Oil Pressure?

[josh_mf]

Ok, starting just yesterday, my oil pressure light is coming on once the car is warmed up. The car is a 1977 Volare Wagon with a 225 slant six and 2 barrel carb. The light is doing a lot of flickering and coming on sort of half lit, and then at certain speeds it will light all the way up. Is this indicative of a failing sensor, or am I looking at an oil pump issue? If it is the oil pump, how easy is it to drop the pan with the engine in the car? Sorry for all the questions that could probably be answered with some exploration on my part, but it is snowing out right now and I have no garage. On that note, though, what is the preferred service manual for these cars, is there something better than the standard chilton/haynes manuals? I'm guessing it would help me to answer a lot of these questions on my own.

 

[lowbudget]

Check your pressure relief valve as described in this post http://www.slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=21641
The oil pump is bolted to the passenger side of the block with the oil filter attached to it. I don't remember if I unbolted motor mount and jacked engine up or not when I changed mine I don't think I did. If you do a search over at slant six . org there is some interesting reading on the oil pump drive gear and oil pump R and R. When was the last time oil was changed? What viscosity oil are you running? The oil doesn't smell like gas does it? The best way to check oil pressure would be by hooking up a manual oil pressure gauge.

I ran 20W50 in mine until my new oil pump showed up. It is a temp fix in my book. Mine was only coming on at idle all warmed up which the thicker oil fixed.

The best manual is the Factory Service Manual which can be gotten off e-bay in print or on disc.

 

[josh_mf]

I've currently got 10-40 in there. Is there a recommended weight to run in these? I just changed the oil when I got the car last month. I'll go out and pull the dipstick to see if it smells like gas.

 

[josh_mf]

Yeah, oil smells like some fuel got in there. I did have some vacuum leaks that I just sealed, so that may be it. I think I need to adjust the carb as well. This is my first vehicle with a carburetor, so there will likely be a bit of a learning curve.

 

[bremereric]

Yeah, oil smells like some fuel got in there. I did have some vacuum leaks that I just sealed, so that may be it. I think I need to adjust the carb as well. This is my first vehicle with a carburetor, so there will likely be a bit of a learning curve.

Check the float and make sure it's not sticking. Change you oil again and don't run it much longer..you can wash the bearings can serious issues.

 

[lowbudget]

If your rings are shot or you are running rich (sticky float) will put gas in your oil. The most usual culprit with a slant is a leaking fuel pump diaphram. Vacuum leaks usually gets you lean do to the extra air. Did you gain any oil on the dipstick? Is your oil thin?
I would still mount a mechanical oil pressure gauge and see what is really going on with the pressure. I got a tee and close nipple at the hardware store so I could keep idiot light also. IMHO every slant needs a manual oil pressure gauge. But first of all do a oil and filter change just in case it is diluted with gasoline. I use 10 -30 Valvoline and Wix or NAPA Gold filters in both my sixers. Do a search over at slant six . org on oil and filters again there is a lot of info on oil and filters over there, also the fuel pump diaphram.
Thanks Mike

 

[josh_mf]

Just a quick update, I got the oil changed and my light was still coming on, so I had the shop down the street test the pressure for me. Turns out the pressure was great and I just had a bad switch. I've got a switch on order, but the light hasn't come back on since testing, so I'm assuming the connection was just corroded. I did re-adjust my carb to stop it from running so rich and I'm slowly replacing all vacuum lines when I have time to stop at the parts store after work. I'll look into the fuel pump diaphragm issue just to be sure I don't have any leaks there. Thanks for all the help and advice.