Serious trouble in 2v land...

  • Thread starter Thread starter Anonymous
  • Start date Start date
A

Anonymous

Guest
OK, so I am getting worried now.

Yesterday on a highway trip my oil pressure gauge started fluctuating between 40-50 pounds on the gauge. I thought it might be electrical because I had the wire come off the sender and I was not sure it was tight or whatever...

Then this morning it was running steady at 40 on the highway and it started to blip down to 20 on the gauge...

The wire does not seem loose or anything, there could still be a connection issue... but I am thinking what if the gauge is reading correctly?

what would cause the oil pressure to blip around like that, it is steady for some time and then it might blip down and back?

I hate to ask, but should I pull the pan and take a look... could it be the pump going bad? it is new from the rebuild... could it be a low level hitting a bump and the pump comes out of the oil and pulls air? I put in six quarts when I changed the oil... (I have the six quart hipo pan...)

I also used a Fram 2X filter which seemed like a good choice, but it has really started doing this since the oil change and the temp drops here in Atlanta???

I can handle carb issues and running troubles, but a loss in oil pressure is not something I think I should fool with???
 
YOUR OIL GAUGE WORKS? :shock: Mine really just sits in the same place... 8)
 
An erratic reading like that with the engine at speed is really unusual. Seems unlikely that a bad pump would fluctuate, more likely just stay low, and a spun bearing would just stay low (ask me how I know). I would suspect the guage or sending unit first and foremost, BUT you should be very careful until you can confirm this. You wouldn't want to wreck that nice, new engine...
 
Rapidly fluctuating pressure could be a couple of things.

If you are confident that the guage is correct, the first thing I would try is to change the oil filter. There is a relief valve in the filter that's designed to bypass the filter when it is clogged. If it malfunctions, it could cause that symptom. The gauge on my wife's car was jumping around at idle until I swapped to a better filter.

If it still does that, it may be a loose pickup. Air being sucked in could cause a fluctuation in pressure.

Finally, it could be the pump. A bad, broken, or sticking pressure relief valve can cause the pressure to jump around.
 
Jimbo,

Just a stupid question (not meaning to insult). What is the oil level at? Also, with the HiPo pan, maybe you are having issues with that. It definitely sounds like low level or air getting into the pump. I have a bad p ump on my old explorer, but you'd never know it except at idle. Make sure there is a gasket located between the pickup and pump housing. Also, maybe you got something clogged in the pickup filter screen.

Slade
 
OK....

No I am not 100% confident in the gauge or the wiring at this point...
it could be something as simple as a short in the wire, it is the original wire to the car... one of the only pieces of the harness I have not changed... and it broke off last week and I made a new connection, so there is that possibility...

The filter is brand new, and it was a performance X2 Fram filter, cost 10 bucks, as opposed to the 3.99 motorcraft I always use, I thought a better filter would be a good choice. (Maybe this is a bad filter for me?) if it is clogged after only one week with new oil I would be more than a little upset... (it could be a bad filter? just guessing?)

it did not do this at all prior to the oil change which is why I am coming back to that filter... if you tell me a filter could cause this, then I would suspect that first. Since I have been driving the car for a month with no problems...

as for the loose pickup, bad pump, clogging in the pan, those are all things I am not sure about... I will pickup a standard Motorcraft filter on the way home today, and swap that out first, easy to do...
I will also run a new lead for the gauge and see if that has anything to do with it... I could also play with the wiring and see if I can re-create the variance...

anyway, thanks for the tips... if all else fails I will pull the pan in the morning...

Jimbo
 
Jimbo, Your oil gauge was changed for your car. To have an oil gauge means you have teh GT pony interior which IIRC was not available on 6 cylinder cars originally. SOmeone installed mean.

If you have had consistant readings with the gauge before, I wouldn't doubt it much now. Try changing the filter and oil and see if that helps. What weight oil you running?

Slade
 
Just a thought, but are other gauges on the dash doing the same dance?

Check out this link that shows the back of your dash. There is a part mounted right next to your oil pressure gauge called a "constant voltage unit". Check these connections and this unit also.

Good luck, Ric.
 
