wanting to put a high flow on it already.

Why did you order an oil pump and why a high volume? Did you put an oil pressure gauge on the engine? If so, how much pressure did it have? I'd take that high volume pump back and get a stock pump. All a high volume pump is going to do for you is consume additional horsepower, push more oil thru the stock oil system that already has sufficient volume from a stock pump and it will be harder on your pump shaft and distributor.

Just out of curiousity, how long was the car sitting before you started it and how long did you let the car run after you started it?

shadowgames81 · May 3rd, 2008, 09:53 PM

had a high volume oil pump in my car and all it did was break the shaft from the pump to the distibutor. I'd think a stock pump and check it like darrell said.

shadowgames81 · May 3rd, 2008, 09:55 PM

as far as I know there are many reasons why you could have low pressure. I don't have a ton of experience but once it took a rebuild and the stock pump to fix my prob

JBIGBOOTSY · May 3rd, 2008, 10:42 PM

Originally Posted by Darrell

Why did you order an oil pump and why a high volume? Did you put an oil pressure gauge on the engine? If so, how much pressure did it have? I'd take that high volume pump back and get a stock pump. All a high volume pump is going to do for you is consume additional horsepower, push more oil thru the stock oil system that already has sufficient volume from a stock pump and it will be harder on your pump shaft and distributor.

Just out of curiousity, how long was the car sitting before you started it and how long did you let the car run after you started it?

If bearings are worn, then the oil pressure won't come up as high as if they were fresh. Bearings are one area where you'll lose some pressure.

Darrell · May 4th, 2008, 07:52 AM

Originally Posted by JBIGBOOTSY

If bearings are worn, then the oil pressure won't come up as high as if they were fresh. Bearings are one area where you'll lose some pressure.

Yes and this problem that he is having could be as simple as the car sat for a day or two so when he fired it up the oil had to snake its way thru the engine and the rockers are the last place to see oil.

TrAb, oil will not spray you in the face out of the valve cover. It trickles off the rocker arms.

vfast · May 4th, 2008, 05:42 PM

I also wonder how much clearance he has from the oil pickup to the oil pan floor?

Goblin · May 4th, 2008, 08:04 PM

The one and only time i ever used a high volume oil pump, i regretted it. I used it with the stock oil pan, and it would constantly drain the pan before the oil had enough time to trickle back into the pan. I ended up burning that pump up because of it.

Just out of curiousity, and no offense to you... but did you actually check to see if the pan even has enough oil in it? If your not seeing any oil feed to heads, its VERY possible the pan is close to empty. Check your oil first to make sure its where it needs to be.

TrAb · May 5th, 2008, 03:51 PM

Yes i made sure the oil is right on the full line. Anyways i threw on that new oil pump yesterday did nothing as i was expecting. BUT while cleaning out the sump i found a little metal cap down there. I later found out threw the help of google that it is a plug that goes in the lifter galley, from what others have told me it will let oil bypass the ports for the top of the heads. So im going to check that out tonight.

Darrell · May 5th, 2008, 04:11 PM

Originally Posted by TrAb

Yes i made sure the oil is right on the full line. Anyways i threw on that new oil pump yesterday did nothing as i was expecting. BUT while cleaning out the sump i found a little metal cap down there. I later found out threw the help of google that it is a plug that goes in the lifter galley, from what others have told me it will let oil bypass the ports for the top of the heads. So im going to check that out tonight.

Instead of doing things backwards and wasting time you should really put a pressure gauge on it and see where the oil pressure is at. Like I said in a previous post, oil doesn't "spray out all over the place" when the valve covers are off. My guess is there is nothing wrong with it because if there was a lack of pressure the engine would have failed a long time ago.

TrAb · May 7th, 2008, 01:47 PM

Well i know it isnt getting oil a idle, i sat there and watched for about 5mins no oil came out at ALL... Anyways im putting in the new galley plug tonight...

ryans88gt · May 7th, 2008, 03:11 PM

yeah, if it is missing a oil galley plug by the back of the intake, that is a poblem...lol

you'll get no oil pressure to the lifters (thus the lifter tick you were hearing and probably the cause of the failed lifter) and thus no oil pressure to the rockers.

