Ford Cortina 2.0 pinto engine - No oil pressure | Technical matters | Back Room Forum

Fri 21 Aug 2015 18:32

Ford Cortina 2.0 pinto engine - No oil pressure - peckythepirate

I have an old cortina fitted with the 2 ltr pinto engine, its been stood in the garage for about 5 years, decided to run it up and get some use out of it, normaaly I take off the coil to distributer lead turn over the engine until the oil light goes out then I know that oil has circulated before trying to start it. but this time after several attempts I cannot get the oil light to go out or see any pressure on its gauge. I have been told that if I drain out the old oil and put in deisel fuel, turn over the engine again so that the deisel will go round the system and clean out all old oil, and it should make the oil light go out. I am wary of doing this and apart from lifting the engine out and stripping it down to clean it all which is a lot of work. Does this procedure with deisel fuel work?

Thanks for any help Burge

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Fri 21 Aug 2015 19:16

Ford Cortina 2.0 pinto engine - No oil pressure - elekie&a/c doctor

Diesel fuel is an oil,so can't see that working.Have you checked to see if the distributor is turning,as the oil pump is driven off the same jack shaft(cambelt driven)as the dizzy.

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Fri 21 Aug 2015 19:50

Ford Cortina 2.0 pinto engine - No oil pressure - Bolt

Try starting it, its oil pump may take a while and revs to build up pressure again but the crank would splash bores so it should start, dont use diesel, its only usually used to clear stuck rings on pistons and do an oil/filter change

If you cant get compression take plugs out and squirt some oil into bores to seal the rings, and unless you have other problems it should start

Edited by bolt on 21/08/2015 at 19:54

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Fri 21 Aug 2015 20:59

Ford Cortina 2.0 pinto engine - No oil pressure - skidpan

When I fit any engine to a car I always spin it on the starter to establish oil pressure before attempting a propper start. But as well as disconecting the coil you need to remove the plugs. With them in the engine will not spin over fast enough to show any pressure, with the plugs out usually takes 15 seconds max.

But after 5 years of no use you need to drop the oil and change the filter. Fill it with the cheapest oil you can buy just to clean it out. Then fill it with a good quality oil specified for classics. Millers do the best ramge in my experience, their clasic oils still have ZDDP in them (do a Google) which is essential for the longevity of cams/followers in theses older engines where the metalurgy cannot cope without it. It was removed from modern oils because it kills the cat converter.

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Sat 22 Aug 2015 00:49

Ford Cortina 2.0 pinto engine - No oil pressure - Peter.N.

If there is plenty of oil in the sump it won't hurt to start it, as long as you don't rev it, leave it to tickover for a minute or two and it might sort itself out, although if the pressure doesn't come up in about 30 seconds you have a problem.

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Sat 22 Aug 2015 09:27

Ford Cortina 2.0 pinto engine - No oil pressure - Oli rag

Like other people have suggested, just try and start it. Make sure you do an oil change though, the camshaft spray bar on these has tiny holes which easily clog.

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Sat 22 Aug 2015 09:36

Ford Cortina 2.0 pinto engine - No oil pressure - jc2

I presume the diesel is a substitute for flushing oil which is mainly paraffin anyway.Pedant mode on-it's not a Pinto-it's a T88.The Pinto was the American 2.3 version of this engine.

Edited by jc2 on 22/08/2015 at 09:39

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Sat 22 Aug 2015 10:55

Ford Cortina 2.0 pinto engine - No oil pressure - Bolt

I presume the diesel is a substitute for flushing oil which is mainly paraffin anyway.Pedant mode on-it's not a Pinto-it's a T88.The Pinto was the American 2.3 version of this engine.

Thats the idea,as bad as it is, cant say I remember many engines lasting long after it was used, Diesel engine oil was supposed to be used but that had the same effect, cheap 20/50 as flushing oil was best for that unit

Cams on those never lasted long anyway and only a bit longer using semi synthetic oil and using spray bar with slightly larger holes

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Sat 22 Aug 2015 14:27

Ford Cortina 2.0 pinto engine - No oil pressure - skidpan

To be pedantic the Ford SOHC engine was never oficially known within Ford as the Pinto. It got that name simply because the first car it was fitted to was the American Ford Pinto.

