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Original Message
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| There is no pressure relieve valve in your block. |
| By Dave Shoe - 02/10/2001 7:49:49 PM; IP 216.243.158.57 |
Some 390 motors around '61-62 had them in the block, but the pressure relief valve inside your oil pump is the only one you have, and the only one you need. It's likely set around 65 or 80PSI for an aftermarket pump.
The pressure relief valve is not the likely culprit here, anyway, as it only activates when pressure is too high. Because your pump and pickup has been replaced, and your cold pressure looks normal, I don't suspect a defective relief valve.
What are the bearing clearances at the main and rod bearings? FEs tend to like a little extra clearance and this causes oil flow to increase and pressure to fall. A cheap gauge may also feed the problem.
Good luck on the Auto Meter gauge. It is some of the "better" stuff out there. Be aware that when I ran three new AutoMeter gauges in my '67 Fairlane several years ago, the oil gauge leaked a lot due to the white plastic feedline which attaches between the block and gauge. I hope your gauge has something more substantial.
I've heard of one car going up in flames because the white plastic AutoMeter tube cracked and sprayed oil on the headers. Naturally it was a Shelby GT500 Mustang. Fortunately for me, it was AutoMeter's non-shunt style amp gauge which cause my Fairlane to catch fire (flames under the dash and in the engine compartment) when the meter short-circuited inside near the needle pivot while cruising down the interstate. I managed to extinguish the fire by opening the trunk to disconnect the battery and throwing dirt and sand on the burning plastic heavy-gauge wires. It took five minutes for the smoke to clear. I was five miles from home, it was about midnight, and I no longer had any operable electronics, so I ripped out a wire from somewhere under the hood and ran it between the hot lead on the ignition relay and the coil, and then used a pliers to bypass the relay to start the motor. I initially started driving back home slowly, but gave it a minute's thought and figured if I was gonna get a ticket for driving with no lights, I might as well do it right and tromp the old 427 and make it a zippy return trip. Made it home with no problem, but had lotsa wires to replace.
There's really no moral to my story. I suppose if you were to glean something, don't get the cheap AutoMeter stuff. It's crap. Sounds like you're on the right track in getting the more expensive gauge. I just hope it comes with something besides that damned white tubing.
Shoe. |
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