Just completed my timing and she fires up and runs...Problem now is while its running, I dont get oil pressure. I didnt install the distributor correctly the first time (wasn't flushed to the engine) and I ran it. Had a loud knock coming from distributor so I shut it off and pulled it. Had little rusted pieces on the distributor shaft gears ( see pic )...which also screwed my distributor up (not free spinning, replaced it). Now when I start it and run it, has a mild knock/tick. grandpa says I need to drop oil pan and check the oil pump link that the distributor sits in...is that why my oil pressure isn't right on my gauge ? The original reason for repair was Blown Head Gasket but ended up being valve cover gasket not placed correctly and intake manifold being loose, allowing water into the oil...which I fixed. Can't find any posts or videos on the oil pump location or how to remove oil pan, if thats where its located. PLEASE HELP !!! Stranded at grandparents house and i'm ready to get out of here and back home. Thanks in advance !!

 

Sounds like you probably sheared something on the oil pump shaft if the distributor was not held securely in place. I'm worried that running the engine with water in the oil, and then without oil pressure may have damaged you engine beyond you ability to repair it without a complete rebuild. You can look down the distributor hole and see the end of the shaft that fits into the distributor, but without knowing what it's supposed to look like it probably won't help much. The shaft won't come out the top side, so the only way to replace it is to remove the oil pump inside the oil pan and take it out the bottom.

Pulling the oil pan off a 4x4 Blazer while in the vehicle is a major operation. Personally I would pull the engine out to do it - and then what do you have? Probably you need to get some serious help if your Blazer is to run again. I know you are willing, but the repair sounds like it may be beyond your current abilities. You need someone there that really knows what they are doing. Grandpa knows some things. Can't say if he will be able to help you like you will need.

p.s. that milky mix of oil and water shown on your distributor in your photo is death to bearings.

 

Ok. I don't have a cherry picker or winch to remove the engine. What do I need to remove to get to the oil pan bolts ? And is the milky oil on the distributor shaft a sign of 100% death to the bearings or can I test that without removing anything ? And if I can't without removing anything, can I get to the bearings without removing the engine from the truck ? Really can't afford to remove engine, any work i can do without removing the engine, I will. Thanks Lesmyer

 

Any amount of antifreeze in the oil will destroy engine bearings.......

 

Ok so just 3 more questions...If my bearings need replaced, will a diagnostics scanner find it ? If so, what type of scanner do you recommend ? And worst case scenario, can i replace the bearings while the engine is in the truck ?

 

Oil pan bolts are not the problem. It's getting the oil pan out of the vehicle. If I remember correctly, the front differential is in the way. Also you need to deal with the oil pump/oil sump possibly preventing movement of the oil pan, by interference on the inside. You may or may not need to loosen the motor mounts and jack the front of the engine up for clearance. If you get the oil pan off, then you can certainly remove the oil pump to replace the oil pump shaft. As far as replacing bearings with the engine in place - doing this would 1) prevent proper checking of bearing clearances 2) drip oil all over you while you are trying to look 3) require upper halves of Main bearings to be spun out/back in. 4) most likely be unsuccessful, even for someone experienced. So please don't attempt bearings in place, or you will end up with an unfinished project. If you do manage to get the oil pan off to replace the oil pump driveshaft, you could pull a couple of bearing caps for inspection and decide what to do from there. Know that when dealing with engine bearings, cleanliness is imperative and also you need to ensure that the crankshaft is not nicked with a rod bolt or anything else. Also position for main and rod bearing caps cannot be mixed up, as they are machined as an assembly and are not interchangeable. This would be extremely difficult to do when working underneath a vehicle. Not for a novice working by himself. sorry

 

The diagnostic scanner won't tell me if the engine bearings are bad ? I appreciate the info. Really hope it's the oil pump/oil pump shaft and not the bearings, i haven't really drove it except around my apartment complex.

 

Nope - scanner won't tell you anything about the bearings.

What we are suggesting is that the bearings have probably been damaged by

1) antifreeze in the oil
2) no oil pressure (even for a little while)

You can fix the cause of no oil pressure, but if bearings have been damaged then a big problem still remains. Furthermore, even if bearings have not yet been severely damaged, you need to get that oil/antifreeze mix flushed out of your engine.

I'm sorry to say that this engine may be a lost cause, given that you have limited resources and knowledge. You need help! What about your Father?

 

Ok cool. I've already cleaned out the milky oil with oil/diesel gasoline when I removed the intake manifold, which is where the coolant leak came from. It wasn't bolted down all the way and the valve cover gasket wasn't installed correctly, allowing coolant into the oil on drivers side.