oil light on/flickering!?

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valianteffrt

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I just got my oil changed in my '72 valiant and now the oil light is on and at times flickering..im puzzled..what could it be? got me worried.
 
usually means , low oil , did you check it after they did? the sender wire could be loose. the oil pump could be going , could be a number of things. is it leaking , smoking , making noise ? details would help
 
oil is where it should be...no smoking..no unusual noise...it has always leaked just a little but nothing significant...i will def start with the sender wire
 
Yes, you should be worried......Is this happening only at idle or when cruising? What weight of oil did you use, and what filter brand and part number?

The oil pressure relief valves can get dirty and hang open on these engines and you need to pull that out an clean it. It is on the side of the oil pump.
 
I would get a oil pressure gauge in place to check the actual pressure.

Oil pressure lights coming on can be as simple as a pressure senders going bad, but you don't want to ignore.

If it is an engine with hydraulic lifters you should be hearing lifters/rockers making noise as the pressure gets low.
 
Idle it up and keep drivin.
 
RustyRatRod said:
Idle it up and keep drivin.
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I love your replies. If it is a 225 the oil sender wire got full of oil or loose it is just a spade terminal on a stud when they took off the filter on the pressure switch. If not rev it and drive it!
 
halifaxhops said:
I love your replies. If it is a 225 the oil sender wire got full of oil or loose it is just a spade terminal on a stud when they took off the filter on the pressure switch. If not rev it and drive it!
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Well either it is what you describe and a REAL cheap fix, or it's slap wore out and needs a rebuild.....in which case he ain't gonna wanna hear that so, idle it up and drive it. LOL

That said......IF you discover that it does have some wear on it, simply remove the oil pump, remove the oil pump spring and stretch it just a little.....OR you can even order the MP high pressure oil pump spring. It's still available because it's the same as the big block. I think they are like 12 bucks.
 
thanks for the replies guys i appreciate the feedback...i just got it back on the road and want to keep it there..i didnt get to it today but im gonna spend my sunday figuring this thing out..i wish it was as easy as just "idle up and keep drivin" lol rusty...i am going to start small..im hoping its just the sender or an easy clean up.
 
slant 6 correct? drive the damn thing, keep oil in it-- your pressure is low at idle or your idle speed is too low or your oil pump pressure spring is gummed up with old oil-- no knocks or other noises run it!!
there is known issues with the slant at idle with the factory idiot lights.
what weight oil was just put in.?

there are too many variables-- have you did a correct tune-up?
you just had brake issues correct?

search this site-- great info--
if it was my car-- I would replace the valve cover gasket-- (inspect the rocker gear-- adjust the valves, then check out the carb & drive the snot out of the car) Lawrence
 
An open or erratic sender connection will not make the light flicker; it would make the light never come on. So, the only way in which you sender connections are erratic with the present symptoms is if the oil pressure is ALWAYS low and the erratic connection shows this occasionally. A check with an oil pressure gauge is in order as suggested. The light typically triggers below 8 psi or so.

And you "just got your oil changed"???? By someone else? Look at the filter first. We had a recent incident reported here with Jiffy Lube apparently destroying some guy's engine. Look at the filter pronto to get the PN and brand; they sometimes just throw on what fits. If this was changed at an oil change shop, MY first inclination would be to get a proper Wix filter and some 10W30 oil and change the oil again IMMEDIATAELY; you don't know what those clowns may put in your engine.

Again. please inform us of the filter used, oil weight, mileage, any known rebuild work, any other engine anomolies, etc. At some point if this persists, find the oil pressure relief valve on the pump and remove and clean; that is a known issue. Has the oil pan been dented in or anything like that?
 
As above put a mechanical gauge on and make sure your not aerating the oil.
 
I had the same problem on a small block and the sender wire was off the spade terminal and bouncing off the block when running which made the light flicker
 
Years ago I bought a '71 Newport royal for the 360 engine. The oil light flickered at idle, when I pulled the engine I found that the nylon timing gear all chewed up. Pieces of nylon blocked the pickup and then the screen failed at one side. I found pieces that went through the pump gears and were blocking the oil passages.
 
valianteffrt said:
I just got my oil changed in my '72 valiant and now the oil light is on and at times flickering..im puzzled..what could it be? got me worried.
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If you did not have this problem before the oil was changed, then ask yourself what is different since then. Answer: oil and filter.

Assuming they put oil in it, which I am since you did not say it blew up, I would second the suggestion to check what kind of oil filter was used. If it was anything other than a premium name brand filter I would change it before doing anything else. The two-dollar white box oil filters are deadly. A premium oil filter is cheap insurance.
 
thanks for all the tough love guys..i cranked it up earlier and took it down the road a couple of times just a piece before i get in there and start messing around...the light did not come on at all this time...is it a possibility that it may just be a dummy light...regardless if it is or isnt i am going to get in there anyway and take all the advice im getting from yall but just want to know thats a possibility..and it is not a premium oil filter and the weight is 30 on the oil...with a 124,000 miles on the motor im thinking there is probably gunk built up that i need to clean out regardless...and yes vdart it is a slant 6. Thanks again guys.
 
How much of a sludge bomb is this engine?

You "got" your oil changed?!? You mean you didn't do it? Stop not doing this yourself.

First, replace the oil light switch. They get gummy after a while.

Then, if that doesn't fix it clean the relief valve. If a bit of crud blocks it open you'll have low pressure at low RPM.

Something else to consider with old slants, especially if the sat for a while, didn't have their oil changed regularly, or mostly saw stop and go (granny) driving is that oil pressure at the switch does NOT mean oil flow at the rockers.
 
Put an oil pressure gauge on it and see what the oil pressure really is. How hard is that to do? I mean seriously?
 
the oil light is back on and now and the radiator is shooting brownish liquid into the overflow and its shooting everywhere and steaming really bad and leaving a puddle in my driveway..it seems i may have another problem..now i need to check the pressure for my coolant system as well..had to fill the radiator again and it was just filled two days ago so it looks like a major leak for my coolant system...i need a drink
 
you really need to read up --sounds like your engine needs cleaned up--& then tuned up-- sludge/gunk has built up-- it happens --who knows the usage of the motor---
The gunk spewing from the cooling system gives you an indication of the maintenance prior to you owning,

Not much--
Anyhow -- since you are now drinking-- read the threads/links on posted earlier & then look to any thread flushing out your cooling system.
Your radiator might make it it might not --but your engine block is full of crap .
Lawrence
 
So give us the whole story of how you got this car, what you know of the history, and how long it has sat around, etc. etc.....
 
Uh, oily foam in the radiator "flubber" is never a good sign. Generally somewhere between a blown head gasket or a blown engine. Keep running it and it WILL be a blown engine.

Oh, and if hot coolant is getting into the crankcase of a typical high mile slant, it will shed enough sludge to clog the pickup screen in an amazingly short period of time. See blown engine above.
 
barty005 said:
Bloody hard if you don't have one:banghead:
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OMG. Are you serious? The nearest auto parts store and 20 bucks.

I think some of yall would come up with an excuse to miss a hot piece of ***.
 
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