QuestionQUESTION: I've had this truck since 87 and I am trying to get it back on the road. I have an oil pressure problen. I have 40 lbs pressure but an getting little to no oil to the top end. This pressure does fluxuate some. The engine has 167,000 miles on it. It sat for 3 1/2 years. I had a guy in Alabama put a head, on the drivers side of the engine. He said it didn't need both heads which I thought weird. Could he have put the wrong head gasket on or put this head gasket on to where the oil passage is blocked? Where should I start? lol Oil pump, head gasket or where, James? I took the rocker assembly off and ran a piece of wire down the passage through the pedastal. It stopped right at the top of the head. Should it have gone further or is there a sharp angle that would have taken the wire a different direction? I am stuck, James.
ANSWER: Rick, I find it unlikely that the gasket was installed correctly, but possible. It is not unusual for only one head or head gasket to be replaced, but not the standard. He was probably trying to do you a favor on the labor. And yes, the passage does have a right angle, if I am not mistaken. The gaskets and labor are relatively cheap. When you say very little oil. Have you gotten any noise from the rocker arms? The oil pressure sounds right, so I am just curious as to what got you looking into it?
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QUESTION: I took the truck to a couple of guys that did mechanic work on the side. I had taken my truck to a regular gagage, they put air in the plug hole and the air was blowing out of the exhaust. Their cost to fix it was way up there. Before the head cracked, the old truck sounded like a diesel with all the chatter. I wasn't driving it much ,then. When I moved back to Ohio, the old truck sat for 3 1/2 years. I went out and fired her up and she sounded the same so I pulled the valve cover and, after running for 20 minutes, the drivers side showed only a hint of oil. The passenger side was a little wetter but not much. I took the rocker assembly to a machine shop that specializes in heads. Even in taking the rocker assembly off, the oiler bar had next to no oil in it. The guy looked at it for a minute and told me the drivers side was junk. He fixed me up. It was still a bit noisy, though. I'm not engine savvy so I was asking a lot of questions. One guy said put a high volume oil pump in it and another said no because it would wear the distributor gear faster. The oil pressure is not a steady 40 lbs., it fluxuates. Does that matter? I would be driving down the road and the oil pressure would go from 40lbs. down to next to nothing but I didn't know if it was the gauge or what. James, in your first sentence, did you mean you think the head gasket "could" have been put on incorrectly? I just wanted to clarify that, bud.
The reason I don't have much faith in the mechanics that did the work is this... After the truck, my "service engine soon" light came on. I took it to the guys and they said the mains were shot and the engine needed rebuilt. I listened and I didn't hear any evidence that the mains were gone. So, I left there and went to another garage. I told Tony about what the guys had said and he listened and made the same statement that I made,"I don't hear it. The bearings don't seem to be bad and the engine is strong!" He looked around and found a vacuum hose that was sucked together. We replaced the hose and the light never came back on after we reset it. They wanted 2500.00 to rebuild and engine that didn't need rebuilt, James. My best friend was going to help me with my truck but he was diagnosed with cancer. Ten months later we buried my friend. I want to get this old truck back on the road for what may sound stupid to you but to show Dave I did it! lol After he got sick, I spent all of my time helping him and his wife and the old truck just sat. I just want to do this even more now. So, James, if you had this truck, what would you do, bud? I'll give you as much info as you need but I am really stuck here. Is there something I can put in the oil to clean out the passages? I was told to use kerosine but another said hell no! lol I'm just spinning with conflicting info. I need a manual for dummies, Friend.
Many thanks,
Rick in Ohio
AnswerMan I am so sorry to hear about your pal. If it was my truck, that had sit up for a while, this is what I would do. I would remove the engine, and send it to an engine overhaul shop. Not to replace the bearings, but to do a complete gasket overhaul. I would let them steam clean and acid bath everything. You never know, a dirt dobbers nest could be clogging it up. Or, the guy wanting to rip you off, may have installed the head gasket improperly. At the very minimum, I would tear that head back off, and install a new gasket. Since gaskets come in pairs, there is really no sense not to do both of them.
