Hey guys I installed a cam, timing chain, springs, pushrods, and a new oil pump a few months ago. Well on my first go around I used the green o ring that came with my LS6 ported pump. Well I had pressure of 40 to 60psi, but after the oil heated up it would start aerating the oil and I had some lifter tick. I only drove it for 30 minutes like this. Then I got a red o ring and installed that. Well my oil pressure after the new o ring is 72psi cold and drops to about 65psi when warm. It buries the 80psi mark when above 2500rpm to. I checked my gague on the dash with a mechanical gauge just to make sure it wasn't a sending unit, or gauge problem. They read within 2psi of eachother.
The oil pump has no high pressure spring or spacers in it either. I have no lifter tick or unusual noises from the engine either.
Does anyone have any idea on why it's so high and if it will be safe to go wot? I haven't gone wot since the cam went in either. BTW I am running 5w-30 Royal Purple with a Napa gold filter.

 

Anyone with any ideas on what's going on?

 

What kind of pump are you runnin? Is it possible that it was built with a high pressure style spring? How about the cam? Maybe the clearance in the cam journals is very tight causing higher pressure? You'd have to pull the cam and check the journals with a micrometer, and the cam bearings with a bore gauge. Was there any sludge in the engine, that could have gotten knocked into a port, tightening up the passage? (kind of like when you squeeze a garden hose and the water rushes out with more pressure)

 

I am running a LS6 pump ported by myself with the anderson racing guide on how to do it. I used the same spring that came with it. The cam is a TR224, and I mic'd it before I put it in, but I can't find the paper I wrote it down on. I was going to check the size from my old cam to the new cam. About the sludge part, I didn't see any sludge on the top end, or any when I drained the oil, but I did do the cam on "mayfly" day. Those things are a couple inches long and there are so many of them in some places around here they cover the ground and it looks like snow. I covered my oil pan, and heads, but I couldn't keep the heads covered while I was doing the springs and I picked out a few of them from the heads. I don't know if some of those things crawled in the engine or not.
Do you think that my oil bypass is stuck and not bypassing? What about getting a new pump and putting it in? PITA again but I need another pump for my new engine build anyways. Also If I do change the pump can I blow compressed air through the oil feed hole and the pick up tube to clear out any debris that may be in there?
Thanks for your help.

 

I wonder if something happened to the pump when you worked it, since it was the only thing that was modified from it's original form, I'd check there first. FWIW, when I build my LQ9, I'm just going to run a stock pump. Oil pressure has never been a problem in my truck, and I'm sure that there's adequate volume as my valvetrain was in perfect condition when I pulled it apart at 37k to swap cams, and later to swap springs and install my Harland Sharp 1.7 rockers. Seems like the only time that guys have problems with the stock oil pump is when it's been modified...just my opinion

 

I just bought a Lingenfelter LS6 pump a little bit ago. The only reason I changed the pump while I did the swap was because it had 130k on it and wanted the assurance that a new one was in there. I am going to put that in with the stock pressure spring in it. Do you think I should blow out the oil passages and pick up tube while I am in there? Or do you think I should run some sea foam in the oil to see if it has a blockage that the sea foam might break up? Thanks for the help.

 

I guess that I'd try to blow it out...I've never used Seafoam in the oil as I'm nervous about adding anything to my oil and creating damage to bearings and such. I know that others have done it without problems, but personally I'm skeptical. If you've used it in the past with good results, then go with what works for you

 

you could try running 1-2 quarts of dextron ATF in there for a tiny bit(ive done 50miles)

atf has a lot of detergents in it, won't harm your engine in any way and in my opinion feels safer then seafoam

 

Well I put my new Lingenfelter pump in to see if it was the pump causing all the pressure. Before at cold idle I was seeing 72psi, and with the new pump I am seeing 55ish. At hot idle it's around 50. It does come up to around 75 over 3500rpm but i'm fine with that. I pulled out my old spring in the bypass to see which one was in it, and it had the red spring in there. My lingenfelter pump had two springs. One white (standard pressure) and one red (high pressure). Looks like my pump was making high pressure because of the hp spring in it. It was supposed to be standard pressure. It does seem to be a little louder valvetrain wise but i'm going to live with it like this, and hopefully not have any problems.

 

Thanks for the update.