tattooed underdog

Good evening all. Let me begin by saying that I am a new user here, but I am not new to yotatech.com. I have spent many hours reading and looking at posts all over this wonderful site.

I recently replaced my original 3vze with a remanufactured one. (It was a task to say the least!) The new engine is in it's new home, timing is just right, all the vacuum hoses are in their correct locations (I think) and it kicked over on the first try. However, the oil pressure gauge only moves slightly when the engine is running and doesn't move when I rev up the motor. I tested the PSI manually with an external gauge and I said 5 PSI. Much too low for the V6 3.0l and also eliminating a bad sending unit.

So now I'm stuck. My thoughts are it could be a faulty oil pump that came attached to the remanufactured motor OR something is wrong in the oil pump pick-up area?????? I've been stumped for a couple of days now. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

vital22re

iTrader: (2)

did you replace the metal gasket for the pickup tube? call the place you got the motor from before you tear it apart too much.... does it have warranty?

tattooed underdog

I did replace the gasket from the pickup to the bottom of the block. It came with a 6-month warranty, but I REALLY don;t want to pull this thing out again...

vital22re

iTrader: (2)

did you prime the system before you started it?

OutlawMike

Priming the oil pump is really hard to do on the 3VZE. The way to prime the oil pump is to fill it with oil when you bolt it to the front of the motor, on the end of the crank. Since it is crank driven, you can't spin it up like on a small block chevy.

What I did when I started mine after a rebuild is remove all of the plugs, disconnect the EFI fuse, and crank the engine with the starter until I saw pressure on the gage. The starter can run a long time without compression in the cylinders. And without compression in the cylinders, the loading on the bearings is really light.

You have already started it and saw low pressure even with higher engine RPM's. Whatever you do, don't put that thing in gear until you figure it out.

Call the company that sold it to you, they should be in the loop on this, as they cover the warranty. They might have some ideas for you also.

Good luck

OrRunner

iTrader: (1)

due to a time crunch a buddy of mine had a reputable local motor shop rebuid his 22re, i know its a completely different motor, how ever we had the same problem, it would not build oil pressure, we had to rip it out and take it back down to them, come to find out the two plugs that are in the front and rear of the block (i think) we not installed, thus the oil pressure will not build, after we got those in we were good to go, dont know it the 3.0 has similar plugs in the block but might be something to check out, good luck

jpmountainboy

did you buy your motor from MOTORTIME???

tattooed underdog

I bought the motor from Attarco in Rancho Cordova, ca.

The oil pump came with the motor and it was already attached. I was told that everything was primed and ready to go. I talked to the company this morning. They said, "This is the first time this has happened", of course.

My Uncle said to spray some compressed air into where the dip stick is to open up any closed check valves.

OutlawMike... that's a good idea. I'll give that a try after I blow the compressed air into the oil system.

Thanks for the responses guys. I'll let you know the outcome. Hopefully I'll be driving this thing tonight!!!!

vital22re

iTrader: (2)

whatever you do man... dont rush it!!! take your time and do not drive it untill you figure this out!

OutlawMike

Gotta love that, first time ever, honest.....

I'm trying to remember the check valves in the oil pump, but that was two years ago. There is a bypass in there also, but I believe that is just to bypass the oil filter. Give the compressed air a try and see if you can get some pressure to build.

Good luck

tattooed underdog

Well the compressed air had no effect. Not even the needle on the external gauge would move. And trying to crank it over with the spark plugs and the EFI fuse removed.

The pressure did jump to 20 PSI when i got frustrated and put the motor up to 5,000 rpm's....

The company who sold me the motor said they could send someone out to look at it since it's under warranty... we'll see what that person has to say.

abecedarian

not going to read too much or suggest too much, but possibly the sump / pick-up tube has an issue where it bolts to the block to feed oil from the pan to the pump?