Finished my 2.2T engine build - oil pump seal check? First Start butterflies.

[Optimusglen]

Hi all, Over the last few years I've been rebuilding a 911/07 ('71 911T engine) to use in my '71 914. It's finally all together and I wanted to ping the collective to hear thoughts or opinions on something I wasn't quite expecting in preparation for the first start.

2.2T, Zenith 40tin , stock rebuild apart from oil bypass mod, updated oil pump, and headers.

I'll start at the beginning.


All was going great with the build, I purchased Wayne's book and was following the procedure. The case was done by Ollie's who did the oil bypass mod and supplied the new springs and kit etc.

I changed to a 4-rib oil pump and had it rebuilt by Henry at Supertech.

Engine all together, installed, everything done and I wanted to prime the motor with oil before the start. I pulled the spark plugs out and disconnected the fuel pump. The engine turns over nicely.

I don't have an idiot light, I took the spot for the idiot light sensor and replaced it with the oil pressure sensor (no spots for both, though I might get a dual contact sensor in the future to have the idiot light)

So, the engine turns over but I don't see the pressure gauge moving. Climbed under and didn't see any oil leaks. Checked and rechecked wiring, connections, and tested with a known good gauge. After four or five 30-second cranks, spaced by 2-5 minutes each to rest the starter, I call it quits and push the car back into the garage. At that time I notice an oil puddle.

Over the next few days I cranked it maybe a dozen more times as I tried other gauges, I was thinking I had an oil pressure sender or gauge problem.

The oil leak seemed to be coming from the intermediate shaft cap. I end up dropping the engine and pulling the cap, resurfacing, and reinstalling.


In the process of dropping the engine I drained the oil, this is where it kind of threw me for a loop. There was much more oil to come out of the sump than the line/tank.

At this point, it's all together again, but I'm wondering if there's some way to check the oil pump seals with the engine completely assembled? I know I can remove the oil hose fitting on one side and see inside one port, but I don't know if any of this is necessary given all the cranking I did.

I do get oil to the cam housing banjo fittings, so there's some pressure there. I believe that rules out using the wrong oil pressure relief pistons.

Any input or speculation is appreciated.

[Black 993]

Perfectly normal to get more oil out of the tank than the case. Do you have any oil pump seals laying around in your collection of post-rebuild leftover parts?

[Optimusglen]

Originally Posted by Black 993

Perfectly normal to get more oil out of the tank than the case. Do you have any oil pump seals laying around in your collection of post-rebuild leftover parts?

You mean more oil out of the sump is normal?

I do know the seals are in place, just being paranoid that they got squished weird or something.

[Trackrash]

I had the same thought after I put my case haves together.

I bought an endoscope inspection camera and used it to check to make sure my seals were still in place.

[viejopatron]

Did your work on the intermediate shaft cap fix the external leakage? Did oil come out of the banjo fitting in a hard stream or ooze out?

Did you replace your Oil Bypass Pistons? See Page 76, Section 2, 5th paragraph.

Re: Sump Oil... The DIY (very much assisted by Wayne's book) 3,0 in my '71 911T does collect oil after not running for awhile. When started, the level gauge indicates low and several minutes will go by before the level comes up.

[Optimusglen]

Yes, looks like the cap fixed the leak. We started it today and all is well.

A few people have told me now that cranking alone, especially with a 914 4-cyl starter, very likely may not bring pressure up to show it on the gauge. I did have oil at the banjos on the cam towers.

Oil pressure relief/safety valves and springs were replaced, parts supplied by Ollie's when they did the case work.

I also heard from a friend that it's not uncommon to have a fresh oil fill on a new engine pool into the sump.

We ran it for 20min at 2k rpm then shut it down and dumped the oil. After a full cool down and lunch we started again with fresh oil and filter and did the carb tuning. We think I didn't get the #4 valve adjustment right on because the airflow is low on that cyl. It was good enough to drive home though, the 6 feels great in a 914!

[stownsen914]

Glad you got it sorted. Pooling in the sump is common pretty much any time the car sits. Oil migrates past the pump slowly and ends up in the sump until the tank level (which is normally higher) equalizes with the level in the sump. It’s a gravity thing.

[Cairo94507]

Hey Glen- Congratulations on getting her fired up and taking her for a drive. Now we need to see video of that baby running please.
Cheers,
Michael

[Emo993]

Add a Rothsport oil check valve to keep oil in the tank not the sump. I just did it and the problem is solved. Best, Mark