No oil pressure? I'm Skeered...

1983 FXE shovelhead.
Oil pressure light won't go off and oil is spurting out the crankcase breather.
Oil tank is full.
Any ideas what would cause this?

PUP CHECK VALVE STUCK OPEN ?

The tank has oil in it so I don't think it's the oil pump check valve stuck open.
I removed the oil pressure switch and ran the motor. No oil pressure. I think the pump is not working, maybe it sheard off a woodruff key.
How do I check that? Remove the pump, remove the gear case over or remove both?
Thanks.

if you broke the key pump lock up! there for you have bigger problems my freind!~

Um what?

you need to find what debris made that pump lock up . they dont just sieze up . something has to cause it to happen ? not trying to be a smart ass tommy . just trying to give you a heads up .

I've done a lot of work on the engine lately.
Maybe a piece of metal or hard carbon got in there. Maybe some part of the pump was not installed proerly or maybe something broke from fatigue.
To find the problem, what do I do first? Remove the pump, remove the gear case cover or remove both?

can you get to the oil pump drive by taking the pump off and see if the pump gears can rotate by hand.

Good question, I don't know, can I?

if you slide the pump off the motor . the pump shaft is right there . or you can pull the outer cover on the pump and see if you turn the motor over if the shaft rotates with the motor . rear wheel off the ground and in gear.

Oh Ok, good info thanks. I will try that.

Update: The oil pump drive gear, inside the gear case sheared the key off as we thought.
"Why" you ask?
Some metal got into the pump somehow and locked up the gears which then scored the inside of the oil pump body and damaged the gear teeth.
I'm pretty sure the pump is trash as I was told they will loose pressure if the body is scored. So I am off to find a replacement.
My question now is, where did the piece of metal come from that caused the damage? It was the pump gears that sieed, not the return gears.
Does oil come directly from the oil tank into these gears? If so then the damaging metal musta came from the oil tank.
Any other ideas guys?

do you have the peice?steel or alluminum?

I'm not sure, it was all ground up. I think aluminum shavings from the case as it was in the scavenger side of the pump. I recently drilled 2 holes in the case to allow for internal oil return lines that were external on my old heads. I know some shavings fell into the case.

That happend when you drilled out the oil passages that were blocked off for the oil lines tommy . They got down in the cases remember when you swaped the heads! It don't take but a small piece to lock the pump up .

I think so too Paul.
How do I flush out the system to keep this from happening again??

Well we got to flush out the oil tank for sure as far as cases go is there a way to pull a plug on the shovel case I don't. Remember ? All the hoses that go back to pump and bag should be flushed or replaced or blown out with high presure air.

Thanks.