yup, easy way is to get a mechanical pressure gauge from a parts store, home depot, etc and thread it in to where the electrial sender is on the block, just behind the front cover. That is the easiest way to determine if you have oil pressure or not.

 

Simply jacking the rear of the car up wouldn't cause the oil pump driveshaft to fall out. It can't come out when everything is bolted together unless there is a major problem at hand.

Get a real guage like freaking is saying. Cheap insurance IMO.

 

When I change my oil, sometimes the first few seconds the engine makes a clacking soud from lack of oil, until the new oil starts circulating. If you really don't have oil flow, i think the valve train would be complaining. Is the engine noisy like the lifters are dry? then I would be suspicious of the oil pump. If it sounds normal, then I would be suspicious of the oil pressure sender, gauge, or wiring.

 

After removing the oil pressure sender and installing a mechanical gauge, there really is no oil pressure. I guess I will be dropping the oil pan to see what I can see. Hopefully, I didn't hurt the bearings as I drove the car for 2/10ths of a mile without oil. The valvetrain wasn't too noisy at all - perhaps because I had synthetic oil in the motor. I just hope I didn't hurt it too bad.

 

Let us know whether or not another DSS motor has bitten the dust or not.

 

how much time and how many overall miles has this new engine been in the car....???


did you prime / pressurize the oil system when you first started the engine...the very first time....????







the only way that the oil pump drive can fall out or become dis-lodged is if the distributor or the oil pump is removed.....

 

I suppose there is the one in a million chance that the shaft broke as you shut the car off before you jacked it up to work on it (not related/just coincidence) -- and when you fired it back up -- no pressure. But I doubt it.

 

I bought the car 4 months ago - all the work was done by previous owner. The new DSS engine was installed in 2002 and only has about 5,000 miles on it. I suppose I will have to check the lower rod bearings on #1 and #8 to determine if there is any damage. Is this possible without removing the engine? I have the DSS girdle and windage tray installed - this doesn't sound like fun.

 

Make sure your mech gauge is functioning properly. Then I would remove the oil filter and cut it open to see if you have any surprises. Drop the oil pan to see if you have anything lying at the bottom that shouldn't be there!

 

Found the problem - not DSS's fault

Wanted to let everyone know that I found the problem and it wasn't DSS's fault. I found a 1 inch piece of a dipstick jammed inside my oil pump which caused the oil pump driveshaft to break. Now I have to remove some caps to see if I have bearing damage - not fun.

I suppose a former owner didn't clearance the dipstick for the DSS main support. I can only assume that he knew a piece of the dipstick broke off and decided to not drop the pan to get it. Now it might have cost me an engine.