I dropped the pan today and there were a bunch of gold flakes in the pan. Not a huge amount overall but if I sloshed things into a corner it looked significant. So, pondering my next step. 

Remove the engine and return it to the builder with all performance data up to the loss of pressure. I would insist on being present for the disassembly.

 

I talked to the engine builder for a National championship car about why they oiled both ends of the crank. They had lost the front rotor bearing on several occasions. They found a coaxial sleeve to fit over the crank nose, and ran the engine on the dyno at full power. The oil pressure in the crank with the oil pressure gage reading 75 pounds, was 5 pounds.

 

So they began oiling the front main bearing with its own hose. Also jacked up the oil pressure to 100 PSI. It is probable that many builders found this same piece of data  over the years.

 

When oil pressure drops below 50 pounds, what is the pressure in the crank, and how much do you get back from the centrifugal load on the oil column?

 

Once the engine is showing metal it has to come out. I would expect a free rebuild with so few hours.

 

Lynn E. Hanover