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MG TD TF 1500 - No Oil Pressure Prior to Startup

Greetings
I'm getting ready to start an XPAG engine that was rebuilt in 1998. It has never been started. It's in the car now and I'm getting close. When I cranked the engine, with no spark, to build oil pressure nothing registered on the gauge . The gauge has been rebuilt, the line is new, as is the fitting on the firewall. Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated. I've included a picture of the oil line attached to the engine.

Thanks, Tom

T Scileppi

Did you primer the oil pump? Did you fill the oil galerie? If the cam shaft and the tappets have been rebuild it is very important that these parts are lubricated sufficient.
W_Mueller

Search in the archives, there are many pages about how to do this. George
George Butz III

Tom, yesterday I started my rebuilt early XPAG engine in my MG YT, but found it was sucking in air around the inlet manifold and the manifold balance was not fixed in the centre. I hope some gasket filler and the screw to hold the balance in place fixes the problem. Only ran the engine enough (5 minutes) to find the problem.

It took a few attempts with the starter and priming the pump and filter to get oil pressure. I removed the gauge and inserted a length of plastic tube at the end of the pipe to see when the pipe was full of oil.

Stuart
Stuart Duncan

If you have the later oil pump you should have a priming port. Here's a diagram from Moss:
https://mossmotors.com/media/instructions/435-128.pdf
James Auer

I noticed that your oil pressure line connects at the cylinder head, not down at the actual oil gallery. Please read the section on oil pressure guage in this article.

https://www.mgccyregister.co.uk/technical-information/the-xpag-files/engine/the-xpag-oil-system/

I'm not a YT expert but the early TD also had the pressure tap coming off of the head and some have experienced low pressure readings from this head fitting.
Richard Cameron

Just a Thought
On My TD the feed to the oil gauge is at the bottom of the vertical pipe to the head not at the head. there is a restriction somewhere to give a better oil pressure reading The head oil flows very fast to the rockers and may not have the true pressure indicated.

Rod Jones

As Stuart has done is the go
Just loosen off an oil line somewhere so the pump can pump, instead of getting an air lock
Wind it over till you've got oil then tighten up
William Revit

Progress report on my startup.
> Grey blue smoke continuously out of exhaust - may be due to the old fuel I am using. (Car and fuel have sat for 6 months)
> Purrs at 1000rpm, slight shudder and runs rough at 2000, purrs at 3000.
> Oil over lower front right engine bay - fixed by hitting a bolt into the (XPAW) dip stick hole which exists on that side on some blocks. (My engine didn't have a blanking piece and in hindsight probably the reason I had oil all over the engine back in June after its first long and last run before engine dismantle)
> Clutch not engaging due to new clutch plate and balanced flywheel etc. Will fix this tomorrow.

Points have a .0015" gap, no coolant leak, a small oil leak out of rear rocker cover gasket (silicon).
Ran engine for about 20 minutes mostly between 2000 and 2500rpm.
Tappets very quiet (using Len's cam and roller lifters)
Friendly mechanic on speed dial

Photo is not of my engine. It is from another Y Tourer showing the XPAW dipstick hole.
Stuart


Stuart Duncan

I don't think you have any oil to the cylinder head. It's not piped up correctly. There should be a banjo connection lower down on the engine with two connections. One to the oil gauge and another to the connection you show in your picture via a copper pipe. The attached picture isn't very good but I think it shows how it should be hooked up. The black plastic pipe goes to the oiil gauge.
AJ

A R Jones

Hi Tom,

Block the breathers in the side plate and the rocker cover, stick the end of and air gun into the dip stick tube and pressurise the sump.

Worked a treat with my TF after two days of absolute frustration.


Jan T
J Targosz

With the gauge connected like that you will never see oil pressure.

There is an external copper pipe runs up to the connection you have shown, the gauge connection is connected to the bottom connection which feeds iol from the gallery to the head and gauge.

The top connection feeds oil to the rocker assembly and the head.

Peter
P G Gilvarry

If you look carefully at Tom's photo you can see the thin copper line attached to the banjo. Tom, if you have no oil line leaks, and the pump is primed, it will take about 25 seconds of cranking before you can expect to see pressure on the gauge. Bud
Bud Krueger

Look carefully- the copper line does go down, I hope to the lower banjo fitting. However, it is the later style copper solid line which is on upside down. Should have no effect on priming pump . George
George Butz III

Is it painted red?

Damn, where are those glasses?
P G Gilvarry

Tom,

Definitely looks as if you’re connected wrong in the upper photo. The connection to the head is an input, it appears that you’ve connected it directly to the oil gauge as an output. Oil flows from a connection on the block to the head and to the gauge.

Gene
Gene Gillam

Oil line take off.



PJ Jennings

In that picture it looks like the oil line goes from the filter to the center of the oil gallerie. I got in mind that the line goes to the right (in that pic) and there are 2 threads side by side - one for the filter line and one for link and the gauge.



W_Mueller

Winfried,,
this is a late block, the oil goes into the engine via what was the by-pass drillway on early engines. there is no external pipe except the rocker supply.
Ray TF2884
Ray Lee

This thread was discussed between 19/12/2018 and 21/12/2018

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