Oil pressure troubleshoot, Flow Diagram?

[ahab]

I bought the sprocket nut from autohaus in 2012 and got the flat one, not any nyloc style. I have a few spares, if you need one send me a PM.

[dam5h]

Much appreciated ahab!

Here are some pics of the slurry in oil pan along with some caps I pulled for inspection. No scientific method here with Plastigauge or anything, just seeing what the bearings look like, as I saw some pics on line of what oil starvation would look like.

First the slurry that had me concerned.



The main looks pretty good, this is the 2nd one back I believe.


Rod caps 3 and 4.


Crank journal 3, slight wavyness.


I think these look alright, will probably just button it all back up once I replace oil pump rotor and sprocket. I am contemplating pulling number 6 for a better check since that would be the furthest from oil pump but it's much harder to access. One day when I have the time, I'll likely find a donor block and do a full rebuild for a project, so I don't really need to get 100k's out of this bottom end. Not going to be tracking the car and will likely put less than 20k on it over the next 3 years.

Any thoughts from the experts?

[Mike W.]

#1 is the rod that usually goes when an M30 throws one. It had ventilated the block so well on my E28 when I got it the A/C compressor bracket was barely usable.

[dam5h]

I need to update this thread for the benefit of others. It's all good now and was indeed the fact that the sprocket was loose. The sprocket had even etched a light circle into the inside wall of the oil pan. That was the weird noise that I had heard occasionally that I thought was coming from power steering pump. The sprocket was mostly on most of the time, but the idiot light didn't seem to kick in until it had finally wiggled back enough to not engage at all.

Zip ties make the gasket install way easier, also avoid the new Reinz gasket packaging method if you can. It comes rolled up over itself on tiny cardboard tubes. This resulted in a tiny tear in shipping and when I tried to use anyway the wavyness made it too hard to get in place good before the permatex started curing. I was able to get one packaged on a flat cardboard piece next which was world's better.

Oh yeah, I ended up going through 3 gaskets. The first one went well until I was interupted and then came back to speed through things before the glue cured and buttoned it all back up without the sprocket! Don't forget the sprocket.

Big thanks to Aaron for the proper sprocket nut! That thing is now happily locktited down doing its life's work once again in a new home.

Thanks to all the others for the advice.

[ahab]

Glad to hear she's back together and pumping oil.