Low oil pressure....sometimes

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iamdub

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Will wait for you to report your findings on this.

If I had an oil pan handy, I'd be on it. If I think about it when I do my delete, I'll get some figures. I'm sure someone here has an oil pan sitting around, though.
 
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DougAMiller

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OK, I measured the angle that I had the nose pitched down. Combining the slope of my driveway and the height of the ramps, the rear wheels were about 18 inches higher than the front. So, conditions were the angle was about 9° and I had it overfilled by 2 quarts. I've never leveled it from the factory rake, so add that in. It's what, 1° or 2°? And finally, I've never paid any attention to whether the engine sits parallel to the frame on these. I've known of some vehicles that the engine sat tilted back slightly, so if there is any tilt that should be factored in.

Funny how so few degrees of pitch feels so steep when you are sitting inside.
 

iamdub

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OK, I measured the angle that I had the nose pitched down. Combining the slope of my driveway and the height of the ramps, the rear wheels were about 18 inches higher than the front. So, conditions were the angle was about 9° and I had it overfilled by 2 quarts. I've never leveled it from the factory rake, so add that in. It's what, 1° or 2°? And finally, I've never paid any attention to whether the engine sits parallel to the frame on these. I've known of some vehicles that the engine sat tilted back slightly, so if there is any tilt that should be factored in.

Funny how so few degrees of pitch feels so steep when you are sitting inside.

I'm gonna say the factory rake cancels out the slight angle of the engine for (1) it's negligible and (2) it simplifies what shouldn't be so complicated in the first place.

If I'm in the area this weekend, I'll stop by a friend's house that I'm sure has at least one oil pan kickin around his shop.
 

Rocket Man

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I'm gonna say the factory rake cancels out the slight angle of the engine for (1) it's negligible and (2) it simplifies what shouldn't be so complicated in the first place.

If I'm in the area this weekend, I'll stop by a friend's house that I'm sure has at least one oil pan kickin around his shop.
Friends with oil pans just kickin around...
 

iamdub

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Friends with oil pans just kickin around...

Yeah, you know how us dumb, slow and trashy southerners are with our front lawns looking like a U-pull-it yard.

He's always piecing together LSs. Well, he's always blowing them apart, too. lol

His latest is a mildly built 4.8 with an LSA blower in a 'bagged '72 GMC. Took it on the Hot Rod Power Tour and blew up the transmission just a few days in.
 

HiHoeSilver

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Friends with oil pans just kickin around...

Yeah, you know how us dumb, slow and trashy southerners are with our front lawns looking like a U-pull-it yard.

He's always piecing together LSs. Well, he's always blowing them apart, too. lol

His latest is a mildly built 4.8 with an LSA blower in a 'bagged '72 GMC. Took it on the Hot Rod Power Tour and blew up the transmission just a few days in.

What I'm talkin bout!
 
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DougAMiller

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Did a little rough estimate on the oil level in the pan this evening. This is nowhere precise, just an estimate and some rough calculations. Here is a dimensioned drawing of the oil pan I found on the internet.

Oil pan.png

From this I did some rough calculations, and the red line is about where I estimate a normal 6 quarts would fill the pan to.

Oil level.jpg

And if you tilt it 10° This is about where the oil level would be.

Oil tilted.jpg

So probably 1 inch or so below the oil pump intake where the o-ring is. The problem is, now when you pour more oil in it has the full length of the oil pan to fill. By my calculations it would take an additional 3 quarts to raise the level 1 inch in this position. So my 2 quarts wasn't enough to submerge the o-ring, I needed at least one more. That or tilt it down more.
 

iamdub

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Did a little rough estimate on the oil level in the pan this evening. This is nowhere precise, just an estimate and some rough calculations. Here is a dimensioned drawing of the oil pan I found on the internet.

View attachment 229225

From this I did some rough calculations, and the red line is about where I estimate a normal 6 quarts would fill the pan to.

View attachment 229226

And if you tilt it 10° This is about where the oil level would be.

View attachment 229227

So probably 1 inch or so below the oil pump intake where the o-ring is. The problem is, now when you pour more oil in it has the full length of the oil pan to fill. By my calculations it would take an additional 3 quarts to raise the level 1 inch in this position. So my 2 quarts wasn't enough to submerge the o-ring, I needed at least one more. That or tilt it down more.

Good job! With how common this issue is, this post should be a sticky. You feel content with closure? I do! lol
 

HiHoeSilver

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Did a little rough estimate on the oil level in the pan this evening. This is nowhere precise, just an estimate and some rough calculations. Here is a dimensioned drawing of the oil pan I found on the internet.

View attachment 229225

From this I did some rough calculations, and the red line is about where I estimate a normal 6 quarts would fill the pan to.

View attachment 229226

And if you tilt it 10° This is about where the oil level would be.

View attachment 229227

So probably 1 inch or so below the oil pump intake where the o-ring is. The problem is, now when you pour more oil in it has the full length of the oil pan to fill. By my calculations it would take an additional 3 quarts to raise the level 1 inch in this position. So my 2 quarts wasn't enough to submerge the o-ring, I needed at least one more. That or tilt it down more.

You're a genius, Doug.
 

Rocket Man

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On a side note, completely off topic on the SUV’s we all love here, did anybody see the Tramontana that the police on Live PD in East Providence RI pulled over tonight? I had never heard of these cars so I looked it up. Seems there have been 8 total produced in the world. Each one is a total custom, priced over a million dollars, and only 2 were built for North American customers.

31281AB3-3511-4466-BFE3-46F92A600E7D.jpeg
 

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