oil light comes on

[Faulkner]

I took Faulkner out for a drive yesterday. The old 318 runs great, and burns very little oil. Not bad for 85K.

But the oil light does come on, particularly when idling. It disappears around 35mph or so.

It's occurred to me that I might have a clogged sensor, and I intend to replace it. But is there anything I might do to help the old block, short of a rebuild? Is it relatively cheap, for example, to replace the pump with a new or rebuilt one?

Dan

[JSSuper]

Occasionaly my car will idle really low and the oil light will come on, but it goes off the second the gas is applied. I've never had it stay on to about 35 before..... its probably the sender though, but if its not I'm afraid I don't have any info in regards to repacement pumps....

[roberthinds]

I suggest that you attach a pressure gage to make sure you have a problem before spending a lot of money. You should have at least 20 psi at idle and 50 psi at speed. I added an oil pressure gage and volt meter to my car. It is clamped to the dash so I can remove it for show. My 318 has good oil pressure all the time. Gary Goers has new sending units. What oil are you using? You should be using 10W-30 or in the hot weather 20W-50 is OK. DO NOT USE NON-DETERGENT OIL!

[Faulkner]

Robert,

Thanks for your constructive comments -- and, thanks especially for joining the Forum! I look forward to hearing more from you.

Dan

[Faulkner]

I suggest that you attach a pressure gage to make sure you have a problem before spending a lot of money. You should have at least 20 psi at idle and 50 psi at speed. I added an oil pressure gage and volt meter to my car. It is clamped to the dash so I can remove it for show. My 318 has good oil pressure all the time. Gary Goers has new sending units. What oil are you using? You should be using 10W-30 or in the hot weather 20W-50 is OK. DO NOT USE NON-DETERGENT OIL!

Well let's see -- it's nearly a year to the day, that I received this advice from Robert. As befits The World's Slowest Auto Mechanic, I finally got around to taking the advice! Here's my report:

I've got 20/50 detergent oil in the 318. I replace the oil sensor with a tee, a new oil sensor and a tube that runs to a gauge under the dash. I fired up Faulkner, and I got a solid 30 psi. Not great, but not terrible...

I took it out onto a nice straight road, few traffic lights. The engine had warmed a bit as I cruised at 40; by this time, the pressure had dropped to 20 psi as I was pulling up to a light. At a stop, the pressure dropped to 0! The oil light came on solid red... I quick punched neutral and kicked the idle, and the pressure came up to 5 psi; the light went out. I turned it around, and on the way home I was reading 10 psi. It hovered around 5 as I pulled into the driveway and then into the garage.

Clearly, my 318's tired. I suppose it's crank journal bearings, huh? And without turning the crank, I can't put in near bearings; although, Ed Ober did tell me about a guy who turned cranks while still in the car...

What about running straight 40W? And, how about a high performance pump? Is there such a thing as an electric pump to get higher pressure? (I suppose that would take a sealed grommet through the oil pan.)

Is there anything I can do, short of an engine rebuild?

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[rogerh]

Before you get up to your elbows in an expensive rebuild, Dan, I advise you drain the oil, remove the pan and clean the screen on the pick up tube. I am thinking that as you drive and warm up the oil, all the other crud down there in the pan starts to circulate and clog the screen, starving the pump. Worth a try.
-roger-

[rogerh]

so next year, when you do this (heh heh), let us know what you find when you drop the pan.

[Matthew Keij]

Don't let us know!!! Make pics that's always the best way

[Faulkner]

Before you get up to your elbows in an expensive rebuild, Dan, I advise you drain the oil, remove the pan and clean the screen on the pick up tube. I am thinking that as you drive and warm up the oil, all the other crud down there in the pan starts to circulate and clog the screen, starving the pump. Worth a try.
-roger-

You know, it is worth a try -- but, I had a local garage guy that I trust replace the oil pan a couple years back, when it developed a pin hole leak. Do you think he might have ignored the screen?

(*sigh*)... I guess it's still worth a try...

Dan

[Faulkner]

so next year, when you do this (heh heh), let us know what you find when you drop the pan.

Yeah. I should have your pix up by then too, Roger

[Faulkner]

Don't let us know!!! Make pics that's always the best way

You bet!

[big m]

Hi Dan, the first thing I would do, is to run another gauge to the pressure source. There are a lot of defective gauges on the market, and some cannot be trusted. If the pressure is still low, have your mechanic pull the pan and inspect the screen on the pickup tube. If it is clear, have him drop a couple of the main and rod bearing caps to see if the babbitt is worn down to the copper. If the bearings appear OK, try replacing the oil pump as they can wear out. This will not cost much more than the extra labor, and the oil pump cost [usually about 50.00.] If the bearings are worn out, I recommend saving for a complete overhaul, if a partial job is done, such as a crank kit, you may spend good money on nothing. I used to own a repair shop, and overhauling engines was one of our specialties. I hope you find the problem to be a lesser one, anyways. ---John

[big m]

Hi Dan, the first thing I would do, is to run another gauge to the pressure source. There are a lot of defective gauges on the market, and some cannot be trusted. If the pressure is still low, have your mechanic pull the pan and inspect the screen on the pickup tube. If it is clear, have him drop a couple of the main and rod bearing caps to see if the babbitt is worn down to the copper. If the bearings appear OK, try replacing the oil pump as they can wear out. This will not cost much more than the extra labor, and the oil pump cost [usually about 50.00.] If the bearings are worn out, I recommend saving for a complete overhaul, if a partial job is done, such as a crank kit, you may spend good money on nothing. I used to own a repair shop, and overhauling engines was one of our specialties. I hope you find the problem to be a lesser one, anyways. ---John

[Faulkner]

...If the bearings are worn out, I recommend saving for a complete overhaul, if a partial job is done, such as a crank kit, you may spend good money on nothing...

John, what do you mean by "crank kit"? Do you mean, replace the bearings, without grinding the crank? Is that something that can reasonably be done? Tell me more!

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Dan

[rogerh]

dan,
here is a little story I'd like to share..
our house has a cedar shake roof. there is a large tree overhanging the house. Lots of maple leaves and whirly seeds fall on the roof and get stuck in the cracks. I hired a professional roof cleaner to wash off the roof, replace bad shakes, and then spray a fungicide/colorant on the roof to make it look new. I had to call him back 6x trying to get him to complete the job. He does a little bit each visit, then says he is done.
So I might guess your mechanic fixed the leaky pan and put it back together and called it done. People these days do the absolute minimum required to collect their money. He had to clean the pan in order to fix it, but the screen is a separate unit. As for pumps slowly losing efficiency, to me it seems unlikely, but i am not a mechanic. If your car doesnt blow smoke out the tailpipe or otherwise use oil, the engine still has life in it.
I had a 65 Chevyvan in college..a retired Sears service truck with umpteen million miles on it..I drove it from Wisconsin to California..it didn't smoke, or drip oil. But it did consume 13 gallons of oil along the way! That was one well worn engine....................