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#21
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65 Tempest, 400, TH400 86 Fiero SE 2.8 |
#22
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Good point on the crud since this is right at the beginning of the oiling circuit.
Here's the easyout I use. The tip is 5/16" so it is lightly hammered in place for a snug fit.
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Mick Batson 1967 original owner Tyro Blue/black top 4-speed HO GTO with all the original parts stored safely away -- 1965 2+2 survivor AC auto -- 1965 Catalina Safari Wagon. Last edited by lust4speed; 03-31-2022 at 11:39 PM. |
#23
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It’s a little tight with headers but if I were to use a T at the filter housing are those 1/8 NPT?
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1977 Trans Am 400/4speed (swap) Brian |
#24
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Yes you are correct.
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1964 Tempest Coupe LS3/4L70E/3.42 1964 Le Mans Convertible 421 HO/TH350/2.56 2002 WS6 Convertible LS1/4L60E/3.23 |
#25
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The pic below shows a factory Olds gauge sender adapter (45-ish deg) into a 1/4-1/8 NPT bushing. Also, as others have said, if your plug has never been out, there will be crud in that channel which could get dislodged and fall into the main oil gallery below. I'd wait until the next time you have the engine apart. MAYBE you could get away with using a turkey baster with a hose attached to suck out the crud/oil from the hole after you've removed the plug. Last edited by hgerhardt; 04-01-2022 at 01:37 AM. |
#26
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I do this all the time at work but with water as a coolant. I would not put too much heat on your iron block and cool it though. Might crack the iron. Need to be careful. When you put the plug back in I use a grade 8 Allen plug with a .030 hone in it to oil distributor gear. I drill almost all the way through with a 3/16 bit and finish the last bit with tiny .030 drill bit. |
#27
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You're talking about the wrong plug. He wants to remove the external plug on the outside of the block, next to the distributor. Not the galley plug on the inside of the block at the end of the passengers side lifter galley. Two different conversations going on, but the process works on either application. |
The Following User Says Thank You to Sirrotica For This Useful Post: | ||
#28
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Well, last night I mounted the gauge and ran the copper line. I had enough to reach to the filter housing and there’s a little more room to work with so for now I’m going to plum it there I think. I just need to grab a T fitting to finish it. I may switch to near the distributor down the road if needed.
I know I’m opening a can of worms with this question, and it may be better suited for its own thread at some point but, assuming my factory gauge is correct do these numbers for oil pressure vs RPM seem in the realm of normal? Oil is 10w30 on a chilly day in the high 40s. I kind of wonder how they might be different on a hot day. In a nutshell, last October my 400 (with about 4,600 miles after rebuild) was due for an oil change. My drain pan is a closed type with a hole in the middle so I didn’t look at the oil but there were some extremely thin flakes in the filter. Just a few. I decided to monitor it. A few hundred miles later, last week, I decided to change it again. There may have been some junk in the oil but I can’t be sure I cleaned the pan well enough and because of the pan design I couldn’t inspect it well. Filter was completely clean save for one similar flake. For now I’m just monitoring and plan to drain the oil in another couple hundred miles into a pan I can really inspect well. No noises but wanted to ensure the pressures in seeing at varying RPM are acceptable in the meantime. Also the reason for installing the mechanical gauge.
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1977 Trans Am 400/4speed (swap) Brian |
#29
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Those pressure vs rpm numbers look fine to me especially if this was done with the motor fully warmed up and some temp in the oil, like after 10 minutes of driving at 35 mph.
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I do stuff for reasons. |
#30
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O yea it was well over ten minutes. I was probably driving around 40 min before I started taking pictures. Thanks for your insight. I’m hoping what I saw previously was a fluke
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1977 Trans Am 400/4speed (swap) Brian |
#31
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Ok, mech oil pressure gauge is plumed at the filter housing with a Y. I only got about 15 min of driving in. I got rained on unexpectedly and had to go back home. Idle pressure according to the mechanical gauge is a touch below 15psi. Maybe 13-15.
