ZERO Oil pressure?

[Exiled]

-Please excuse the crosspost from PBB, but I'm looking for some help!-

So I've been driving my Cruiser after fiddling with the timing, finally got it right. Weather's getting cooler, drove all weekend in the big beast, she's purring like a kitten. The oil pressure isn't fantastic, but within range. No significant oil consumption, no weird noises from the engine. In fact, other than still running a little too rich, she's running better than she has in a long time.

This AM, at 5:15, I'm driving to the gym, when, a block from my house, I realize that there is ZERO oil pressure. As in, the needle doesn't even register. After recovering from quasi-cardiac arrest, I drive home slowly, drop it off, drive the Jetta instead.

I just got back, checked it, still the same thing. Checked the oil, and it's fine (albeit dirty, it's due for an oil change). No visible smoke, no weird noises from the engine (just turned it on, didn't run it). Checked the oil sender contacts, cleaned them (there's two of them), put them back on. Still no dice! I don't have an oil pressure gauge, is there something else I can check?

I'm optimistically leaning towards an electrical bug since the @$%&* was wired in Venezuela and the electricals have been one gremlin after the other. Any thoughts on how to proceed from here?

My only other doubt is, since I've been fiddling with the distributor so much lately, could it have popped up on the locator hole so much that the gear disengaged from the oil pump? That seems highly unlikely, but stranger things have happened.

Man, I'm sitting on $,1500 worth of offroad improvement parts, getting ready to regear the POS and update the armor so I can go wheeling, and now this. I can't afford another engine, so it might be time to part the ungrateful bitch out!

 

[Landpimp]

I am leaning to the electical crap as well.......if it had no oil presure you prolly wouldn't have made it home.

Any chance you grounded out the sender or wire somehow? on my fj45 I cut the sender wire and that was enough to fry the gauge.

anything else not working, like other guages?

seeing how you have been givin her some love recently I can't imagine she would let you kill her

or it might be the gym...........heck you get me up at 5am to work out I am gonna be pissy as well

 

[brian]

every once in a while, normally only when the weather is cool/cold, my gauge will stick(stock cluster)and read 0 pressure. i nearly droped a brick myself, the first time i noticed it. cold morning start, high idle for several minutes(maybe 10-15) as i was clearing snow.

after a few quick checks, i figured it was elc'trl not mech'nl.
tapped the gauge(ok, i hit it ) and the needle jumped up to normal. has happened quite a few times now, once the inside of the truck warms up the needle un-sticks it's self.

 

[Romer]

You can check your gauge by taking the wire off the sender and grounding it with the key in the On position. It should rail. If it doesn't troubleshoot a wire/gauge problem.
If it does, you can check to make sure your oil pump and sender are working by taking the dizzy out and using a long screwdriver blad in a drill. Put the screwdriver in the oil pump slot (make sure its in the grrove) and turn on the drill. Someone else should see the oil pressure gauge go up. If it doesn't, you probably have a bad sender. Make sure you mark were the rotor is pointing before you take the dizzy out.

I swapped a dizzy and broke the sender wire. I did not have the dizzy seated all the way and I had no oil presure and didn't know it and siezed my engine. Others have doen the same. Since you were able to get it home, that probably isn't the case. However, you need to fix this before you drive it anymore.

Good luck!

Ken

 

[ian]

Anyone know how to test a sender w/ multimeter?

 

[woody]

IIRC, the sender creates a ground signal....put the black pin on the sender and the red on battery positive and crank (don't start) the motor...the multi should move...

I've yet to trust electrical gauges in my rigs....

I do know that a SBC 350 can idle at 3-5psi and run at 15-20 for about 5 years with no issues tho

 

[65swb45]

I've yet to trust electrical gauges in my rigs....

LOL. I remember decades ago talking with Marv Spector and him saying that OE guages weren't much better than idiot lights. 19 years later, I'd have to concur: they are a small step better, but that's all.

 

[Rice]

The nice thing about my electrical oil guage is if I'm ever not happy with the pressure all I have to do is turn on the head lights. Then I get another 3 psi.

On a more serious note ... while I use electrical guages in the cab I still keep a mechanical one mounted under the hood. I would think it would be easy for you to pull out your sender and install a t-fitting so you could hook up a mechanical gauge.

If just to get over your shock of having no pressure just skip the t-fitting for now and install a mechanical guage right at the block to verify if you have pressure.

Rice