So I dropped both oil pans to fix a leak and did some other stuff like a front main seal. And while driving to work I had great oil pressure then it dropped down to nothing. Then 20sec later it came back to normal then about a mile or two down the road it dropped down to nothing and stayed there the rest of the 8 miles or so to work. So my question is how do I test to see if it's just the sensor or if I actually have no oil pressure? I'm at work so don't have many tools and just a volt meter. It seemed to run fine I didn't get any knocks yet. It's a 95 with a 4.5 liter
No oil pressure after pan reinstall (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Warpigg
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Malleus
Far west of Siegen
Check the connector, on the passenger side inner fender, near the windshield washer bottle. The ground wire on mine was pulled out of the terminal, inside the connector. IIRC, it's the gray one. Seems to be a fairly common failure point.
The FSM sender inspection says to check the pigtail for continuity. The only way to check the pressure is to replace the sender with a gauge, which is also in the FSM.
The FSM sender inspection says to check the pigtail for continuity. The only way to check the pressure is to replace the sender with a gauge, which is also in the FSM.
- Thread starter
- #3
Yeah I have the fsm at home. I just wanted to see if there was anything I could do before I left work tonight to make sure I don't cook a bearing on the way home. I'll try what you said about the connector. I was thinking maybe I put to much rtv on the pan and some got stuck in the system somewhere
Well that would be scary. Did you mess with the oil pickup that goes down into the sump ?
Malleus
Far west of Siegen
Or something like this:
I would make sure you have no loose connections first. If you find one then great. If not, I wouldn't drive it, have it towed home and drop the pan. Trust me the $100 for a tow will be a lot cheaper than the alternative.
- Thread starter
- #7
It's probably more the $250 for a tow. I could have messed with the sensor wire when I was struggling to get the radiator and fan shroud out. I'll look at it when I have break. All I did with the pick up was put a new o ring on other then putting rtv on the pan as the fsm dictates
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Is the front crank pulley bolt tight, like 304ft/lb tight?
Unless the harmonic balancer was removed and then not torqued back correctly or there is a significant leak someplace (oil cooler), its doubtful you have an actual mechanical problem. The oil pump on these things rarely give problems and excessive clearances (oil pump or crank/rod bearings) would not be intermittent. So its a pretty safe bet...its none of those things.
I'd be looking for an electrical issue (wiring, connector, component). You can remove the oil pressure sender and install a mechanical one for peace of mind....before driving it, if you like. But any significant oil starvation would be apparent in short order (rapidly increasing engine temp, engine sluggish...then seizure).
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Humph, not seeing how the front main seal would be replaced without removing the harmonic balancer?
- Thread starter
- #11
I could only get the harmonic balancer to 250ftlbs (the highest my torque wrench would go) but it's not leaking oil. I'm pretty sure it's the sensor/wires. I was just out messing with it and it showed oil pressure when I was playing with the wires. The white connector on the sensor felt like I could break it right off. And the black connector had noticable corrosion on the inside of it. I tested the continuity of both the sensor side of the plug and body side. Body side had continuity with the top two terminals to the Bottom one. The sensor side showed no continuity. But at least I know I have oil pressure now. So that's relieving...
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Good deal, 250 should be OK, maybe. One thing that has been successfully done with a 250 wrench: Torque it to 200, then 250, paying attention how much it moves, change to a breaker bar and tighten it again about the same amount/movement. It needs to be tight, close and this gets it close enough.
If you need the oil pressure sender connector, Coolerman may have them: Cruiser Wiring
- Thread starter
- #13
My father was a master tech for Toyota for 20+ years. He said that the 250ftlbs should be fine. I was surprised to see that it's torque spec was 304ftlbs. That reminds me of Audi axle bolts that were like 400 something... Thanks for all the replies and help guys
inkpot
SILVER Star
Are youSURE it is full of oil?? I know it's a dumb question, but I gotta ask. When trouble shooting, always start with the cheap and easy solutions to verify. I would double check the torque on the front pulley, as it has to be tight enough to drag the oil pump. 5 minute job and it is free, at least to the 250 you did the first time.
- Thread starter
- #15
All the harmonic balancer does is balance the crank and spin belts.... My low oil light never came on it was the first thing I checked.... This isn't my first engine I've torn into lol and if you had read what I posted before I already figured out it's a wire/sensor issue.
inkpot
SILVER Star
Wrong. The torque of the harmonic balancer/pulley bolt captures the gear on the front of the crankshaft that drives both the oil pump and the power steering. There have been a number of folks that have found the bolt just loose enough that one or both systems started performing less than 100%. I'm just an amateur mechanic, with over 50 years experience spinning wrenches.
Cruiserdrew
On the way there
Yes, no one else is 'seeing' that either. The point of my post (which you abbreviated) is getting the proper torque figure.
(Unless the harmonic balancer was removed and then not torqued back correctly)
- Thread starter
- #19
I probably would have believed you guys had to you said the drive pump gear isn't keyed and it can slip on the crankshaft itself. Instead of just saying make sure it's tight or it will slip. I don't have a way to tighten it more then what I got it to.
Yeah, you do. Do like @Tools R Us stated in post #12. Use a break-over bar (with a cheater pipe if needed) to put an extra 1/4 turn or so on the main bolt.
Don't get snarky unless you're reading it in the FSM. Most everyone here is here to HELP you, not be a TOTAL smartass. You asked a question, we gave you an answer that is correct. This ain't an SBC......
This site is unlike any other automotive site you've visited. Please pay attention.
I highly recommend you download a FREE FSM (you can search it on this forum) so you know we're not all full of s***.
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