Help - 216 no oil pressure!

[harrygrey382]

mid repair update - pulled the dizzy off and hit the oil pump with a drill. 5-10 secs (18v cordless on hi) and good oil pressure came up. Put the dizzy back in and hit the starter and it's straight up to 5psi while cranking.

Now I'm having a fight getting it retimed... Was in a bit of a stress pulling the dizzy out I must've knocked the shaft and timing's off. Got it to the timing mark on the flywheel and thought I had the dizzy in right and it runs like shit (ran sweet as this morning with no oil pressure) - rich, backfiring etc. obviously timing is way off. Rotate the dizzy with the bottom bolt with the graduations and rotated and it improves but still crap. I thought taking it out and rotating one tooth puts it way too far out. I could loosen the main clamp and rotate but I shouldn't have to if it was fine before right?

Following the method in the book (test light between ground and primary terminal - is this where the coil comes in? So it's across the points?) and I have to rotate it way way off to get it to just light at the timing mark... Is this method right? Maybe I should try pulling it out and trying another tooth again

[Ganmain Tony]

Sounds like the old "180 degrees out trick" to me Harry.

Worth a try anyway...

[harrygrey382]

Originally Posted by Ganmain Tony

Sounds like the old "180 degrees out trick" to me Harry.

Worth a try anyway...

you mean I've got it at no 6 instead of no 1? Got the valve cover off no 1 is definitely at compression. I've almost got it - can get the dizzy to mesh in the right spot but then it won't go that extra 3mm or so for the oil pump. It'll only engage the oil pump on the cam teeth one before and after this - whenever I get the oil pump to mesh the timing is ALWAYS wrong... I can get it right by undoing the clamp and rotating the body I guess but then I shouldn't need to seeing as it was correct.

Gee I wish I'd never touched the bloody rocker gear. But there's no way to get to the central no1 head bolt otherwise is there?

[harrygrey382]

OK she's all good now. I just loosened the clamp and rotated the body 'till the ohmeter just stopped beeping. Started right up and running sweet with great oil pressure - sometimes you really take those things for granted...

It just pisses me off I couldn't get the dizzy body back into its original position. I just put it down to a female nature

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Harry

Thanks for hosting one of the best diagnostic seminars I read. With loss of oil pressure as topic a very clear discussion of causes took place ending with the solution.

You got to love MLU in what looks like 10 hours elapse time a problem was posted and the correct solution was found.

Cheers Phil

[harrygrey382]

Thanks Phil,
I do like to add an ending to these sort of posts, and I wish everyone would. I've learned two things from this - don't open the oil system unless you have to (and remove the dizzy to reprime if you do), and when reinstalling the dizzy don't try and get it in the same tooth spot, just adjust with the clamp.
I agree MLU has some very knowledgable and useful people on it

[Lynn Eades]

Harry, there is a bit of a trick to it. Having set the engine on its timing marks (noting which cylinder is firing -No.1 or number 6)you can then remove the dizzy.
You have to picture where the tooth will end up, and turn the gear back enough so that when the distributor is in, the points are just about to open for the correct cylinder. Wiggling the rotor back and forward as the dizzy goes in can help to align the oil pump drive that you have hopefully pre aligned.
I have done a Chev, but it is much the same for the G.M based inline six engines. (Bedford, Holden etc)
If you are a tooth out, the cylinder fires but the rotor arm is effectively not lined up with the terminal inside the cap.