Basic oil pump question-please help me first time

A problem has arisen for me...

My wife's restored by someone else 69 Mustang Coupe black on black has been knocking for six months - now she tells me!

Took it to the mechanic and he said the oil pump suction tube got screwed up and she has been running it with little or no oil pressure for some time. He fixed it and sent her home with it but said I should totally rebuild it - it is really damaged.

Here's my question: What parts/locations of the motor does the oil pump lubricate? Please list them for me. Where on the engine do you test for oil pressure and how is it done? It is the 302 v8 block. What damage should I be looking for specifically?

I would like to learn so I can install pressure gauges on my tractors as a precaution as well.

Thanks alot, I need to learn more about this.

Mark

If the engine really is damaged it sounds like you'd be looking at getting the crankshaft ground and new bearing shells fitted to both main bearings and big ends as a minimum. Other bits may not have suffered damage. Noise is a good clue but you really can only be certain by stripping it down and checking things them by visual examination and possibly measurement of wear.

Oil pressure gauges are fine for telling how well the lubrication system is working but the driver does have to look at them and interpret what they see. An oil pressure warning light can be a more readily noticed indication of a problem. i.e. If it comes on, it means you need to stop the engine. You also notice it coming on where you don't always notice what a gauge is doing.

Neither gauges nor warning lights are designed to warn of low oil level. Checking oil level manually or by a fancy electronic sensor is still needed. (Actually they will tell you when oil level is gets so low that pump isn't picking up any oil but by that time you may already have done the damage. )

Oil pressure gauge or warning light switch screws into a tapping in the main oil gallery on the side of the block. I'm not familiar with your engine so can't say exactly where. By putting a T piece into the tapping you can fit both a light and gauge together.