Oil Pressure Question

OK guys, my 1989 S-10 Blazer has an oil leak, I know this for sure. It has the oil filter on the fender well. Normally when the oil gets low the gauge drops below 40 and the light comes on. Last night when I was stopping at street lights I was starting to hear a slight knocking noise. The oil pressure gauge was still reading between 60-80 however when I checked the dipstick, there was no oil. Well, I threw in 4 quarts of oil, waited 10 minutes, checked and there was oil on the dipstick. Oil gauge was still reading 40-60 pressure.


What would make the gauge show pressure when there is no oil?

Oh, about 2 months ago, the converter plugged up and the truck backfired and blew the gasket out of the valve cover, but not to where the cover warped or leaks oil. We cut off the converter,it smoked for a few days, ran really rough and then cleared up and I haven't had problems with it until last night. After the oil was put in, it started smoking and running rough again. We didn't replace the muffler so i assume that is most likely plugged again, causing the smoke and rough running.
 
Response:
 
Oil filter remotely mounted? Haven't saw one of those since my 53 Chevy. I would look at what is moving the oil from the engine to the filter and back. Possible leak there. 60-80 psi is way too high. But gauges as they get older are not very accurate, and they can stick. Is the dip stick original? Was it changed for a shorter one? Without looking at the ride, it's only a guess at this point. If you plan to keep it, tow it in to a good mechanic and have him take a leak at it.
 
Here we are talking about at least 2 problems. They may be related. The Oil problem, air in your oil line will still give you a pressure reading although it is False. The lack of oil giving you the bearing knock is proof enough. Now, if you run your engine low on oil it runs at a Hotter Temp and causes wear and heat damages. Now remember this, the cat converter was attached and was removed because it was believed to be plugged. If it was then there is a good chance of Carbon Deposit Build Up in the EGR System. What is the Carbon? It's your engine oil cooked from heat. What is your EGR System? Exhaust Gas Recirculatory System. What removes Carbon? Heat. What causes the re occurance? Lack of Oil.

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Find Online Free Auto Repair Manual Procedures

You can submit a request for free auto repair manual procedures at FreeAutoMechanic.com and they will send you the information by email.... and it is FREE. They won't send you an entire manual, so don't ask, but if you want sections of it. They send it and require nothing in return. For ex. make a request for Water pump replacement procedures. Just fill out the request form with all the information, Year, Make, Model, that kind of stuff and don't forget to add what it is you want, In our case we would ask for water pump replacement. Then you just have to wait. You might have to wait a couple of days, but it is Free. The reason for the wait is that each request is filled manually by the people at Freeautomechanic.com and with all the requests for free auto repair manuals they can get backed up a bit. They do offer full online access to the entire auto repair manual for your car for only $16.99 if you can't wait. You get all kinds of information from the online auto repair manual. You get maintenance schedules, TSB's, Diagnostic charts, Belt routing, Timing Marks, Wiring Diagrams, Torque Specs not to mention repair procedures and loads more. As far as my research has taken me, FreeAutoMechanic.com is the Only site on the web to offer Truly Free Auto Repair Manual Procedures . Lots advertise and then say well... you need to type in the stuff you want in a search engine and then weed through all the garbage sites to actually get what you need. If you know exactly what to type, it might get you close to what you need, but the information is not straight out of a manual in most cases. How reliable is the information I'm not sure.

Rough Idle ! 2000 Pontiac Sunfire

OK here we go........2000 Pontiac sunfire gt 2.4 litre engine 180 000 Km rough idle started suddenly one morning...... things I've tried and tested..... changed spark plugs twice replaced throttle body gasket replaced intake manifold gasket tried new coils checked engine compression all between 216-222 psi checked engine vacuum not steady but between 14-15" mercury added two cans combustion chamber cleaner no check engine soon light!!! my GM mechanic had it for three hours could not find anything added one can injector cleaner thing i haven't checked evap egr catalytic converter fuel pressure engine idles rough only, when it gets above 1500 rpm it disappears but it takes longer than usual to come back to idle speed , all this happens hot or cold....... Hope you can help or suggest............Rick Response: Your problem you say is below 1500 rpm and that the vehicle runs fine above 1500 rpm. I would say you need to replace the IAC valve (idle air control). The IAC only functions at or below 1500 rpm. This is a common issue with GM engines. If you have replaced the intake manifold gasket , this should be fairly simple for you. Also when you remove the old IAC clean any excessive carbon that may be present.

