Big Dave!!

[tommy]

How about an update on your pick up motor with the oil pressure problem, what is or did you do about it?

[Big_Dave]

Still looking into the problem.

Part of the problem is that I don't have a garage or access to a garage to work on it, unless I get out to the shop where I work. I ain't gonna work on it outside in the cold.

I have an idea as to what the problem is. A couple months ago when I went to change the oil, I thought I had a case of 10w30 in the shed. Evidently my son used it though. I found this out after I had already dropped the oil into the drain pan. :wtf:

So, since I didn't have any 10w30 I used a different grade of oil my son had on the shelf for the '82 Chevy s/b 4x4 pickup that I bought from him (it has a hopped up '72 400 ci {now a 406} :cool: sb Chevy motor in it).

Looking in my Haynes Repair Manual for the type of truck I have, it lists 6 possible causes.

1. Improper grade of oil.
2. Oil pump worn or damaged.
3. Engine overheating.
4. Clogged oil filter.
5. Clogged oil strainer.
6. Oil pressure gauge not working properly.

So, since I....
1. used the wrong grade of oil
2. changed the sending unit (still getting the same type of readings)
3. it has a new Fram oil filter
4. not overheating
I'm gonna change the oil and see what happens when I use the proper grade.

I never had any oil pressure problems before I last changed the oil, so I suspect that's my problem.

[tommy]

Good Deal, hopefully that is all it is.. :)

[Big_Dave]

Got that right!

On a side note, I can't wait to get that ol' 406 purring again. It's got about 20K miles on the rebuild, so it should turn out to be a stump puller. :wow: :cool:

That's going in the shop on Friday to have some minor issues taken care of. My son canibalized some parts off it before I bought it from him. I have the new parts, but the weather ain't cooperating so I can put it together. :angry:

It does need a good tune up. That's the main problem. It's got a miss that my son and I can't figure out. :wacko:

The tranny slips a bit in reverse, so I'm gonna see if they can do any adjustments to fix that.

The only 2 other things that it needs are;

1. Install the alternator
2. Install the steering wheel

When it's done, the wife will have a 4 wheel drive to get around in the winter. I'd use it going back and forth to work, but there's no way it'll get anyways near the gas mileage my Z-71 gets. So, since she just putts around here, she can drive that. :)

That way she doesn't have to drive that 92 Mercury I bought her. I feel safer with her in a 4 wheel drive during the winter.

[tommy]

That Sweet '72 will put the new truck to shame for sure, How much ya wanna sell it for Dave?

[Big_Dave]

The truck is an 82 Chevy short box 4x4. The motor is a 72 400 ci small block that came outta my Grandmothers 72 Impala. The motor only had 99,xxx original miles on it when my son bought it in 2000.

It burned a little oil so my son decided to rebuild it. He took his time (all winter the year he did it) and bought quality parts for the project.

It's now what's considered a '406'. :cool: Last I remember hearing him say, it got about 7-8 mpg. :yikes:

Originally, my son put the motor and tranny (turbo 350) in a 81 Olds Cutlass that I gave him. :wow: That thing went like a raped ape!

Then he decided to put it in the 82 pickup he bought. After seeing what that hopped up 400 got for mileage in a 4x4, he prepped it for storage and parked it. :rofl:

Oh, the box on the truck is all original rust. :rofl:

[ROADHUGGER]

DAVE

Back in the late 80's 1 of our drivers had put a 400 from a 73 Impala into a mid 70's Chevy shortbox , the motor ran good for a few months and then started having oil pressure fluctuation.

Turned out that some of the CHEVY engines from 1970s had timing gears made of a fibre substance and it would start flaking off . piece of it screwed up the oil pressure bypass and eventually it would blow the oil filter right off the engine.

[Big_Dave]

I'm familiar with those fiber and nylon timing gears that bolt to the camshaft. Each time I've rebuilt a motor or replaced a timing chain, they come off and I use steel timing gears.

I decided that tomorrow I'm gonna crawl under the truck and drop the oil and change the oil filter, then add fresh 10w30.

[Big_Dave]

Never did change the oil myself. The weather hasn't cooperated and I really haven't had the time.

I was gonna do it at the shop yesterday, but as usual, the owner of the truck pissed me off when I got back in, so I just left. :angry:

Since I needed to go to Mankato and do a little grocery shopping, I stopped by the Valvoline Quick Lube place and had them do it.

Oil pressure has returned back to 'normal' with very little fluctuation.

I had the chance to sniff the filter they pulled off and the oil didn't smell burnt or look funky, so I don't think any real damage was done. :)

[tommy]

There is a GOD Dave,, sure glad no damage seems to be there, she is good for another 100K miles now.. :)

[Capt._Chaos]

It's ALWAYS best to stick with whatever oil you have been using from the get-go.

All of my personal vehicles have been using nothing but Valvoline 30-weight since I changed the oil for the first time in them myself.

When I bought my pickup new just over 11 years ago, I drained the oil & refilled with Valvoline 30-weight at 500 miles, 1,500 miles, and then at 3,000. I do oil changes every 3,000 on it now.

The Charger is a different story, so I find myself using the same oil but due to the limited mileage I put on it I change it every 6 months. More often if I take it on a road trip or down the drag strip a few times.