[dbfruth]

I bought a 98 SE with the Vulcan engine yesterday in a city 100 miles from my house. On the way back home via the interstate we had gone about 35 miles and were cruising at about 70 mph when I noticed the Oil light had come on. I immediately shut the engine down and coasted to the side of the road. I let the car sit a few minutes and restarted, no oil light. As I start to drive it comes on again as my speed increases. I slow down and manage to make it off the freeway to a filling station where I check the oil and find it a quart low. I add oil and we are on our way again (slightly slower this time) and with no oil light. About 10 miles down the road the light comes on again, I slow way down and pull off at the next exit let the car sit for about 5 minutes. When I start it up no oil light. This time we make the rest of the trip at 55mph or slower, no light this time. When I finally get home I pull up in front of the house and let the car idle I notice a ticking noise and the oil light is on once again. I shut the car down and restart and once again no light. I haven't driven it again yet since it will need some other work done before it becomes the daily driver.

Question - Does this sound like a bad cam syncro, bad oil pump, or a faulty sender or maybe something else?

 

[the_intimidator_02]

First thing you need to do is attach an oil pressure gauge and see what your actual oil pressure is. Without doing that, you're only guessing what the oil pressure is.

 

[Dubeckyj]

I'd say cam synchro. It doesn't hurt to look at it.

 

[BigPip]

First thing you need to do is attach an oil pressure gauge and see what your actual oil pressure is. Without doing that, you're only guessing what the oil pressure is.

I agree with intimidator, you can start replacing parts without any need. Could just be the Oil Pressure Sending Unit.

If you don't want to do that, I would pull a valve cover off and see if it is full of crude, it could be clogging the oil pump filter slowly while driving. I have seen this happen before, but hope thats not what your going through.

 

[dbfruth]

I plan on regasketing the engine before I make it my daily driver so I can check under the rockers and in the pan. I am definitely going to pull the cam syncro and have a look at it. It may have been replaced at some point with a Dorman POS. I don't have service records so I don't know. I am wishing now that I had not given away my old mechanical oil pressure gauge. I just hope that if there truly was a loss of pressure that no damage was done. I don't want to do a rebuild.

 

[dbfruth]

I hooked up a mechanical oil pressure gauge tonight. With a cold engine I was getting between 55 and 60 psi. Next step is to see what the readings are with a hot engine.

 

[the_intimidator_02]

Oil pressure when cold is excellent. See what it is when hot and let us know.

 

[dbfruth]

I plan on getting it tagged tomorrow. Until then it is stuck in the garage.

 

[dbfruth]

I took the sensor off the top of the cam synchronizer and found red dust. I believe it is time to be replaced

 

[raul_waldo]

hi, i have the same problem with my 2000 3.0L flexfuel taurus . can u help me?

what parts do you have to change to fix the problem?

the ticking noise stopped when u changed the parts?