Temp. Oil pressure drop April 10, 2008, 10:51:38 PM Earlier today while on the interstate, I suddenly lost oil pressure and the valve train started making racket. I pulled over to the left shoulder and called a tow truck to bring it into a mechanic. After waiting for a few minutes, I gave it a try again and the car started right up with full oil pressure. I got into the right shoulder and let them tow it in.The mechanics couldn't find anything wrong (big shop over here with 3 locations now) and their best guess on what happened is something in the oil pan got sucked onto the oil pickup screen(s...) and caused low pressure. The car was fine last weekend after putting a new lower intake gasket on, different lifters, and having to swap the distributor as the one that was on it began making noise when turning it, even by hand. The car was fine Sunday and Monday but this morning the oil pressure dropped.Do you guys think this sounds right? There shouldn't have been any way to get any silicone in the pan from ANYTHING and rtv'd gaskets around water jackets wasn't thick enough to break off, let alone in somewhere that could get into the oil pan.Got myself a $180 oil change and car wash after all is said and done. Quote Selected
Temp. Oil pressure drop Reply #1 – April 11, 2008, 11:52:40 AM Do you have a high volume oil pump? They have been known to suck the pan dry a highway speeds. That wouldn't cause top end racket through. That would just starve the bottom end. What was the engine temp like when the pressure nose-dives?I have read about people having problems with the oil regulator inside the pump bleeding off too much oil. I don't remember if it was on a Ford pump or not.Just a thought. Quote Selected
Temp. Oil pressure drop Reply #2 – April 11, 2008, 12:07:52 PM my old n/a 2.3 that was in my ranger did that. there was debris in the pan and it clogged the screen on the pick up. i ended up cleaning it out and selling the motor.... that's when i did the turbo motor swap. Quote Selected
Temp. Oil pressure drop Reply #3 – April 11, 2008, 12:11:32 PM Quote from: danzajax;213570Do you have a high volume oil pump? They have been known to suck the pan dry a highway speeds. That wouldn't cause top end racket through. That would just starve the bottom end. So the valve train can function without noise with no oil pressure??? Quote Selected
Temp. Oil pressure drop Reply #4 – April 11, 2008, 01:33:51 PM Quote from: TurboCoupe50;213574So the valve train can function without noise with no oil pressure???I never said that. I said top end noise. The rockers would be swimming in oil. Quote Selected
Temp. Oil pressure drop Reply #5 – April 11, 2008, 02:43:15 PM It was about 5 minutes into driving, after a couple minutes of warmup - we're right off the highway. I was about 3 miles down it. Rpm's were around 1600 and the the pressure didn't come back as it was slowing down on the shoulder. It was starved as I turned the key off but again fine after I attempted to restart it 2-3 minutes later after getting off the phone.I just can't see what could be in there unless some excess gasket material broke free somewhere. The oil that came out didn't have any metal shavings or other debris and the motor's still new. The oil pump is standard flow. The annoying thing is that I won't be able to pull the pan for another 2 weeks - working 7 days a week.The car's a driveway ornament again at the moment. Quote Selected
Temp. Oil pressure drop Reply #6 – April 11, 2008, 05:10:31 PM Quote from: danzajax;213593I never said that. I said top end noise. The rockers would be swimming in oil.And clattering like Hell, cause with no oil pressure the hydraulic lifters are allowing excessive lash on the rockers...Drain your pan and pour over the rockers with it running, see it they quiet down...Seek I used to have a V6 Chevy that would loose pressure unexplainably... Like your engine, after shutting it off and restarting it was OK... Lost pressure 4-5 different times then never did it again... I'd had the pan off recently and chalked it up as a possible sticking pressure relief valve in the oil pump... Quote Selected
Temp. Oil pressure drop Reply #7 – April 11, 2008, 06:06:03 PM I guess the point is irrelevant because he doesn't use a HV pump. I retract my previous statement. I had always thought the lifters scavenged oil as it drained back from the top end. I read This page and they are primed through an oiling hole on the side. So my official apologizes. Quote Selected
Temp. Oil pressure drop Reply #8 – April 11, 2008, 08:12:29 PM Quote from: danzajax;213632I guess the point is irrelevant because he doesn't use a HV pump. I retract my previous statement. I had always thought the lifters scavenged oil as it drained back from the top end. I read This page and they are primed through an oiling hole on the side. So my official apologizes. Always a good day when you learn something new... Quote Selected
Temp. Oil pressure drop Reply #9 – April 11, 2008, 08:51:18 PM So it sounds like just look in the pan and if its clean...well I guess try another oil pump and hope for the best? It's not like they're expensive. Quote Selected
Temp. Oil pressure drop Reply #10 – April 12, 2008, 04:47:17 AM is there any possibility the "oil filter" could have caused that to happen, like a failing regulating valve? Quote Selected
Temp. Oil pressure drop Reply #11 – April 13, 2008, 09:05:53 PM its weird, i tried to post a link referencing what im asking here and it doesnt work anymore?from frams website no less:hick: here it is if someone else can view ithttp://www.fram.com/carcare/faq.php Quote Selected
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