For reference, motor was rebuilt 4600 miles ago and according to the build sheet from the builder my rod clearances were .0018-.0019, mains were .0021, .0019, .0023, .0023 and .0023. with .009 end play. Does that all seem to jive or is idle pressure a little low?
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1977 Trans Am 400/4speed (swap) Brian |
#32
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#33
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Sorry, honestly with the rain hitting I didn’t pay much attention that time but the roads dried up so I just went for another short drive before I have to get ready for work. 15min drive or so, engine temp via mechanical gauge was 175-180°. Idle RPM via factory gauge is just above 750. Maybe 775 range. 10w30. 50° outside. And this time when I got back the mechanical gauge was reading a hair above 10psi. Maybe 12 or so. Filter is a wix.
Edit: I’ll add I was just over 50 lbs on the highway around 2800rpm. I’ll also add my factory gauge is and has read the same as it always has. The mechanical is a bit lower than what the factory gauge reads FWIW
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1977 Trans Am 400/4speed (swap) Brian Last edited by bhill86; 04-07-2022 at 02:03 PM. |
#34
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I would be nervous if it drops below 10 personally. But I still say you're good. As long as it jumps right up when you give it some gas.
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#35
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Since that can be subjective, I took a video just in case.
https://youtube.com/shorts/fFkDtODsFgw?feature=share
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1977 Trans Am 400/4speed (swap) Brian |
#36
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That no-name gauge could be reading low, and unless verified by a known good gauge it's nothing more than a reference point going forward. Say it normally reads 10 at idle and 40 at cruise -- if you one day see 25 at cruise, it's cause for concern.
Think Pontiac's idiot light was set to come on between 4 and 5 pounds so the engineers were happy with that idle pressure.
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Mick Batson 1967 original owner Tyro Blue/black top 4-speed HO GTO with all the original parts stored safely away -- 1965 2+2 survivor AC auto -- 1965 Catalina Safari Wagon. |
#37
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That makes sense. This gauge is admittedly inexpensive. I know temp gauges can be tested. Can mechanical oil pressure gauges? Otherwise how would I verify any gauge to be correct?
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1977 Trans Am 400/4speed (swap) Brian |
#38
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I test my compression tester gauges that way, and I'll be verifying fuel pressure gauges soon. Compression testers connected to my shop air compressor via a brass tee and some quick-couplers. If the two gauges plus the gauge on the air compressor pressure regulator all agree within reason...I'm satisfied. (I have to turn off my ad-blocker to see the images.) http://hbassociates.us/Compression_Tester_Tester_01.jpg http://hbassociates.us/Compression_Tester_Tester_02.jpg The "tee" might be the same, but the connections for the oil pressure gauge (or fuel pressure, in my case) would be different. Last edited by Schurkey; 04-07-2022 at 05:26 PM. |
#39
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I’ve got this mechanical “T’d” to the filter housing with the factory electric. Which, for what it’s worth reads the same now as it always has, albeit I little higher than this new mechanical. I guess I’ll either just have to monitor it for changes or get another gauge to compare to. Which, honestly, I don’t particularly want to do. But we’ll see.
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1977 Trans Am 400/4speed (swap) Brian |
#40
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Too me it's odd that it's dropping down so far when hot. What is the oil pressure like when cold and first start. What's of concern is that it has excellent pressure when you bring RPM's up. With your gauge plumbed at the oil filter housing, your monitoring the oil pump and bypass on oil filter housing. One thing I would really like you to do is remove your oil filter housing and check the bypass. It has a tiny screw that holes the spring and flat disc. I usually stretch this spring a bit to put a little more tension on the disc to hole it close. I'm curious if the spring tension on the disc is allowing it too open. Then the other issue could be the check ball in the oil pump, stuck open some allowing bypass oil. I'm think the oil pump. Engine sounds really good in video.
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68 Firebird. IA2 block, 505 cu in, SD Performance E-head, Solid roller 3600 weight. Reid TH400 4:11 gear. 29" slick. Best so far 9.95@134 mph. 1.43 60 ft. 76 Trans am, TKX .81 o/d, 3.73 Moser rearend, 468 with KRE D-ports, Doug headers, 3" Exh. |
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