No Oil Pressure 87 Bronco II 2.9 XLT

[Daniels87Bronco]

I've recently rebuilt the 2.9, new everything. It turned on with no hesitations, but I got no oil pressure. I decided to lift the engine change the oil pump incase of a faulty pump. I put on the bare necessities back on. I turned it on and I got oil pressure. Cool then I put everything together, I turn it back on again, no oil pressure. Then I look over towards the distributor in case it might be a little shorter or even defective. I replace it anyways to be sure. Still no oil pressure. I see that the oil pump shaft moves up and down a little bit with a magnet, about a quarter inch. Does that have an issue with anything? What could be causing the no oil pressure? I am at a lost. I've been doing this along the side with my father who is a mechanic of 20 years and this is the first time he has experienced a problem like this.

 

[Uncle Gump]

There should be some free play in the oil pump drive.

I would make or buy an oil pump priming tool... then spin the pump with a drill.

What are you using for a gauge?

 

[Daniels87Bronco]

For a gauge, its just a ol' regular snap on oil gauge where you remove the oil pressure switch and connect it from there.
I'll probably go get a tool to spin the pump tomorrow. Other than that do you have anything else or advice?

 

[Uncle Gump]

Two things come to mind...

Some mystery item in the oil pan moving and covering up the oil pick up

Distributor is not fully engaged on oil pump drive. Do you have the distributor clamp installed and fairly tight (loose enough to set timing of course)

 

[dvdswan]

So if you get pressure with the Snap-on gauge and don't with the original gauge. At least that is how it sounds to me, then your original gauge is probably bad.

 

[Daniels87Bronco]

Two things come to mind...

Some mystery item in the oil pan moving and covering up the oil pick up

Distributor is not fully engaged on oil pump drive. Do you have the distributor clamp installed and fairly tight (loose enough to set timing of course)

We've checked the oil pan with a snake camera. it's all clear and for the distributor it's been tighten down after we've set the timing.

 

[Daniels87Bronco]

So if you get pressure with the Snap-on gauge and don't with the original gauge. At least that is how it sounds to me, then your original gauge is probably bad.

My bronco doesn't have a guage to check the pressure, it just has an oil light, hence using a snap on gauge. when we turned on the engine for the first time the gauge read as 0 and with the sound of the clacking from the lack of oil

 

[Daniels87Bronco]

There should be some free play in the oil pump drive.

I would make or buy an oil pump priming tool... then spin the pump with a drill.

What are you using for a gauge?

Today I've took apart an old distributor to spin the pump with a drill.

 

[Uncle Gump]

Did the block get tanked... new oil galley plugs?

Plugged oil filter?

Doesn't make sense that you had pressure and now gone.

 

[Daniels87Bronco]

Yes, when we rebuilt the engine we took the block to a machine shop to get it all cleaned up. The engine has new everything. When we changed the oil pump for the 2nd time we also threw in a new filter as well incase we worn the engine from turning it on without the pressure.

Right now we're about to spin the pump with a pneumatic drill