A Tech Tip from Garry Nielsen on how to secure the oil pickup screen connection to avoid shot engine bearings:
“In my life, engine rebuilding has been my major ocupation. I have managed three different automotive machine shops as I moved around the country. I say this to give a background for my information on the four cylinder jeep motor. This info on the oil pickup screen connection also applies to other engine models and makes such as the 6 cyl flat head Dodge motors.
I noticed that many Willy’s motors would come into the machine shops for rebuild after hunting season, much more so than the rest of the year. Maybe that is because they are most used during the fall, or they climb the steepest mountains at that time. I ran into this problem while running my own GPW Ford. The oil pickup screen is loosely jointed at it’s connection to the oil pump. It is only held in with a cotter pin so it can swivel. This joint is quite loose but is submerged in the oil reserve most of the time. If the engine becomes low on oil and/or is at a steep angle , as in hill climbing, this joint will come out of or near the top of the oil level in the oil pan. This will allow air to be sucked into the oil pump as air is not as dense as oil. Air mixed with oil means shot engine bearings. A simple fix will take care of this problem. For years, I have placed an oring on the pipe of the oil pickup screen before inserting it into the oil pump. Sometimes I use two orings depending on the fit of the joint. The screen can still swivel as needed, but the joint is now more secured from air leakage.
Another fix for the engine’s oil pressure is this:
If the engine is equiped with an original oil filter, then the return oil from the filter is dumped back into the oil pan by being dumped on the top of the timing chain or gears through the fitting on top of the timing cover. This lubricates the chain or gears very well. You can gain oil pressure in the engine by plugging off the oil spout that sticks out of the front of the engine block to oil the timing chain or gears. The gears will receive more than enough lubrication from the returning filtered oil.
Remember, this only applies to engines equiped with the original by-pass oil filter and not all engines have both systems. I also blocked off the oil pump supply passage into the engine block by inserting a cup type welch plug into the engine block. Be sure to drill a 1/16 inch hole in the plug as an air bleed passage. (Sounds dumb doesn’t it?!) I then drilled into the side of the oil pump discharge passage of the oil pump body and threaded it for a 1/2 inch pipe thread brass fitting. Just to make sure of this connection, I brazed the fitting in after it was screwed into the pump body. I them proceeded to route the oil via 1/2 inch hydrulic hose to the firewall. I installed a remote full flow oil filter on the firewall.
I then routed two return hoses, one each, to the front and rear oil galley plugs that that are lined up with the front and rear main bearings. I drilled and tapped these fitting holes to 1/4 inch pipe thread to increase capacity. I now run forty to sixty pounds of oil pressure with full filtered 10W-30 oil. This has lasted so far for 16 years with no problems and my motor still uses no oil. I have strong oil pressure even while climbing the steepest hills on the hottest days at low speed. The ultimate test of this system has been to let my young son borrow the jeep for hunting unsupervised! It still runs real good.”
Garry Nielsen, a self professed “piddle pooper” at engine building, sold four 1928 Dodge Brothers “Fast Four” engines to the Montana Dodge Boys, one of which will be running on the Bonneville Salt Flats this August during Speed Week. Thanks for the tip Garry!
– Kaiser Willys Staff
www.kaiserwillys.com
[…] Checking the Oil Pickup Screen Connection […]
Steel “fitting”
“Be sure to drill a 1/16 inch hole in the plug as an air bleed passage. (Sounds dumb doesn’t it?!)”
I’m not following why this is required and why there isn’t any oil leakage….I installed a full flow remote filter as well. The only thing I did was recreate the restriction in the old bypass housing by brazing a steel fit shut, then drilling it out with a 1/16″ drill bit. It seems to run fine. Remote base uses a common PH8A and I run straight 30W oil. Has anybody else attempted this?
This may be silly but are you sure you don’t have a dead battery? Sometimes it’s the simple things that will get you. Is it at least clicking?
A question on an electrical issue with my MB. The starter button on the floor shorted against the floor and now with a new starter button and battery, I get nothing with the key on/off and the starter depressed!? Fear maybe an issue within the V regulator but not sure. Any ideas for me regarding this problem?
Being a novice at this, is it possible that the author draw a picture of what he is doing to increase oil pressure? thanks