where'd my oil pressure go?

[roger crabtree <rcrabshish@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Pull your oil filter and dump it it a clean glass jar.
 Let all of the crap come out of the filter.  Then
filter the crap through cheese cloth and see what is
in it.  Metal bad sign, black lumps is the type of oil
you changed too.  Differnt manufactures use differnt
additivies.  If the oil fill cap is clean this should
not happen (black gunk on the oil cap shows lack of
oil change).  I bought a 62 mercury comet with a
engine 35,000 miles on it.  A guy at the neiborhood
gas station told me to switch to Delo Diesel oil so I
didnt have to change as often.  I lost oil pressure,
smoked and rattled in 45 miles.  I was later told that
a engine must have Parifin build up in it to seal the
rings, bearings ect.  The Delo cleaned that out and it
ruined the engine.  Rule of thumb always use the same
oil in the engine that was used before.  Brand name I
mean.  Weights of oil dont make much differnce.  Watch
out for synthetics and oil additives too. I hope your
OK with your eninge.  I was lucky on my 55. Ithas all
of the oil filter service stickers from the dealer and
gas station.  They use chevron in the car from the day
it was new and I still do. No problems to date and I
drive it alot. RC

PS Stay away from Slick 50 it will slick a rod out the
pan in no time.


 --- jason reizner <jreizner_lists@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: >

> i took my '68 crown on my first short road trip with
> it this weekend, and after probably two hours of
> smooth cruising at 80 on the highway, i glanced down
> and noticed my oil pressure gauge had dropped from
> the
> middle to the left-most end of the 'acceptable' bar.
> 
> after getting off the highway, and driving in city
> traffic, the gauge continued to stay in the same
> spot,
> and not hearing any clatter i figured the sending
> unit
> was probably shot.  unfortunately though, when i
> started the car this morning it seemed to clatter
> for
> a few seconds, and then the gauge returned to the
> same
> spot at the left end of the line. the car sounded
> fine, and i drove it back home, but i went to
> restart
> it this evening after letting it cool down, the
> gauge
> didn't even make it to the bottom bar and the valve
> clatter was awful, so i shut her off.  the oil
> level's
> fine, and it doesn't smell like gas.  [i doubt i
> would
> have gotten fifteen to the gallon on the trip back
> if
> it was running rich enough to cause a problem with
> oil
> thinning.]
> 
> the car has 52k on the original motor, but hasn't
> been
> driven all that much in the last ten years.  it's
> probably been about 300 miles now since i changed
> the
> oil before i left [with straight 30 weight castrol.]
> the man i bought it from had changed the oil with
> 10w30 right after i bought it, but it turned black
> within 250 miles and i changed it to something that
> wasn't as thin.
> 
> i'm still rather new to the fine points of the mopar
> big block, so i'm not really sure where the weak
> points in the oiling system are.  how hard is it to
> kill an oil pump on a 440, say by giving the car a
> good workout after it sat unused for a while?  also,
> on the off chance something is clogging the pickup,
> how much of a nightmare is it to get the oil pan off
> with the engine still in the car?
> 
> hoping it's not overhaul time,
> --jason
> 
> jason reizner
> chicago
> 68 crown hardtop
> 
> 
> 
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