Blown Head Gasket

This van's water pump went out and we replaced it before Nov. We also had to replace the idler pulley(?) and serpentine belt shortly after that. Then, the temperature gauge kept jumping to HOT every time you started it. It would sound like something was boiling under the hood. I would shut it off immediately and nothing was ever found leaking or pouring out of it. I haven't started it in awhile. Does you have any ideas? I talked to a couple of people and the first thing they mentioned was the thermostat, but complained that it was allot of work to change in this vehicle.One of my friends also said it could be a blown head gasket. Does this sound like the symptom and how do I repair it. I really need my van fixed. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated! ! Thanks, Tammy

RESPONSE: It would have been good practice to replace the thermostat when you changed the water pump. My guess is the thermostat is sticking closed. The boiling noise you hear is probably the coolant returning to the overflow tank. It is usually not that hard of a job to change it. Most anyone with a little Read Entire Article

the battery doesn't seem to drain while left alone and connected still

I did intake gasket on 3.8l 1999 windstar, I hooked up the battery it wasn't able to start the van but had some power left i boosted it let it run then it died out and was like battery was dead? lights came on stronger but still couldn't start it again till boosted. is there an issue with the pcm where it needs to be reset? i removed the wiper cowel where the pcm is. could I have done something there? the battery doesnt seem to drain while left alone and connected still just when I start the van via jumper cables it runs till no more juice to run components i checked everything that I disco'd till i found out the pcm is located under cowel would that also be the cause? the battery and charging system was fine before the intake was removed but I cant seem to see anything wrong, im not sure if its the alt. or bat. i remove battery cable while van is running and the van dies instantly. but i have found a TSB regarding something like this but not quite. not sure if i need to get an alt or battery or have the pcm reset????

Answer:

The problem is not likely the PCM the problem is more likely the alternator or a wiring connector was left off the alternator.

2003 Buick Century and the light that shows the odometer

I have a 2003 Buick Century and the light that shows the odometer and what gear you are in is burned out. How does one replace it? It looks like to me that I would have to take the top dashboard off to replace it. What light bulb would I need?

Answer:

you would have to replace the entire instrument panel cluster since the lights are not serviceable for the odometer and PRNDL display. I can provide instructions to replace the instrument panel cluster if you wish but you will likely have to get a cluster from a dealership.

1996 Chrysler Sebring the key is stuck in the ignition

Question: I only had 1 key to my 1996 Chrysler sebring, so about a month ago I went to a local locksmith and they made me a copy of the original key. I am not for sure, but I am guessing that my original key has a chip in it because it is a factory or dealership key w/ black top. My sebring is equipped with the anti-theft system, of which when I purchased the car used, I did not receive the key-less remote to. Anyways, my question or problem is this: I have been using the copy key for the entire month with no problems until a week ago...the key is stuck in the ignition on acc. and will NOT turn all the way to lock so I can get it out! It is STUCK and WILL NOT COME OUT!!!! What could be causing this and how do I get it out? Is it because it isn't the chip key and if so how could I use it before now without any issues? HELP!!!! ANSWER: Any Chrysler's keys with a black top do not have a chip, they are usual blank keys. Keys with a chip ( transponder) have a gray top, like this one: Your anti-theft system contains the switches that are located inside the front doors and when you turn your door lock cylinder ( driver or passenger) a switch send an ON or OFF signal to the Body controller. Your problem with the stuck key is only mechanical failure of the ignition lock cylinder. There is nothing related to a "chip" technology. You should replace the ignition lock cylinder.

I have a 1996 GMC truck that has a p0154 code

Question:

I have a 1996 GMC 350 truck that has a p0154 code replace the o2 sensor.It was bank 2 sensor 1 replace. The code came up the same what could it be?

Answer:

The computer is not seeing any action from the drivers side front oxygen sensor. Either you changed the wrong sensor or the wire from the sensor to the computer is damaged somewhere.

My girlfriend has a 2000 jaguar XJ. She had one burned out low beam

Question:

My girlfriend has a 2000 jaguar XJ. She had one burned out low beam, and when the mechanic replaced this one bulb, both low beams barely threw any light. She drove a few days with the high beams on to compensate, but now they aren't working. Could the mechanic have screwed things up? Installed the light wrong? etc. He claims she now needs a new part which will be hundreds of dollars...all for a burned out headlight. The rest of the lights were fine until he replaced the one bulb. The other low beam was plenty bright. In fact, it was brighter by itself than the two low beams combined after he replaced the one bulb. I wondered if it could have been a ground issue or something to that effect.

Answer:

If all the mechanic did was replace the headlight that went out for some reason and the lights did not work correctly afterwards, then i would say the part was probably bad to begin with or the replacing the bulb would have fixed it the first time.

It is possible, You should have had him remove the bulb after noticing that it did not fix it right but you probably would ave found it needed the same part as what the mechanic is telling you that you need now.

Mercury Mountaineer has plenty of battery power, but will not turn over

QUESTION:

My 1999 Mercury Mountaineer has plenty of battery power, but will not turn over - any ideas? Attempted to jump start battery - but that was not the issue. The battery is fine. It simply won't turn over, I can hear a metallic click, but the starter does not engage.

ANSWER:

If you idea of plenty of battery power is the fact that the lights and radio work then it can still be the battery. The starter requires around 250 amps where the radio only requires around 5 amps. 99% of all no starts are caused by a failed battery. You can have the battery load tested or use a battery out of another vehicle to test. Once you have ruled out the battery, the next step is to test for power at the "s" terminal (small wire) at the starter while someone holds the key in the "Start" position. If you see battery power , then you need to replace the starter. Reference Link: No Start Diagnostics

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