Low Oil pressure.

[512BB]

Did you sort this in the end Bill?

Leslie

[billwill]

Not done yet.

I've spent about 10 days in hospital with a blood pressure problem, now recovering, but not fit enough to work on the elan.

Before I was ill I did succeed in lifting the cam cover off, despite no cork gasket. I had actually used blue hylomar not red hermetite so with a bit of prodding & gentle taps sideways with a mallet, the cover came free. However I did not progress it any further at that time.

I have all the oils & gaskets & a new oil pump waiting for me to get a bit fitter.

[rgh0]

Hi Bill
Take care and get back to the Elan soon. I remember during my cancer treatment many years ago when I did not have the strength to torque up the crank main caps on an engine and that was in the days when I could normally pick up an engine block in one hand ! I was so totally pissed off I did not recognise how lucky I was to be alive.

Luckily I recovered and have had 25+ years of more engine building and Lotus driving and Elan racing and got to see my children grow up so I am lucky and hope to have many more years to go. I am sure you will be also

cheers
Rohan

[Mazzini]

Get well soon!

[mark030358]

Second that... get well soon...

[Donels]

Hmmm. Life copying cars. That's unusual !!

As pre previous posts, hope you get well soon.

[pharriso]

Bill get well soon!!

[billwill]

In preparation for when I feel fitter, does anyone know if there is a particular position for the crankshaft that would enable squirting flushing oil in through the relevant hole in the top of the block (with head removed) that would be likely to back flush any crud back to the pump or sump. The attached oilways diagram shows that the crankshaft/layshaft is involved in pumping oil up to the camshafts, but it is not clear if there is a particular angle at which there would be a "straight through" pathway for oil. I've not myself done much in the way of bottom-end work so I don't know from personal experience.

Twin Cam Oil Pathways

[billwill]

I've repeated the diagram as it seems to lose detail when I edited the message text.

Twin Cam OIlways

For best viewing of diagrams: Right click the picture and select "open Link in a New Tab" then on the new tab press CTRL with Plus or CTRL with MINUS to enlarge or reduce the size of the picture.

[Craven]

I don’t think the jackshaft could regulate the oil too the camshafts if there were a clear pathway.

[alan.barker]

Well i just had a French Friend phone me 2 days ago to tell him how to change an Oil Pump.
I said remove the 2 bolts between mount and Chassis on Carb side. Support Sump with Jack and a bit of wood and lower carefully. remove Oil Pump and fit new.
Yesterday he sent an Email to say thanks(merci mon amie) job done no problem.
It was on a +2 Elan.
Alan

[billwill]

Partly due to not feeling as steady as I used to be (before hospital last May/June), I still haven't gotten around to doing this oil-change or oil-pump change, but yesterday, at least, I did fit the new cork gasket to the cam cover (using bathroom silicone sealer and clamped it down lightly onto the cylinder head to set.

I also took the plugs out and spun the engine on the starter briefly to circulate some oil as the car has been standing unused in my garage now for about 19 months. Not good for it!!.

Spinning on the starter with no plugs, did not make the oil pressure gauge rise to the occasion.
so I stopped doing that pretty quick.



It's still a bit too cold here to get around to lifting the front of the car (even inside the garage) to drain the oil & put cleaning oil in etc etc (or change the oil pump) also as I don't have a car lift, its a bit of a puzzle as to how to get the front of the car up on car ramps without using the engine to drive it onto the ramps. My ramps are the fixed type, maybe I should invest in some of those low ones that can be screwed upwards after the car wheels are on the ramps, but they are a bit expensive!



Hopefully the weather will get a bit warmer soon and I'll solve these minor lifting problems.

[Concrete-crusher]

I recall when I fitted a new oil pump I couldn't get any pressure turning the engine on the starter, despite injecting oil under pressure into the oil gauge socket. But when I started the engine instant oil pressure.

Get well and fully fit soon

Best wishes

[mbell]

I have had similair problems with no oil pressure until the car is running and seen lots of other report the same on here. I would just start it, if you worried you can pump some oil in via the pressure gauge connection to ensure it's primed before starting.

[vstibbard]

You could remove end cover of the oil pump and smear the gears and body with vaseline, assembly lube or grease, this creates a vacuum tfor the initial lift of oil up from the sump.