WTF Oil Pressure

[mario03SRT]

All,

2.5 CB, Auto, Stock.

Several times in the past 2 weeks after getting off the interstate and stopping at the exit ramp, my oil pressure gage is bottoming out. And once the low oil came on.

I instinctly put the car in neutral and the oil pres gage rebounds back to near 1/2 scale. The car had oil and the oil pressure is always great. Although I had to use some 10/w/30 Fossil Lube instead of Synthetic. But it did it once or twice on the syn.

I'm having a slight tick/noise intermittently for a while I thought back a month ago that it was just 2.5 piston noise, I goes away and may not do it for days

I thought that this was strange and maybe is some known TD phenomenon.

Doth the Grim Reaper Cometh? Time to swap some bearings?

[mcsvt]

Stock gauge?

Maybe check the oil pressure sender and connection.

[RoadWarrior222]

is it like a cloverleaf exit ramp? Just wondering if it's that hard cornering oil slosh thing.

[jamesmonty]

Stock gauge?

Maybe check the oil pressure sender and connection.

+1 on that. From what I hear the stock sender can be off when they go bad. Either replace it or hook up a manual gage to see what it is doing. If it's the bearings you might want to change them soon before any damage is done. If you don't want to change them yourself, talk to the guy you got your 555 from. He has a very good mechanic that did his lebaron earlier in the year.

[turbovanman²]

Temporarily install a real guage if you don't have one and report back,

[moparzrule]

If his light came on than his oil pressure really is low. As a matter of fact I just changed a squashed bearing in my car a couple weeks ago, was making the oil light come on at hot idle. Wasn't knocking horribly loud, but you could hear it. It sounded more like a lifter tap, thats why I let it go. But after the light came on I knew it was a bearing. Number 1 bearing had oil starvation, there was burned black residue on it. Fortunitely the crank had no damage. Found out it was due to the BOSCH oil filter I was running. Hooked up a oil pressure gauge (mechanical) and revved it up. Oil pressure never went past 30 PSI at any RPM. Changed the filter out for a purolator, bam 45 PSI at 4000 RPM.
Anybody know the specs of how much oil pressure per 1000 RPM? I think minimum spec is 7 PSI at idle and 7 PSI per 1000 RPM right?

Do not run BOSCH filters!!! It only had 2000 miles on it.

[mario03SRT]

I pulled the pan and took out rods #1 and #4. I will have some pics to follow. A good bit of wear and one has a 360 degree scratch. Clevites to the rescue.

Mine sounded was like a lifter too as I pulled the v-cover first. Of course I was being an optimist.

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...Bearings25.jpg

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...Bearing425.jpg

[moparzrule]

Number 4's looked heat stressed, probably from lack of oil or the oil being too hot. What oil do you run? My guess is it's either too thick or it's getting too hot. I've been thinking about an oil cooler myself for some time.
The crank is a lot more important than the bearings. Make sure there's no deep pits/scores on the crank or say bye bye to the new bearings in a matter of weeks.

[DC Turismo]

If you do install a oil pressure gauge after this, go with an electronic one. I have dealt with mechanical ones in the past and although they were very accurate, those tubes and brass couplers they give you to connect it to the block are junk with them!

The stock gauge in my Daytona back when I first got it would do this upon stops, dropping to way below low and then popping back up when I got just above 10 mph. Car ran fine though? Replaced the gauge and boom, problem solved.

Best of luck on your project! You moved quick on it to say the least!

[mario03SRT]

It was crazy easy to get the rods apart.

Dodge must have known that the bottom end might need an expedition or 2.

This was the only car that I've ever owned that the oil pan just falls out!

I'm going to pass on the mains and I hope this is not the source of the noise.

So far the journals are in good shape. I still need to pop out 2/3 after the bearings go in 1-4 tomorrow.

Marion

[moparzrule]

The stock gauge in my Daytona back when I first got it would do this upon stops, dropping to way below low and then popping back up when I got just above 10 mph. Car ran fine though? Replaced the gauge and boom, problem solved.

The gauge might lie but the light doesn't. If it was lighting up his oil pressure really is low.

[mario03SRT]

All of the time cept once only the gage dips.

It turned out that the time I had the oil light, the driver side cam seal was puking oil after some 12 psi pulls and then drove 70 miles round trip to work/home. The light only came on when I was at idle parking the car after exiting the freeway. So after I replaced the oil/seal that light went away. I went and used some 10w-30 fossil oil which is not my usual weight or type. My oil pressure increased 5 lbs or so with that oil to half scale at speed and 1/4 scale @ idle on the factory gage. I probably dinged the bearings with the low oil light but that seems flimsy to me.

Maybe it's the oil filter? It a Fram Hi-Po type. It's recently added to the car when I changed the oil with some Syntec 5w-30. A few weeks back.

Maybe I outta get a new sender but it seems weird that the gage dies after getting off the ramp and putting the tranny in neutral and makes the gage "spring" back up to 1/4 scale.

Live and Learn.

But the car has always has great oil pressure at either cruise and idle.

[moparzrule]

Yikes, seeing an orange filter makes me cringe. Fram used to be good, but then they changed manufacturers and go by the reputation of their old name.
Fram filters mostly use cardboard in their internal design, that cardboard can get soaked and break off, plugging it up. I've seen it happen, and I've seen engines burn because of it. I avoid Fram's like the plague.

[overlordsshadow]

I am getting a gauge for my oil soon. What do you guys recommend, digital or mechanical? Do either one use the stock sensor?

[moparzrule]

Neither should use the stock sensor. I always prefer mechanical, less things to go wrong IMO, and not that hard to hook up since we already usually have an available 1/8'' NPT port on the oil block (where the turbo oil line is and the stock sensor for the idiot light). There's usually one port blocked off, sometimes on the end of it.
As a matter of fact I hooked one up just a few days ago. Took me longer to mount the gauge than to hook it up. With electrical you got to run all these darn wires, I hate it.

[Dusty_Duster]

I use an electrical. I just install it in place of the stock sender, using a "T" to keep both senders functioning.

I don't like the idea of hot, high-pressure fluids coming into my ----pit.

[moparzrule]

I don't like the idea of hot, high-pressure fluids coming into my ----pit.

Yeah thats what most people on the electrical side of the fence say. But I've never seen it happen yet with dozens of cars with mechanical gauges.

[overlordsshadow]

You two are just going at it today.^^^^^

[moparzrule]

Nah we resolved the other matter as a simple misunderstanding, and this is strictly a matter of opinion.

[R/T]

I swapped filters on Serious Wood 1 and picked up 15psi on my mechanical guage....

I just can't remember from what brand to what brand....