1968 Charger R/T 440HP engine with TOO high oil pressure

[69 Sleeper Bee]

It is just strange that you all of a sudden have high pressure.
One of the causes is a possible blocked oil passage from debris.
I agree a standard volume pump is fine on a standard motor.

 

[stushug]

And lightly chamfer the gear, rotor, and cover, they are very sharp new and always dig into the cover where the relief valve sits.

I'm not sure how to do that.

I'd pull apart your new pump to make sure there's no manufacturing trash inside. Add some clean grease so it will suck oil, a dry pump won't suck oil.

I just learned about that today, thanks for mentioning it though.

Vaseline works well for this.

And yes I would take the pan off.
It's kind of a pain but not impossible.

I saw that today, pack the pump with Vaseline. I guess not taking off the pan would be kind of lazy. I read about how to do it in the vehicle on another thread here. No one ever said life was easy!

 

[stushug]

You pump has ate some metal and that has probably cause your bypass valve to stick.
I would for sure be dropping the pan to inspect for contamination.

What oil pan gasket would you recommend? Cork or composite?

 

[Beekeeper]

Cork works well for me but some of the other members here have different materials they like to use as well.
I always make sure to straighten the pan rails and flatten around all bolt holes.
Clean the mating surface on the pan with break clean to remove all oil then glue the gasket to the pan and install it dry on the block pan rails.
use a very thin amount of RTV on the joints at the timing cover and rear main seal retainer and install the pan and don’t over torque the bolts.
Also pay close attention to the two rear bolts that thread into the seal retainer to be certain they are not too long and bottom out in the blind holes.

 

[eldubb440]

I have had a lot of luck spraying cork (and paper) gaskets with copper coat......also a little RTV around each bolt

 

[440 Source]

This always works well for situations where the oil pressure needs to be dialed in (up or down.)
Adjustable Oil Pressure Regulator-440 Source

Also, FYI, the Melling and the Mahle pumps are the exact same item. Melling is the actual manufacturer. Mahle buys them from Melling and re-lables them.

 

[66 Sat]

What about all the trash that went through the oil pump in the first place?

It must have come from somewhere - what should he be checking before firing it up again?

 

[WileE]

What oil pan gasket would you recommend? Cork or composite?

Either. And use a skim coating of Indian Head on both sides.

 

[Canadian1968]

dropping the pan is a PITA but not the absolute worst thing in the world.... I would say pulling a power steering box with headers is worse ! lol

 

[Beekeeper]

What about all the trash that went through the oil pump in the first place?

It must have come from somewhere - what should he be checking before firing it up again?

I would be dropping the pan to see what is in it. That pump damage could have been from before the engine rebuild took place but I wouldn’t be second guessing that

 

[eldubb440]

or.......just put the pump on, roll the dice and run it, it may be ok for years to come......any major issue will show up quickly, and the damage is already done

 

[stushug]

dropping the pan is a PITA but not the absolute worst thing in the world.... I would say pulling a power steering box with headers is worse ! lol

Been there, done that. One huge problem with this car is since the restoration the chance of damaging anything and everything aesthetically. A scratch in the paint is $$$$ for repairs, and it's money I don't have to spend again!

 

[stushug]

I would be dropping the pan to see what is in it. That pump damage could have been from before the engine rebuild took place but I wouldn’t be second guessing that

You guys have convinced my to pull the pan. I'll be doing that in the next few days.

 

[qkcuda]

As said in a previous post just drop one side of the center link and swing it out of the way. Not that hard at all.

 

[stushug]

As said in a previous post just drop one side of the center link and swing it out of the way. Not that hard at all.

Nice on a lift. I'm on my back, on the floor. It could always be worse, I could be outside, in the rain!

 

[stushug]

Another question. What is the correct length for the oil dipstick on a 440? Do I measure from the tip to the bottom of the pull handle? I've read somewhere 23" is correct. The car is all numbers matching, so I've always assumed the stick is the correct one. Now seems like a good time to confirm it.

 

[Geoff 2]

No need for a HV pump. Puts more strain on the pump drive for no benefit on a stock engine.
That is a LOT of debris that has gone through that pump to cause the damage in the pics.
I would say a prayer to Allah hoping that the filter caught ALL the trash before it went through the engine.....

 

[stushug]

I removed the oil pan today, and I'll bet some of the guys that urged me to remove it had their ears burning. That sucker's been on there for at least 22 years, and it didn't break free easily. After some extra effort and a lot of cursing I did get her off the engine. I did not find any debri at all in the pan, so my hope is that whatever scarred the oil pump was caught in a filter and is long gone. I didn't see anything suspicious on the oil pickup screen or anywhere else. My next steps are to re-install the pan, install the new pump, fill it up with oil and see what I get for oil pressure. I did notice that while the relief valve in the old pump moved pretty freely, the one in the new pump is much smoother and more freely moving.

 

[eldubb440]

or.......just put the pump on, roll the dice and run it, it may be ok for years to come......any major issue will show up quickly, and the damage is already done

 

[qkcuda]

Now at least you know. Peace of mind. I would be cutting open the filter just to make sure.