[6pack] Zero oil pressure

[Robert Lang]

 Hi,
I have seen this before - the distributor drive gear also turns the oil pump. If the tang on the oil pump is not engaged you get no oil pressure.
First, verify that the pump is not pumping. Remove the oil pressure relief valve completely. Put a pan under the car and situate some rags or other material to catch any oil that comes out. PULL THE COIL WIRE SO THE CAR WON'T START. Bump the engine a couple of turns on the starter. Oil should becoming out of the block at the oil pressure relief fitting. If not - your oil pump is not pumping. If so, you need to verify that the oil pressure gauge (and presumably the oil pressure warning light) are operating correctly.

If there is no oil present when you crank the motor, you need to pull the distributor and the pedestal and then pull the distributor drive gear. With a bright light, look down the hole where the oil pump drive is. Set the engine to Top Dead Center (use the front pulley markings). Try to orient the oil pump tang so that the tang runs at a right angle to the block. Try to reinsert the drive gear by orienting the distributor slot roughly at a right angle to the block. Carefully drop the drive gear into place. It will rotate as it meshes with the cam gear. When installed properly, the slot should be oriented roughly 1 o'clock to 7 o'clock. If not, pull it back out and try again. The key is that the gear drive the oil pump and you have to engage the pump else no O.P. Once the gear is in - try to test for oil pressure as described above via the oil pressure relief valve. Once you have oil pressure, then verify tour ignition timing (sometimes the drive gear goes in 180 out of alignment in which case you need to pull the drive gear again and re-orient it.)

There are other possibilities, such as the oil pump shaft is broken or otherwise not attached to the oil pump inner impeller.
For initial startups, I usually pack some lubriplate into the pump to get it to prime, but I've skipped that step and been able to get the pump to self-prime.

Let us know if this helps or not.
Regards,Bob Lang

    On Saturday, May 12, 2018, 10:40:40 PM EDT, James_ via 6pack <6pack at autox.team.net> wrote:  
 
 
So after a long 3 year total restoration I am at the stage of adding fluids and starting the car. A few hiccups... but one scary one. No oil pressure. Light stays on and gauge reads zero. 
I ran the engine for short runs but still would not kick up the pressure. 

I wonder if having the oil drained the whole time allowed air in the pump. I researched and others said a new pump needs to be ‘primed’ with grease.  I recall rebuilding mine years ago and vaguely recall priming it. So maybe that is my issue?

I removed the oil pressure switch, squirted about 6oz of motor oil in there instead of jumping to dropping the oil pan. 
But sadly that didn’t work. 
Is it possible the entire pump died?
I didn’t do any engine work so has to be a bad pump. 

—Sent from my Atari 2600—
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