The rod and main bearings are the worst offenders. A tip off that you are
in for trouble is if you hear pinging from the engine when you accelerate.
If you try all the usual things to get rid of the pinging and it is still
there you better pull the pan and examine the rod bearings.If you see
copper on the bearings you may have caught things in time.
...Art
On Mon, 8 Sep 1997, Scott Gardner wrote:
> Well, I'm picking up the 'B' from the shop tomorrow, after total
> rebuild (everything new except rods/pistons, and the crank was
> turned). Prior to the main bearings giving up the ghost, I had
> noticed my oil pressure was pretty lousy (12 psi idle, 45-50 at
> highway speeds for the first hour, dropping thereafter.) I had the
> Vicky Brit high-volume oil pump put in, as well as the uprated
> relief valve spring, so I should be in good shape. I'm trying to
> figure out what caused the low pressure to begin with. The rocker
> shaft was in good shape, but the cam was badly worn, at least on the
> lobes. The valve guides were worn, but I thought this only
> contributed to oil consumption, not loss of pressure.
> I would like to find out what are the typical causes of a gradual
> loss of oil pressure as an engine wears, and which of these are the
> biggest contributors?
> Scott Gardner
> gardner@lwcomm.com
> www.lwcomm.com/~gardner
>
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