The name stuck.

Other than giving its name to a line of engines the Ford Pinto was a car best known for barbequing its driver and passengers.

Cannot imagine the confusion it caused in the States when they disovered it was all metric.

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Sat 22 Aug 2015 15:30

Ford Cortina 2.0 pinto engine - No oil pressure - bathtub tom

Cams on those never lasted long anyway

I'll dispute that. I never had any problems with mine. I was warned the problem was likely to be emulsion blocking the spray holes, caused by running too cool. I renewed the thermostat regularly.

The body however.............................................................

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Sat 22 Aug 2015 18:05

Ford Cortina 2.0 pinto engine - No oil pressure - galileo

I presume the diesel is a substitute for flushing oil which is mainly paraffin anyway.Pedant mode on-it's not a Pinto-it's a T88.The Pinto was the American 2.3 version of this engine.

Thats the idea,as bad as it is, cant say I remember many engines lasting long after it was used, Diesel engine oil was supposed to be used but that had the same effect, cheap 20/50 as flushing oil was best for that unit

Cams on those never lasted long anyway and only a bit longer using semi synthetic oil and using spray bar with slightly larger holes

In the early 1980s I worked on a project developing temperature -sensing fan drives: in order to endurance test these four of these 2-litre engines were bought from Ford and set up on test stands, with a cycle of 5 minutes idle, 5 minutes 5000 rpm, continuously.

They were chosen because this engine was known to have the most severe vibration of the possible applications for the fan drives.

These engines were stopped to check oil, etc. every shift, and also to weld up alternator brackets, which failed due to fatigue after about 48 hours running, test stand mountings not being as flexible as car installations.

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Sun 23 Aug 2015 01:00

Ford Cortina 2.0 pinto engine - No oil pressure - focussed

I had a fairly new MK2 capri with that 2 litre ohc motor. I knew about the cam oiling problem so had a look at the cam spray bay. It gets it's oil from the centre cam bearing post where the pipe is just loose fitted into the hole in the post, retained by a screw-as well as drilling out the spray bar holes I fitted a rubber seal to improve the oil flow. Never had any trouble in the subsequent 35-40 thousand miles. Very economical motor with a Lumenition ignition kit to get rid of the horrible standard Ford breaker point system.

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Sun 23 Aug 2015 02:35

Ford Cortina 2.0 pinto engine - No oil pressure - edlithgow

+1 for taking the plugs out before turning it over. Makes a huge difference.

Can't remember what the plug area is like on those engines, but you might want to blow them out with compressed air to stop debris falling into the cylinders.

I cut some sections of wide drinking straw with a bit of electrical tape around the bottom. These fit in the plug holes to avoid this risk.

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Sun 23 Aug 2015 10:52

Ford Cortina 2.0 pinto engine - No oil pressure - hardway

On any job involving removal of the oil pump I split it and pack the chamber with petroleum jelly,

It dissolves in oil and provides the negative pressure to draw oil up from the sump much quicker and engine safer.

But I still spin the engine over with no compression until the lamp goes off.

You can ust fit pumps and "hope" they pick up oil but it's bit of a risk,

to blood pressure let alone oil.

it can take quite some time.

So as another repondant stated check the rotor arm id going round on crank first,

same drive.

Then it's time for the jelly.

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Sun 23 Aug 2015 11:22

Ford Cortina 2.0 pinto engine - No oil pressure - jc2

The pump is in the sump on these motors.

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Sun 23 Aug 2015 11:34

Ford Cortina 2.0 pinto engine - No oil pressure - gordonbennet

I too found no problems with cam wear, so long as you changed the oil regularly and used something decent...not a lot different to most other reasoanably well designed engines then if serviced with some sense.

