[TR] oil pressure

[Bob Labuz]

Peter,

I am guessing they polished/ground the crankshaft with matching bearings 
etc. Set the correct end float with thrust washers.

Did they fit cam bearings? If not your problem may be here.

The 6 engine did not come with cam bearings. So if the cam surfaces on 
the block are worn or the cam is worn, your pressure problem could be 
related to this area.

I did my own rebuild on my 72 with help from a machine shop. But I did 
all the re-assembly. Starts up at around 80PSI and when warm drops to 70 
PSI at 2k RPM and about 50 PSI at idle. This is after break in using 30W 
oil. Then engine now has 20/50W Brad Penn.

Stock filter setup, original oil pump. In fact the only replacement 
parts were bearings, rings, gaskets, seals, valve guides, upgraded 
thrust washers and hardened valve seats for unleaded gas.

I had a similar problem with my 58 TR3 before rebuild. Great pressure on 
startup but after it was warm maybe 40PSI at 3K rpm and maybe 10 at 
idle. New bearings, reground crankshaft a new cam fixed that problem.

Bob

  On 01/13/2014 10:01 PM, Peter Arakelian wrote:
> I will try to keep this brief, but there is a LONG story here that I will
> share some other time.
> For reasons I now question, I had XK's Unlimited in San Luis Obispo, CA,
> rebuild my engine.  Jason, the owner said he would give me a good deal and
> allow me to supply parts.  When I picked up the car after 2 months, it started
> up with 100 psi! Great!  By the time I got home - 60 miles of freeway, and yes
> I did vary speed, the pressure was down to 50 psi and was idling at 10 psi.  I
> called, and after some testy conversations and insulting e-mails, I took the
> car back up for evaluation.  I talked with the mechanic who worked on the
> engine for about an hour and we discussed the old parts and the old pump and
> the oil pressure.  He felt it was my oil filter, a K&N, he said he had heard
> that there were occasional problems with the internal relief valve.  We
> changed to a Fram and yes the pressure did pick up about 10 psi!  He then told
> me my rocker shaft was worn and should be replaced and I might be losing
> pressure there, too.  Why it wasn't done during the rebuild instead of
> polishing the old, is part of the longer story.  By the time I got home, same
> story with the pressure.  I did then change out the rocker shaft with a new
> one with bushed rockers honed to fit the shaft.  The old one was noticeably
> worn and grooved where the rockers had been.  When I drove into work this AM,
> temp in low 30's to low 40's, about 35 mile on the freeway, the pressure was
> about 5 psi higher.  When I drove home, temps in mid 60's, just over 50 psi @
> 3200 rpm,  When I stopped at the off ramp 10 psi.  After I drove the mile
> home, 12 psi.  Yes, we did change the relief valve plunger and spring.  Always
> starts cold at 100 psi.  The new oil pump was a NOS AE pump.
> Thoughts?
> Peter Arakelian - '71 TR6, Daily Driver