gas in oil

[jyardgirl]

had a fuel pump leak on my sbc 350. it was leaking at the part that bolts to the block. replaced it and the fuel line. drove it around and it worked well with no leaks. next day went for a drive and my oil pressure gauge starting bouncing from 38 to 20 and back again. everytime i came to a stop it went to 20 then back up to 38. got home and let the engine cool. Checked the oil and it smells like it has gas in it. Did I somehow do serious damage to my engine? What caused this to happen and how do i fix it.

[jyardgirl]

thank you. do you think that it did damage?

[nitrowarrior]

Only a pan removal will tell. Short time of running in that condition in most in a short time is okay. Follow Denny's recommendation and watch the gauge and listen to odd sounds that may appear. If everything thing runs smoothly, no noises and the pressure stays up, you're okay.

[Matt167]

yup, leaky fuel pump diaphram, lets fuel right in the lower end.

[jyardgirl]

thank you all. i will let you know what i find tomorrow when i drop the pan.

[nitrowarrior]

Brave attitude there.........it's quite an effort to do that. Does your "gut" tell you that's the way to proceed? Personally, I would drop the oil and filter and go fresh to see. It's a lot cheaper on nerves and the damage (if any) is done, so you have nothing to lose.

[jyardgirl]

when i drop the oil pan i always change the oil and filter. that way i can make sure that it is taken care of.

[nitrowarrior]

Never mind, i was referring to oil drop first. Before pan drop.

[jyardgirl]

sorry i mistoke it.

[31 5w]

Sometimes you can wipe out cam bearings on a sbc w/gas in the oil- ask me how I know! Best thing already advised- change oil -pre lube filter start up compare pre contaminated pressures w pressures after oil change esp. when engine hot- this is when I saw the biggest drop in pressure after the problem .

[jyardgirl]

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Changed the oil and filter and dropped the pan. The oil smelled slightly of gas and looked like swamp mud. put in 4 quarts of castrol and started her up with my eyes closed and praying. opened my eyes and the pressure read 38. took her for a short spin and let it warm up. pressure went to 40 then back down to 38 and never moved off that mark again. think i got by without serious damage.
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barb

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