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Tue 25 Aug 2015 00:45

Ford Cortina 2.0 pinto engine - No oil pressure - Big John

If I remember rightly (its been a while) there are a few things to check re oil pump:-

1) Check the cam belt is OK as this drive the distributer drive (as someone else said check the rotor arm rotates when the engin turns over

2) There is a hex drive shaft between the base of the distributer and the top of the oil pump. This eventually rounds off leaving you with oil pressure, if the oil pump is still with lack of use this may have happened! I had one fail at 70mph on an automatic - oil pressure hit the deck but couldn't turn the thing off until I stopped. The autobox kept restarting the engine!

3) The oil strainer can become constricted with old/crap oil/sludge

If beem stood for a while than change oil and coolant (give cooling a flush) - Pay attention to the thermostat housing - these can become pitted and be difficult to seal

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Thu 3 Sep 2015 14:14

Ford Cortina 2.0 pinto engine - No oil pressure - peckythepirate

Hello have now tried the deisel option but could not get oil around system. did all the checks and everything was fine, Have now taken engine out, stripped pump which was very scored but using a drill on drive it did pump, have decided that as I have got this far to have a new pump, which has arrived, its instructions say to prime pump before fitting, I can put oil in it but surely when I turn it over to bolt on the oil will pour out, is there any other way to prime pump once its fitted and up the right way?

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Thu 3 Sep 2015 14:53

Ford Cortina 2.0 pinto engine - No oil pressure - csgmart

is there any other way to prime pump once its fitted and up the right way?

I believe someone has already suggested using petroleum jelly several posts above this one. ^^^^^

Never had cause to try this myself but it sounds logical.

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Thu 3 Sep 2015 16:04

Ford Cortina 2.0 pinto engine - No oil pressure - skidpan

Have heard about the petroleum jelly method but when even when I have fitted new oil pumps I have never done it. Just made sure its got oil in and will not run dry before picking oil up from the sump. Never had an issue getting pressure.

But if the oil pump is scored its an indication its run dry or debris form the sump has damaged it. Damage to the oil pump means that in virtually all cases the crank/bearing have suffered as well.

No point fitting a new pump without getting the crank measured and ground as necessary with new bearings.

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Fri 4 Sep 2015 12:08

Ford Cortina 2.0 pinto engine - No oil pressure - peckythepirate

no problems with big end or main bearing shells I have checked them all just in case, it was obviously an old piump that must of been reused last time it was rebuilt, the only problem I have is how to prime this pump once in situ as I previosly explaned.

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Fri 4 Sep 2015 14:28

Ford Cortina 2.0 pinto engine - No oil pressure - skidpan

the only problem I have is how to prime this pump once in situ as I previosly explaned.

It been said before. Providing the pump is not dry it will prime itself. Remeber that everytime you tun off the engine the pump empties back into the sump in most cars.

So when you fit the pump make sure you have put some oil in it and turned the shaft by hand, most oil will run out.

Then fit a filter that you have filled with oil, some will run out as you screw it horizontally onto a Pinto.

Fill the sump with oil.

Then take the plugs out and disconnect the coil.

Turn over on the starter and the light will soon go out.

Refit plugs, reconnect coil and hopefully it will start.

Oil wise you need one containg ZDDP, modern oils don't since the Zinc and Phosphoros kill catalysts. Without ZDDP the tappets in older engines rapidly wear. Valvolene VR1 racing mineral oil contains extra Zinc and Phosphous and is very reasonably priced www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/p/car-accessories/engine-...1 An alternative is Millers www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/Product.do?method=view&...A)

You could of course use off the shelf oil and add ZDDP but its normally more expensive to do it that way.

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Mon 9 Nov 2015 16:26

Ford Cortina 2.0 pinto engine - No oil pressure - peckythepirate

Hello all I know its some time since posting my Queries on not being able to get the oil up and circulating, I have since taken the engine out. The pump was worn but still worked when oil was put through it, fitted a new pump primed with oil but of coa*** as soon as you bolt it on some of the oil drains because its upside down. put it all back together, filled up the sump with oil, and have discovered that if you leave the dizzy out you can actually see the hexagon drive shaft that the dizzy slots into and drives the pump, if you fit a deep 6mm thin socket and attach to a cordless drill you can then get the pressure up on the oil light and gauge this has worked fine once that was done and with dizzy replaced, the starter engaged and the oil light and gauge registered oil pressure. Job Done!!

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