4.3 Vortec Chevy Question?

[millerman04]

Anyone ever hear of a high oil pressure issue whcih lead to an engine blow? My dad recently had that happen. He had the intake gaskets replaced. Then it got real high oil pressure, then blew up. Anyone ever hear of that? He kinda knows what happened, but doesnt wanna point fingers yet.

 

[THEFERMANATOR]

Other than an oil filter letting loose, I don't see how high oil pressure would cause anengine failure unless it was from oil not getting to somewhere that caused the high oil pressure.

 

[RKTMech]

I could see water in the oil from the intake gasket being blown causing the engine failure, But im listening to see how an engine could blow up from to much oil pressure.

 

[millerman04]

It got high oil pressure at first, and then it had went away, and then the motor started knockin. He's thinkin a piece of gasket get into an oil port in the head, and thats what created the high oil pressure. Which in turn starved the motor of oil. The intake gaskets wasnt leaking enough to knock out the bearings. His thoughts was about a small piece of gasket blocking a hole, or then starving the bearings of oil. Just ideas weve been kicking around

 

[adrenaholc1]

how would a peice of gasket get through the pick up screen then pump then filter then bearings?
if it was showing high oil pressure then oil had to be making it to the psi sensor at least
head gasket has no oiling holes. the oil all drains to the valley under the intake from the heads.
what BLEW?
has it been taken apart yet?

 

[THEFERMANATOR]

I don't see how high oil pressure could have caused the failure, but coolant from leaking intake gaskets WILL cause it. Sounds like it got ran with coolant in it for awhile, and it rusted up the popoff valve in the pump from it which caused your high oil pressure. It went away because your bearings started getting loose, and then it eventually let loose.

 

[elvenhome21]

you can spin a rod bearing from to high of oil pressure, ive had that happen once on the race car, but it has to have well over 100psi at some pretty high rpm in order for it to happen.
One thing that comes to mind is permatex getting sucked into the oil pump and getting lodged in the bypass spring cause a massive spike in oil pressure.

 

[RKTMech]

What kind of coolant was used, Because if Dex-cool was in the system and leaked into the oil all it does is make the oil blacker with a small to med leak, it doesn't milk shake until large amounts of coolant have been dumped into engine fairly fast. I like the sticking oil pressure reg idea, just for the higher pressure not for the failure! Good luck with the repair.

 

[millerman04]

Oh its been fixed for weeks now. He was just curious to any ideas to cause the random high oil pressure. Espically after getting it fixed. Thats why he assumed a gasket particle got stuck in an oil passage creating a blockage. It was just random that after it was fixed, it got really high oil pressure which it didnt have before it was fixed. I believe it was over 80 psi at that point. Wasnt near that high before the repair. I know water will wipe out bearings, just went through that with my jeep, and other vehicles. The real high oil pressure is what threw us the curve ball.