Low Oil Light on New Engine
Short answer: On a fresh engine, low pressure with a couple of lifters that won’t pump up usually comes down to one of three things: lifters that weren’t primed, a cam bearing scratched during install, or a missing oil-gallery plug.
- Pre-oil non-pumping lifters: loosen the rocker, use a pump can to fill the pushrod with oil, reassemble and adjust lash (don’t torque yet), start it, then tighten each clattering rocker 1/4 turn at a time until quiet, then torque.
- Check the oil-gallery plugs (sometimes removed during cleaning): two behind the timing cover at the ends of the lifter galleries, and a screw-in plug at the rear of the block (behind an expansion plug). A missing rear plug leaves the last two lifters unable to pump up.
- A cam bearing scratched on installation can cause very low pressure (e.g., ~5 psi) for the first few hundred miles, then recover after break-in.
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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
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