I am running 10W30 through the FramX2 filter...

however I checked the level before this filter was full and the engine run afterwards... it may be that I have a low level... I will check that first before I proceed anywhere else.

No the other gauges are fine... the only difference between this gauge and the others is the sending wire... all of my gauges are aftermarket 12volt gauges, and they are all wired correctly... like I said the only difference with this one is it is using the original sending wire... both the gauge and the sender are new. They are Teleflex Haneline gauges.

I am not too convinced it is the gauge, because it does not fluctuate like an electrical short, if it was electrical it would fluctuate wildly all the time when in motion, this was about a ten degree fluc one day then worse the next day... sounds more like a pressure problem getting worse... like a clogged filter somewhat clogged, then more the next... etc...
 
Well I just ckecked the level and that is fine, there is more than enough oil in the car, and it is very clean... only about three days old.

?

looks like I cange the filter back to a regular oil filter for now.. see what that does... I hope it makes it home and to a store first :shock:
 
New does not always mean good. Don't rule out a bad sending unit and/or gauge. It may be worth buying a cheap mechanical gauge just to verify.

Also, is the gauge running thru an instrument voltage regulator or just straight 12V? A bad IVR can cause fluctuations.
 
Straight 12v....

and by new I mean about a year old...

The gauges and senders were put in last summer, they were out and in a box all of this year, so it could be the sender going bad... that is a possibility... but getting one could take a couple of days... I have to order them from Haneline I think...

I am still looking for the correct sender for my temp gauge.

anyway, I am not thrilled about not knowing on this one... if the gauge is bad, then that is no problem, but if it is internal then I am in trouble...
 
IIRC, Rick S had oil pressure "problems" until he went back to a cheaper filter.
 
Well, then tonight I came home and it was fine...
as a matter of fact it was better than fine.. pressure was just right.

I played with the connection at lunch, tightened the wire, and such...

I may run a new wire straight through in the morning to see if it does it again... but I had 40psi at idle, and 55 running at 2500 rpms on the highway...

I am also going to change the filter back, it may be too much...
seems fishy, since this all started when I put that in...

anyway, for now I think it is fine, will keep an eye on things once I change the wiring.

J.
 
I had pressure problems with a fram filter. I went to a K&N filter and oil pressure went up about 6-7 PSI. But I never had fluctuating pressure. I did have oiling issues with the rolling rocker valve train, which by the way I still haven't put back in.
Rick
 
What kind of issues Rick?

I have had a nice steady pressure until now...
no problems other than the rough idle... and the flooded valve cover baffles...

I cannot remove them without removing the head, I blocked the oil passage from the old setup...

I would have to get some roller tipped rockers, and new rods too...
I am not too worried about the rockers they seem fine, it is more the filter at fault for this... and it may have been the wiring after all.. more on this later..

J.
 
I installed a while back an aluminium rolling rocker set up. Drove the car for a few days and the pushrods plain wore out on top. Came to find out that one of the rocker stands had the wrong pressure relief tab.

Went back to the original adjustable rocker set up (came with the 250-2V head). Had the stand replaced with one with no pressure relief and pushrods with a higher Rockwell rating. Harder metal.

Installed the new set up once again. Drove for a couple of weeks and noise started again. Opened it up and the adjusting screws on the rocker arms were worn out completely. Found metal filings all over the place.

Changed once again to the original, changed oil, changed filter and no trouble since. I have gotten new adjusting screws and pushrods but I am hesitant to put the aluminium rockers back in. The original works great.

I adjusted the rockers while the engine was idling. Saw oil coming up and going down the pushrods in a curlycue fashion. Everyhting looked good yet it wore the metals in no time at all. I still don't know why.
Rick
 
I was going to say, isn't the backing on the filter element made of cardboard on fram filters?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

M
All Small Six Fuel pump issues
Replies
5
Views
363
Frank
Frank
A
All Small Six Chasing vacuum leaks.. solved ..but now overheating.
2
Replies
24
Views
983
sixtseventwo4d
S
J
All Small Six Engine knock
Replies
2
Views
428
jstrathman
J
F
Bought another 200
Replies
4
Views
119
bmbm40
B
D
All Small Six lost compression on 2 cylinders.
Replies
3
Views
324
B RON CO
B RON CO
Back
Top