oil pressure problem

[502procharger]

ok the 502 in one of my boats is having an oil pressure problem, starts and idles at like 40 lbs stays there till like 2000rpms then drops as rpms increase. at 4k it is like 28-30lbs. needless to say i backed it right down and idled back and it came back up to like 38lbs at idle. any ideas what might be going on. Did i drop my pickup tube maybe.running st 40 wt.

[Hotcrusader76]

I had the same problem. When I pulled the motor for an overhaul I found RTV gasket material pinned into the oil pump pick-up.
Now this is not to say that could be your issue but I sure suffered the same symptoms.

[HammerDown]

502...a friend of mine was experiencing the same type symtoms...he did pull the pan and the pu was intact, bearings and oil pump fine.
I told him to install a mechanical guage...and oil pressure was fine , however the electrical oil psi guage would drop almost to zero when he accelerated...bad sender.
Not saying this is your problem...but I would hook up a Mech oil guage just to see...alot better than going through all that work my friend did. Some day he'll listen.

[Floored]

i've gotten that from a bad oil filter going into bypass. $3.00 test

[shockwaveharry]

I had the same scarry problem. turned out to be a poor connection at the oil pressure sender. As rpm's and engine vibrations increased, the connection became worse and the oil pressure reading would drop.

[flat broke]

Might as well put up a post for some ideas while I'm pulling the motor tomorrow. :( Had same problem on my just installed 496. Got back from the lake with a mechanical rigged onto the oil gallery plug on the #1 Main. still read the same drop the suspect electrical gauge was showing. I'm starting to think that I should have bought the Dooley pan over the CP unit. In an effort to save a couple bucks, I might have shot myself in the foot. It really seems like the motor is pumping the pan dry. I'm running a Striegel blueprinted pump at 80lbs at idle, I let the oil come up to about 175 before I stomp on it, but as soon as I do for over 2 or 3 seconds, I can see the pressure start to drop. It would appear that if I left my foot in it (I wont go lower than 10lbs/1000rpm) the pressure would continue to drop, but I'm not willing to keep it pinned to find out. Anything in particular I should look out for when I pull the pan other than the normal things like a poor seal at the pump to rear main cap or a loose (which it shouldn't be since it was brazed on) pickup? Nothing like pulling a motor that has less than 2 hrs on it. :rolleyes:
Chris
[ August 23, 2003, 11:17 PM: Message edited by: flat broke ]

[Floored]

my olds didn't like a multi-vis oil and pressure went down fast. went straight weight and pressure doesn't drop below 55-60. :confused: