Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing No oil pressure - help required

search on Amazon for “spline socket set”; lots available and not expensive.

You do find 12 point bolt heads, usually on smaller sizes ... you may find your ordinary socket set has 12 point sockets (especially on the 1/4" ones) ... they are pretty common so, even if your set is 6 point, one of your friends will have a set with 12 pointers in it ... seems pretty random which ones come in domestic socket sets.

K

Ps ...a 12 point socket fits a six point bolt head as well ... but a 6 point socket won't fit a 12 point bolt head

Jeremy, reading back over this thread I am a tad confused, which is no surprised given all that which has been typed to date... (-:
C
onfused in that you might expect to see a reading on the gauge while pressurising the gallery with the oil can through the gauge`s sender unit gallery...?

Also that despite having seemingly "filled" as opposed to pressurized the oil galleries using the the pumping action of the oilcan`s pump mechanism, there is no sign of oil in the head of the oil filter heads screw on mechanism or the gauze filter...

Perhaps best to have another go at it and one step at a time, Starting by cleaning off the residue around the gauze filter and filling up the oil filter prior to screwing it back in place,
Remove the oil pressure sender unit, then trying to force oil into the pressure side of the oil galleries with the oil can.

Accessing the galleries via the orifice left by removing the oil pressure sensor.....

Using that route as opposed to the pressure relief valve drilling, avoids the possibility of failure to feel pressure building by the oil leaking past the pressure side of the gallery and draining back to the sump via the other gallery within the PRV access point ...?

If you do not feel the pressure building in the oil can`s pumping mechanism yet have managed to inhibit oil leaking back out of the oriface, then it seems you have failed at the first step of this process..?

Worth a try..?

Hi again Jeremy!
Looking at your picture https://ibb.co/vWjJ3yT shows your oil didn't prime because you did not prime it. doh: You merely took off the oil filter and dabbed a gob of vaseline on the filter pickup. That will not prime your pump. If you had read my post, (sorry if you did and I was somehow unclear) you would have seen that you must pack the internal gears. You were nowhere near them

1. remove/divide the oil pump by removing its weird little screws. (These are different lengths..mark which is which as your remove them))

2. These LR/Rover have one section which is part of the timing cover and another section that #1 you must remove. The section that holds the gears, the oil filter, a tiny filter and pressure release valve come off. You must do so.

3. Once these screws are removed..the pump divides into two, possibly with a tiny bit of convincing if the gasket between the two sections is ancient. The pump gears will likely fall out. Prepare yourself for that. Have (a couple) of V8 oil pump gaskets at hand. https://l1nq.com/mnqhli5 When they are that cheap, buy two

4. Clean any remnants of the old gasket off...both sides.

5. b]You can now examine if the pump has traditional damage and decided whether you wish to repair it. SIMPLE or, like most people, let your oil pressure to keep falling over time. You are good either way. [[/b] https://www.gomog.com/TEMP/oilpumpWORN.jpg Nothing too serious here, but that damage is common and lowers your oil pressure. Easy to get rid of. Only parts suppliers tell us that these pumps can not be repaired.

6. Now use a tiny bit of non-hardening silicone on both surfaces, place the gasket on the part in your hand and place 2 of those nutty screws into two holes, spread apart. Put the pump section, screws and gasket to the side. Keep your big jar of vaseline at hand.

7. Now replace the gears again in the timing cover side and PACK them with vaseline. until it looks like this. https://www.gomog.com/TEMP/oilpumpjelly.jpg as I posted earlier. in this thread

8. While gingerly holding the gears in the timing cover, "offer up" the oil pump cover with the gasket and screws and turn the screws until the this cover holds on and supported. Gently add the other screws making sure they do not rip the gasket. Only 9 lbsft of torque for those little screws. . aka mildly firm.

GENERAL OBSERVATION. Yes. This can be a messy job. But with three Plus 8s, 3 decades and my mileage, I have done this job more times than I can remember. First time took me 2-3 hours, curses and 3 gaskets. But like anything, I can now do it in under 15 minutes. Please jot down your swearing for group entertainment.

Lorne

P.S. If you wish, I can walk you through it by ZOOM

P.P.S. I have also used the spin-the-gears from the distributor interface. I prefer the vaseline method. Removing the distributor to get access to the oil pump gears, means a precise re-timing of your ignition system. .

Has this issue been resolved or abandoned Jeremy...?

So, further update: sorry for delayed all response been buying tools / parts to get it done here before the weekend.
Appreciated all the suggestions and encouragement.

GOOD NEWS! Taken the oil pump apart, cleaned up and fitted new gears (the old ones were not too worn but thought it best while out to fit new ones)
Packed the housing with vaseline, started up and now have oil pressure, about 2.5bar at tick over when cold.

BAD NEWS: I still have a tappet noise, turned the engine off after a couple of minutes, so the oil was not fully warmed up, just to be safe.

What are your thoughts on the tappet noise?
Remember originally the engine ran for 3-4 minutes at tick over before i hear tappet noise and turned it off, diagnosing the oil pump had lost prime.

Pics
https://ibb.co/7x8GL9G6
https://ibb.co/vCbgWdFW
https://ibb.co/nN1Lt2wq

Further update: After posting I checked 'AI' Claude in this case for Rover V8 tappet noise, it suggested that after running with no oil or standing idle for a period of time air in the 'lifters' could take a few minutes to be fully removed. So, just ran the engine again until hot and the tappet noise slowly disappeared! Phew! The oil pressure at tick over is just under 2 bar and around 3 bar at 2000 rpm. Not taken it for a run yet, that's tomorrows adventure!

Well done Jeremy, glad it is now sorted.

Great to read that you have sorted it out yourself, well done indeed.. You have no doubt become a V8 Mog oil change expert in the process...

Another Update: After a couple a days running out for trips etc all looking good after 100+ miles.

Nest question is why did the oil pump loose prime in the first place?
In 36 years of ownership and sometimes well over 6+ months between starting the car why did the oil pump loose its prime?
Only data point is I did an oil and filter change some 35 miles before it was put away for 5 months, the drive immediately before it was put away got the oil very hot.
Only thing I can think of is the oil filter (now changed) had an issue with the non-return valve?
I will take the possible offending item apart in due course to investigate further.

Let hope it last for another 36 years!!