TrAb · May 7th, 2008, 07:42 PM

Hey does anybody have any pics of where the front galley plugs go, i have the timing cover off and see a couple different holes

TrAb · May 9th, 2008, 03:25 PM

alrighty, took the timing chain off last night and found the hole that needed to be plugged. So i got me the plug and a little jb weld and tapped it right in. Going to get it all back together tonight

chvyeter · May 9th, 2008, 05:31 PM

hv oil pump can run a stock oil pan dry too

TrAb · May 11th, 2008, 10:12 PM

Hey guys got that plug in and put it all back together, its getting oil like it should now. So happy thats all it was. Thanks for the help

May 3rd, 2008, 01:29 PM	#1
TrAb Newbie Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 7	No oil in valve cover? Hey guys im new here and i really need some help here. I had broken a lifter in my mustang not long ago... I replaced the lifter and did all that, i had to adjust that rocker so now its off by a little bit no biggie right. Well i started the car with the valve cover off to see which rocker the ticking was coming from(to see if it was the one i was messing with). Anyways i was expected oil to hit me in the face but to my surprise no oil at all showed up... The only oil up there was the oil that was there when i started working on the car to begin with. What could be the problem guys? When i bought the car about a month or so ago i noticed at idle the oil pressure was VERY low but when i reved past around 2krpm it would shoot way up. Thanks in advance...

May 4th, 2008, 05:42 PM	#10
vfast Enthusiast Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Virginia..in my 2020 v-16 camaro Posts: 718	I also wonder how much clearance he has from the oil pickup to the oil pan floor? __________________ EVERYONE IS ENTITLED TO MY OPINION v-6's are for kidsL

May 4th, 2008, 08:04 PM	#11
Goblin Editor Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Relocated Back To Tucson, Arizona Posts: 1,742	The one and only time i ever used a high volume oil pump, i regretted it. I used it with the stock oil pan, and it would constantly drain the pan before the oil had enough time to trickle back into the pan. I ended up burning that pump up because of it. Just out of curiousity, and no offense to you... but did you actually check to see if the pan even has enough oil in it? If your not seeing any oil feed to heads, its VERY possible the pan is close to empty. Check your oil first to make sure its where it needs to be. __________________ Definition of Fast? I'd say thats good enough. NMRA Outlaw 10.5 Season Opener 2008 Photo courtesy of - Yours Truly

May 7th, 2008, 03:11 PM	#15
ryans88gt Hardcore Enthusiast Join Date: May 2007 Location: Bloomington, IL Posts: 2,975	yeah, if it is missing a oil galley plug by the back of the intake, that is a poblem...lol you'll get no oil pressure to the lifters (thus the lifter tick you were hearing and probably the cause of the failed lifter) and thus no oil pressure to the rockers. __________________ 89 LX 515 hp 497 ftlbs 88 GT 11.4 @ 118

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May 3rd, 2008, 01:36 PM	#2
chvyeter Newbie 1985 GT none yet Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 30	Could be anything from a bad oil pump, dirty pickup, trash in the oiling system going to the rockers and pushrods.

May 3rd, 2008, 01:41 PM	#3
TrAb Newbie Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 7	Alrighty, i just ordered me a high flow oil pump from napa. Even if it doesnt fix the problem i was wanting to put a high flow on it already.

May 3rd, 2008, 08:44 PM	#4
88stangGT Regular Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 78	make sure you didn't break your oil pump shaft they break very easily...

May 3rd, 2008, 09:53 PM	#6
shadowgames81 Regular 01 GT Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Newport News, VA Posts: 329	had a high volume oil pump in my car and all it did was break the shaft from the pump to the distibutor. I'd think a stock pump and check it like darrell said.

May 3rd, 2008, 09:55 PM	#7
shadowgames81 Regular 01 GT Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Newport News, VA Posts: 329	as far as I know there are many reasons why you could have low pressure. I don't have a ton of experience but once it took a rebuild and the stock pump to fix my prob

May 5th, 2008, 03:51 PM	#12
TrAb Newbie Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 7	Yes i made sure the oil is right on the full line. Anyways i threw on that new oil pump yesterday did nothing as i was expecting. BUT while cleaning out the sump i found a little metal cap down there. I later found out threw the help of google that it is a plug that goes in the lifter galley, from what others have told me it will let oil bypass the ports for the top of the heads. So im going to check that out tonight.

May 7th, 2008, 01:47 PM	#14
TrAb Newbie Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 7	Well i know it isnt getting oil a idle, i sat there and watched for about 5mins no oil came out at ALL... Anyways im putting in the new galley plug tonight...

May 7th, 2008, 07:42 PM	#16
TrAb Newbie Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 7	Hey does anybody have any pics of where the front galley plugs go, i have the timing cover off and see a couple different holes

May 9th, 2008, 03:25 PM	#17
TrAb Newbie Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 7	alrighty, took the timing chain off last night and found the hole that needed to be plugged. So i got me the plug and a little jb weld and tapped it right in. Going to get it all back together tonight

May 9th, 2008, 05:31 PM	#18
chvyeter Newbie 1985 GT none yet Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 30	hv oil pump can run a stock oil pan dry too

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May 11th, 2008, 10:12 PM	#19
TrAb Newbie Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 7	Hey guys got that plug in and put it all back together, its getting oil like it should now. So happy thats all it was. Thanks for the help