Ok flathead guys...

[sgtpontiac]

Picked up a 53 Ford with a flattie...it was sitting for a very long time covered in a pole barn.....I am not a flathead expert... I believed the head gaskets were leaking when I got it and none of the head bolts were even close to torqued properly. I was finding small trace amounts of coolant in the oil .... I've done the head gaskets replaced the head bolts with studs and got the radiator recored... seems ok now as to the coolant in oil situation... don't know how long it was getting coolant in the oil but it ran good...it has some spin on oil filter adapter on it in lieu of the cartridge type and what looks like a new oil pressure sender unit.... here's my concern... the stock electric gauge reads low at idle and when warm darn near nothing... I've yet to throw a manual gauge on it before I put it away for the winter..there was no noises and or even a tick out of the motor even with the electric gauge reading zip at idle...goes to about midway on gauge off idle or driving on road... I've read a ton of threads on the issues but I'm coming to the experts for the real info on this ... if the oil pressure is actually low after I check it, what would be the first thing you'd think? Stuck oil pressure regulator valve? Bad bearing clearance? bad pump? or??

 

[ssimpala]

I've pretty much forgotten most of what little I ever new about flatheads...but still wanted to say "welcome back"....we've missed your posts.

 

[sgtpontiac]

Honestly I've missed posting ....

I've pretty much forgotten most of what little I ever new about flatheads...but still wanted to say "welcome back"....we've missed your posts.

If you remember anything, you've got me beat... by the time I was turning wrenches there were very few if any coming into the gas station I worked at as a kid.... I know there is no way for oil to get into the crankcase unless it's head gaskets seeping into the cylinders ....which is what I believe was happening when it sat after running... some of the head bolts took nothing to spin them out....otherwise I think the only other thing would be a crack in the block..but if it's cracked, then it must be a small one.... it also had a 16lb cap on the radiator and I believe that it was why the core was leaking since it should be 7lbs... so I also fixed that... doesn't lose any coolant now...same level in radiator as when I finished putting it back together...have about 150 miles of city driving on it and isn't going down...so now my oil pressure issue is my primary concern...

 

[Bamamav]

I'd try a mechanical gauge. Sometimes electrical gauges don't read right if they aren't getting a good ground.

And. Welcome back again!

 

[Old Iron]

Make sure the sender is the correct one for the flathead.

 

[earthman]

I'm sorry..... Sgt Who?

 

[bruno]

Welcome back, we've missed you Sarge!

 

[Skip]

Welcome back!
I agree with Bama. A known good mechanical gauge is step one.

I ran a 400 Ford for decades with super low oil pressure. Never got around to changing the sender.

 

[Dr Crankenstein]

Look what the cat dragged in! Good to see you, Sarge!

Going back some years, my best friend had (and still has) a '52 Ford PU with a "new" 239 flatty in it. His uncle rebuilt the engine and knew these animals inside and out... anyhow, my friend's factory gauge showed virtually nothing (hot @ idle) and not much at "speed", which bothered my friend and I both...

"Uncle Salty" as I came to know him, said it's fine. They're a low pressure design from the get-go and the old 10 PSI per 1000 RPM rule kind of plays here. Tune-up specs call for 450 RPM idle speed... that's 4.5 lbs oil pressure, hot.

I doubt you have anything to worry about. It's a low compression, low horsepower, low RPM engine with low pressure oiling... still, I'd like to see what a good, accurate, mechanical gauge shows you...

.

 

[sgtpontiac]

Figured you'd take the pee out of me for my absence....lol

I'm sorry..... Sgt Who?

Eman you never fail to amuse me man....

 

[sgtpontiac]

Yeah that's what I'm thinking....

This thing runs so nice, it's almost too good to be true.... never owned a flathead before and it is sure is not a race car... but surprisingly it move pretty good... I'll get that manual gauge hooked up as soon as it's a bit warmer... there is so much "info" on these engines and so much of it is conflicting...one says normal is 20 to 60 idle and road, then another has it just as you state...so manual gauge is surely in order...
Even the darn clock works in this thing...lol...

 

[sgtpontiac]

Skip, bruno , Bama

Welcome back!
I agree with Bama. A known good mechanical gauge is step one.

I ran a 400 Ford for decades with super low oil pressure. Never got around to changing the sender.

Thanks for the thoughts.... I'll try very hard not to disappear again.... besides, I don't want to deal with that stuff again.... too old for drama....

