Will not pump oil pressure

[pdb]

Hi all

My 1968 Mini 998 Automatic has been parked in a garage since 1983 until I bought it in 2015. Now it is time to get it back on the road. 

I have gone through many things to make sure everything is in good order. I have also changed the oil (20w50) and filter. Before I fire the engine I thought it would be a good idea to make sure it has oil pressure. This is where the problems began:

The oilpump will not suck oil. I have charged the battery, removed the spark plugs, checked that the relief valve is moving freely, removed the banjo bolt and primed the oil pump using an oil can with a piece of thin hose as an extension inserted all the way into the oil gallery, and cranked the starter motor several times (up to 60 seconds a time). No oil pressure. I have even tried to crank the engine with the banjo bolt removed. No oil!

Any suggestions please? 

Many thanks
Per 

[69hcode]

Are you checking your pressure using the gauge? Do you have a mechanical gauge hooked up to the engine? 


I'm not sure about your engine but my 1981 transmission ran worlds better with 10w40 MA2 motorcycle oil vs 20w50 I put in when I first got it. 

[pdb]

Hi 69hcode (Mustang?) 😊

I have a mechanical pressure gauge but I have also checked it with the banjo bolt removed. Unfortunately no oil is pumped out.

[firept]

It may sound daft but have you checked that the valve gear is working i.e the rockers are going up and down?
If they are then camshaft is rotating so should be driving the oil pump.

If you can get an oil can with the old style trigger pump action   ( www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Draper-700ml-Force-Feed-Oil-Can-PN-027-4/331851341942?epid=1312858818&hash=item4d43e1a076:g:c9UAAOSw6BdXL7PU) fill with engine oil ( 10w40 MA2  ) then you can try taking off the rocker shaft and under the first pillar is the main feed, using the trigger oil can hold the spout in to the oil way you will need some pressure and pump! Those oil cans can deliver up to about 40Psi just keep going until the can is empty then do it again, it may flush out the oil ways, 
You can try the same thing through the 'banjo' bolt take out the relief spring and plunger and make sure the oil can spout is right down the hole to the base and try pumping again this should get oil into the pump and back down to the sump.
worth a try, if not its engine out!

[jockduck]

If the camshaft is turning and the primed pump is still not pumping its possible the drive to the pump has stripped. Why was the car parked up in the first place?
Jock

[pdb]

Hi again

Thank you for your good advice.

I could not bare the thought of pulling the engine out so I took a chance and filled some petrol in the tank and tried to start the engine. It fired up right away. The next few seconds felt very long. Luckily I could see the oil pressure came on very quick after, so I'm a happy boy now.

Many thanks
Per

[richard1]

Tarija and Santa Cruz, Bolivia

Good to hear.
Now, after you put a few dozen miles on it to rinse it out, get some 10W-40 MA2 motorcycle oil and do an oil change. The MA2 will make the clutches grab much better and keep the oil cleaner.

[limby2000]

I would have thought with such a long period of rest, sitting in its old engine oil, a major rebuild will be inevitable. I know when i stripped ky 1989 mini 30 down, a lot of the rubber seals has hardened and some had split. Perhap your 68 was built better. Good luck ,happy motoring. Terry.

[pdb]

Hi Richard1 and Terry

I will go for 10w40 MA2 before the next driving season begins in april. Before that, I will definitely need to change the oil seals Terry   The oil pours from the timing cover seal and from the diff cover seals. I sorted the small one near the sump plug earlier because it was leaking badly while the car was hybernating!

I'm a bit nervous about the large one behind the converter  Hoping to avoid changing that one until later. Can anyone remember if that one is made of the same red rubber as the oil seal for the manual gearboxes? They seem to stay soft longer... In my dreams anyway

Thanks
Per   

[jockduck]

The convertor seal is not the same as the manual clutch seal, it appears to be a reasonably standard oil seal.
Jock

[richard1]

Tarija and Santa Cruz, Bolivia
The converter cover has two seals, one from the front and one from the back (and an orange to change).

[limby2000]

I think unless your using an old stock seal kit, there all black now. I would,nt fancy trying to pop off the t/c in situ, i suppose the only one which will leak is the outer seal,as the inner seal is more to do with keeping the pressure in the t/c. Have fun,lol.

[69hcode]

It's not too hard to do with the engine in place. I did mine that way twice since I messed up the first seal. 

[jockduck]

Yeah! I've done that too, After getting the seal in square and to the correct depth its been good since, 8 years?. The inner seal had a problem the garter spring had detached and I fished it out, its a major strip down to change that seal but things have been OK.
Doing the T/C insitu is OK, preferable to pulling the whole lump out.
Jock

[tonyerwood]

Per,
Going back to your original problem, that banjo bolt is where oil goes into the engine (different from manual transmission engines). The oil from the pump goes first to the filter through a passage in the gearbox casing, then into the valve block in the gearbox and from there to the engine through the external pipe/banjo, also to the torque converter and to one or both clutches (forward clutch for all forward gears and top/reverse clutch for 4th or reverse) and one of the brake bands (one each for 2nd, 3rd or reverse).

Putting oil in where the banjo bolt goes will just put oil into the main and big end bearings which will then drip back into the gearbox. How to prime the pump is a real problem if it has dried out after standing for a very log time. I think that on some engines there was a plug/copper washer on the back which provided access to the oil pump input, not sure if that was true for all - I'll have a look at the 998 and 1275 engines that I have here.

I am very glad that you were succesful in getting the everything working and I can understand your worry that nasty things would happen if you didn't get oil pressure quickly on a running engine !
Tony.