my digital oil gauge show one bar then a blank spot then two more bars, I replaced oil pressure sending unit, gauge still remains same, I removed sending unit and installed a standard oil pressure gauge. when I start the engine the oil pressure show 48 to 50 pounds (idle) as engine warms up the oil pressure start to drop eventually down to 5 -10 pounds at idle. If I raise the rpm the oil pressure does not go up... could this be a bad oil pump or blocked oil pickup screen or bad bearings?
engine is a fuel injected 302 v8 with 161,000 miles .oil and filter has always been changed every 3500 mile since I owned it (98,000) miles. If I have to change the oil pump can I do so by undoing the motor mounts and using my engine hoist- hoist the engine up enough for the pan to clear the crossmember-allowing enough room to drop the pan???
your cold pressure is fine. I'm assuming the engine is just starting to get a bit worn out.
if your worried about it, swap to a thicker oil.the gauges problem could be internal to the digi dash. if the sensor reads low or has a wiring issue, it will constantly beep. the problem probably isn't your sensor.
mine was bad and I eventually just grounded it so it would stop beeping. it then just showed full bars.
it does not take much pressure to lubricate an engine. as long as you have no lifter noise or chatter, id leave it alone. maybe throw some 10w-40 in it.
it could possibly be the screen is gummed up.
yes to pull the pan,
-unhook the bare minimum connections (vac & electrical) then the mechanical stuff like exhuast , power sterring high & low lines ect ect, leave the AC connected but undo the clips along the bottom of the radiator to let these hoses swing up.
-use a wratchet strap around the bell housing and secure to the eyelets on each upper side of the fire wall.
-separate torque converter and slide it back
-undo the motor mounts from the engine block! leaving the mounts down below, this gains you a lot of room for pan hardware removal.
-remove upper intake
~~hope im not forgetting other stuff
-raise the motor ubout 8 inches
lay a oak 2x4 or a 4x4 across the fender well up top along the engine bay along where you see fender bolts (cut to fit 4x4)
-run wratchet straps around the headers and 4x4 on each side as a safety
-now drop the pan
- the oil pump is on the pass side front of the oil pump then here is a main bearing cap nut that needs removed as well.
-the pump will come out the front with the sump.
-when the pump is dropped, the dizzy shaft will fall out as well, position it back in place after pump repacement if you find the pump is bad.
if you sump is just gummed up , toss in an new oil pump anyway along with a pan gasket kit.
I would think the pressure should still rise with RPM's with a worn engine.
that depends,
if the sump screen is a little clogged , the oil pump could cavitate
Whatever you do don't think too long about this. Pull the pan and replace the pump. At 161,000 I would say the pump has done a great job and its probably tired. By pulling the pan you can also pull a main cap and a rod cap and see how the bearings are doing. Is is a pain in the ass? Yes but killing a motor will be a bigger one. Whatever you do just do not buy a high volume pump as they will suck a stock pan dry. Get a Melling replacement pump, a new distributor to oil pump shaft, and all the gaskets.
Darren
Pull the engine it is TOAST!! You need a rebuild. Years back ford 5.0 engines had a sludge issue. But this also effected cold start up. Normally the pressure was low on cold start up as well. I just might be a clogged pickup but slim at best. What i do is increase the pickup to pan clearance by 3/8 of an inch over stock. This prevented the sludge issue from people that refuse to change oil. Also the type of oil and change intervals are a key in a clean engine bar none.
tks to aall, will keep you informed on outcome
I would put my money on worn main bearings like mine had.... started at 45 lbs, and gradually went down to 2 lbs after about 5- 10 min of running
I still say run it till it pukes. at 161k you got your money out of it.
I'm sitting at 230k miles and I've change my oil once since 191k when I put the 5 speed in. my car doesn't just sit around.I drive it a minimum of 20 miles every day and sometines 150-200 miles. earlier this year I made 4 separate 900 mile each way runs from Utah to 10 miles from the Canada border in mt.
is my engine tired? un doubtedly so. am I gonna pull the engine as long as I can get close to 30mpg free way and no engine noise? why bother?
I've probably had 5 of these cars over 200k. every single one of them got Junked due to transmission issues. now that I've got a t-5, I don't think I need to worry about it for quite some time. I was actually getting the car ready for a 1600 mile trip to Oregon Thursday, but my work decided to fly me instead. i'd personally rather drive, but I guess time constraints have over ruled that.
So what you are saying Stacks you firmly believe changing ones oil is a waste of time!! WOW 40K between oil changes. Can yo post something that shows that your car needs an oil change every 40K. My service manual in my 88 Drop top does not recommend that. Just curious as why you would post such NONSENSE ALL THE TIME!!! You are smarter than that!!
That would be my GUESS. As a rod bearing would knock at some point over .0045 The mains really bleed off the pressure rather fast when there clearance goes over .005.
I didn't say changing oil was a waste of time.... I was trying to point out how durable these motors really are, especially when your talking an s.o. that is taken care of.
I have been trying to blow my motors up so I can throw the one I have on the stand full of h.o. goodies in. so far three cars with little to no oil changes have not blown up before the transmissions did.
but yes, I have gone about 45k since I touched my oil filter or drain plug. the.car eats a bit between a couple tanks of.gas. the last car I had I put about 75k on it with two oil changes. I pulled the valve covers off and it looked good as can be after. not saying I recommend it.
If you want to kill it, stop shaging around and KILL it. Sodium silicate. 5 minutes and its dead.
the reason oil turns black is becaues the pan isnt really completely isolated from the combustion event.
the residue ends up down the cylinder walls and into the pan, including any unburnt fuel. that thins the oil as well.
i know you said your proving how reliable these motors are but, ive actually heard of people who really *dont* change thier oil, they just change the filter and add oil as needed. rediculous!
Stacks you never FAIL TO AMAZE ME. You are the GREATEST. Because i know you are telling the truth but i also know you KNOW BETTER. And i have read your posts and you are a resourceful guy no question about that you are a smart guy. But those poor engines need a LOF and pr0nTO. You are a TRIP BROTHER!! Carry on Stacks!! Thanks!!
would running a can of engine flush un clog pickup screen ?
I have the cougar sanded and ready for paint (Ford Performance White) going to hold off until engine oil pressure is solved. have a turbo hood,getting it prepped for paint. has anybody seen any white/grey exterior paint combos on a 88 cougar,with a grey interior??
Not normally the pan has to come off. But once we heated the bottom of the pan with a benzomatic torch with the drain plug out and a lot of the came out. I do not recommend this as i was young and dum when i did it. But it worked!! Your CALL
Drain the oil and then pour it through some fine towels or rags. Then see if you find any BABBIT in the oil. And also cut the filter open and inspect.
If its already clogged at your pump pickup screen you will probaly clog it some more. I would hook a gauge directly to the motor where the sending unit is, read it from there. I wouldn't trust anything from the dash. If you got bars on the bottom and the top it usually means its out of range. Does the engine make noises?
Sorry did see where you put the gauge on. If its not knocking run it, take your time and build something for it if you like it and want to keep it.