Pressure relief ball

[Howard Wright]

Very odd.

Missing blanking plugs would do it, I suppose.

Missing gasket at top of pump - probably not.

What is the flow like from the connector, if you undo the oil gauge to crankcase joint?

It is always the thing I forget when installing an engine, the size of the puddle after a few seconds first engine run is very impressive.

If that happens, you know there is plenty of oil flowing round the engine.

Hi Simon

I did almost exactly this recently and still have the iridescent sheen on the drive to prove it.  However in my case I simply hadn’t tightened the joint and the gauge showed a healthy pressure despite oil pouring out of the engine!

Hi Steve

My money is on the oil gauge or oil gauge pipe being faulty or blocked.  If you can find another gauge simply connect it to the engine without installing it in the dash.  I have a cheap eBay gauge and length of pipe that I use to test things with.  If I can find it you are welcome to borrow it. If the Chummy pipe run is the same as the RK the pipe bends sharply to go through the bulkhead and it is easy to kink it.

Good luck

Howard