Esprit Turbo project car - part3 - the further continuation

[Lotusfab]

Thanks we looked into that today. Basically the oil flow and return are just a loop until the thermostat opens. We checked the flow. Because the oil cooler pipes were not full maybe the thermostat opened and all the oil pressure was being used to fill the cooler?

Will try again tomorrow..

[eeyoreish]

I had a nightmare with initial oil pressure on my HC engine after rebuilding the oil pump. The only way to get oil pressure was to back prime the pump via the gauge sender port (mines a non Turbo) using a 12v oil pump. 

After some perseverance with the pump I managed to refill the oil lines and the pump sufficiently that spinning the engine over with the plugs out would pump oil back out of the sender port. Once I had that I started the engine and oil pressure was there within a few seconds. Been fine ever since, it's just that first 'dry' startup.

[Barrykearley]

Yup - absolutely correct @eeyoreish - had the same with my S4s. I’m pretty sure it’s in the workshop manual about priming the oil pump. It was a pig on mine - it’s absolutely critical you get it right

[Lotusfab]

8 hours ago, 910Esprit said:

tsk tsk - That gasket should be fitted dry!

Actually thinking about it the Auxillery housing gasket has wellseal. The oil pump gasket is dry and was fitted by PNM who checked and rebuilt the pump.

The olive on the pickup was soaked in hot water, under Petes advice, then fitted. The pipe was seated at the correct height and the hex nut tightened twice. Once when hit then again after cold.

if there's a leak at the  pipe Incant see how it would acheive 75psi?

So why did the pressure drop after I restarted?

[Barrykearley]

Dunno - but you need to make sure oil pressure is being generated - don’t start it again !! Pull the spark plugs out and get a manual gauge of the oil line somewhere and turn the engine over in the starter. You must make sure you have oil pressure - otherwise you will do 10s of thousands of miles of damage to the engine in seconds

[910Esprit]

2 hours ago, Lotusfab said:

Actually thinking about it the Auxillery housing gasket has wellseal. The oil pump gasket is dry and was fitted by PNM who checked and rebuilt the pump.

Well that's good news, Pete will have done it to spec. 

The point I'm making is that anything that effects the efficiency of the pump is undesireable - even a clapped out engine can deliver great oil pressure cold!   However, we can now rule that out for your engine.

I agree with Barry....   Maybe consider removing the oil cooler adaptor plate until you are confident all is as should be with the engine.   That will take all the oil cooler parephenalia out of circuit until you have got good consistent hot oil pressure. 

[Lotusfab]

Thanks chaps. We took the thermostat off to check it was installed correctly. When I precharged the cooler pipes I filled it from the engine out pipe. Thinking about it all this will do is fill the two engine pipes, as the thermostat will be closed. I need to take the pipe off on the other side of the thermostat then pump oil in. When it registers on the pressure gauge or comes out of the Turbo pipe drain the engine oil to the correct level then restart. Will report back how it goes.

[Andyww]

It might be good to try what we wanted to do but couldn't which was to fit the oil filter without the oil cooler sandwich plate, thus removing all the oil cooler plumbing.

For the record the way the cooler is plumbed is a standard aftermarket setup which uses a M-F extender to extend the filter screw on mount through the sandwich plate but this would not unscrew. Maybe the factory threadlocked it on to avoid it coming off when the filter is unscrewed.

[jonwat]

Isn't that an electrical guage? If so, after showing a good pressure initially & now nothing after the restart it sounds like a connection has come off. ☺

[silverfrost]

I thought all G cars used the horrible plastic pipe to the gauge !  Hence the guage is mechanical not electrical ?  or did you fit a later type electrical guage and sensor Fabian to delete the plastic pipe risk  ?

[Lotusfab]

Just had another go. No oil pressure despite pumping oil through the Turbo feed. The oil level had gone down so I think the cooler had filled. I'm starting to think it's the pressure relief valve stuck open in the pump and it closed yesterday. I will have to take it off and check it for dirt. Only the distributor and five bolts.

[Fridge]

36 minutes ago, silverfrost said:

I thought all G cars used the horrible plastic pipe to the gauge !  Hence the guage is mechanical not electrical ?  or did you fit a later type electrical guage and sensor Fabian to delete the plastic pipe risk  ?

The pipe doesn't go all the way to the gauge, but to a transducer in the engine bay, and then electrically to the gauge.

[silverfrost]

Incorrect,  the plastic pipe travels all the way from the oil pump area on the engine,  all the way to the back of the guage.  The only electric on the oil pressure guage is for teh illumination,  i deleted mine due to the engine upgrade,  but also the risk of oil spray under the binnacle from a potential split.

[DaveyT]

Likewise my S3 n/a has oil pipe into the guage.

ask me how I know...go on, just ask 😉

[silverfrost]

Oily Knees by chance Dave.........................................

[Fridge]

Sounds very 1960s.

Down to the swap to Smiths gauges probably.

[Lotusfab]

I have oil pressure! 

Thanks to Jeremy on here who kindly came over and assisted. Well what was the problem.

I tried  priming everywhere with a 12 v oil pump, no joy. The best place to prime is the centre of the oil filter screw thread. The gauge even registered pressure when pumping and oil came out of the Turbo feed. RPM 1500, no oil pressure. 

Yesterday we tried the cooler connections.

When I went in this morning the oil level had decreased, so I guess I was correct, the thermostat opened and the oil pressure dropped. When I restarted no pressure????

After this I could only assume the pick up pipe or the pump, the rotors were checked so what else? If the pipe was on wrong I could not have  got 75 psi. So I  figured it must be the pressure relief valve stuck open in the pump housing.  I removed the housing leaving the plenum and everything else intact.

Jeremy and me took it off and it didn't take long! . The valve looked suspicious. Jeremy pushed it with a screwdriver and sure enough it was jammed! We cleaned it with brake cleaner and compressed air. Then flooded it with oil and removed all the very small debris. Put it all back together without priming. Just filled the filter half full. A few seconds of cranking and 75 psi. Now consistantly good oil pressure.

Happy days!

Thanks Jeremy!

thanks to all you guys on here who have been helping me with advice and the lads who came over yesterday!

Its running very well considering I have rebuilt  everything and even the carbs! The adjustment isn't far off and it started very easily. The gearbox is working in first and reverse! Haven't tried the other gears yet.

Im having a brake from the car now for a while! Thanks everyone! 👍👍👍👍👍👍

 

 

[DaveyT]

Well done chaps...

dont want to pee on the parade, but have you identified where the debris was coming from? Hopefully it was something foreign in the part rather than throughout the system! 

And Dan, lets just say I was glad I'd already removed the carpets .

[Lotusfab]

When I took the engine apart the wire gauze araldite had disintegrated. Even though it was spotless outside I didn't realise the valve was a piston with a spring and could be pushed in. Lesson here always clean the valve by using a similar method to the above . Although the debris was tiny it was enough to jam the valve.

[Lotusfab]

[Lotusfab]

[Smithy111]

That’s great news Fabian! It’s always something small that creates a big problem!

[Steve4012]

Great to hear Fabian! 👍

[Lotusfab]

Thanks Lads and especially for the help and input!

[Paul Coleman]

4 hours ago, Lotusfab said:

For a moment there I thought you'd bought a wetbike!!