 

[sgtpontiac]

OI.... it looks almost new but.

Make sure the sender is the correct one for the flathead.

can't find a number on it and it looks like the one they show on Ford Barn...but apparently there is two.... one for a 80lb gauge and one for 60lb gauge...so Lord knows if this is the right one...or even how old it is...[S

 

[Torchie]

Didn't see this post or I would have put in my 2 cents earlier.
The only thing that you will get Flathead owners to agree on is that they own a flathead...[ddd
I have had many Flatheads and have never had a stock one run 60lbs oil pressure. Many of them seem to be at or near zero when idling and around 35lbs at speed.
They are a low pressure system and even with a filter they don't filter all that much of the oil unless the block has been modified to a full flow system.
As others have said I would check it with a mechanical gauge first. Plus if you have been driving it and it is running fine I think that is a good indicator as well.
Do you know if the engine was rebuilt. With the issues with the head bolts I am wondering if your oil pump is still bolted in fully. I have heard of more then one guy finding a oil pump bolt in the bottom of his pan after a rebuild.
Does that oil pan have the large drain hole and is it a front or rear sump?
Torchie

p.s. You may want to recheck your head bolt for torque. Sometimes they have to go thru 2-3 cool -hot-cool cycles before they stop needing to be retorqued.

 

[sgtpontiac]

Yep... all of the below listed I've thought of ....

[QUOTE=Torchie;
The only thing that you will get Flathead owners to agree on is that they own a flathead...[ddd
You are surely correct on that..!! lol

Many of them seem to be at or near zero when idling and around 35lbs at speed. Just about what the gauge reads hot...

As others have said I would check it with a mechanical gauge first. Plus if you have been driving it and it is running fine I think that is a good indicator as well.
I will do that asap when the weather breaks....

Do you know if the engine was rebuilt.
It definitely had head gaskets replace before...they were felpro....as for a rebuild from the looks of everything else I'd say no....

With the issues with the head bolts I am wondering if your oil pump is still bolted in fully.

It had been sitting for a number of years....

Does that oil pan have the large drain hole and is it a front or rear sump?
Torchie the drain plug is huge and it's rear sump...

After driving it about for about a week, I re torqued the heads and will do it again after I get it fired up after hibernation....

I appreciate your 2 cents and feel free to throw in more if you think about it ...

 

[Torchie]

Sarge.
The good thing about the large drain on that pan is that if it is up in the air when you drain the oil you can shine a light up into that drain and see things. Like a possible missing oil pump bolt.
Keep us posted.
Torchie

 

[sgtpontiac]

That I will Torchie...

Sarge.
The good thing about the large drain on that pan is that if it is up in the air when you drain the oil you can shine a light up into that drain and see things. Like a possible missing oil pump bolt.
Keep us posted.
Torchie

Hopefully I'll have done a bit more work on the other projects by spring... knees still got the best of me right now... working with another Orthopedic Dr. so I'm hoping for some actual results... short of new knees that is....

 

[OddRodsGarage]

Hopefully I'll have done a bit more work on the other projects by spring... knees still got the best of me right now... working with another Orthopedic Dr. so I'm hoping for some actual results... short of new knees that is....

Here is another couple of pennys..the truck flatties are built a lot more heavy duty , when ever I was looking for one a truck one would be on top of list . it'll run on 3 lbs and sound like 60 , so if it is running strong enjoy it , don't mess with it , and fix the situation like we do our parts getters ... a piece of black tape will fix that gauge just fine, just saying ...

 

[sgtpontiac]

I'll take your advise OddRod

I'm sure you all know what I mean when I say Ain't never satisfied.... always trying to make something better.... hard habit to break but I'm going to resist the temptation to fiddle with things.... When I get her out this spring I'll throw a gauge on it see what it really is putting out.... then go from there.. don't want to wake her up too soon...

 

[sgtpontiac]

I know it took a while.....

Finally got that Mechanical Gauge on the 53.... has 20 at idle, 40 on road and ... all of those are engine warmed up... so I should be good...
Somebody said something about 0-60 gauge senders and 0-80 gauge senders... so maybe that is the problem with the dash gauge... but in any event, the oil pressure seems fine....Dash gauge is near 0 at idle and never goes over half way between the middle and the first hash mark... so I'd say it was about 20 lbs shy of accurate....