Oil Pump Issue

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roadrunnerh

roadrunnerh

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Ok guys, I need your advice. After driving my Slant 6 Scamp and it gets up to operating temp, the oil light begins to flicker when I am idling in gear. When I put it in Neutral or Park it goes out. And of course when I am driving it is not on. My past experience with this on another car led me to change the oil pump on the Slant 6 in my 70 Satellite. Don’t get me started about the 5 bolt hole vs. 6 bolt hole pumps. (Why the hell would they have switched to a 5 hole version that just begs to leak where the 6th bolt would be is beyond me). BTW, the motor only has 48k so I don't think the pump is worn out, although I guess it could be.
Should I just remove the spring on the pump and replace with a high pressure MP spring I have?
Should I go through the hassle of changing the pump?
Isn’t there a procedure to remove the current spring and lifter- looking part and clean them up and reinstall?
HELP!
 
First get something on there to verify pressure instead of the light.
If you could even hook up a temporary pressure gauge to it.
It could be just a bad sending unit.
There is also the possibility of a stuck open pressure bypass in the pump which is kinda common.
Oil viscosity may be an issue also, so what weight oil do you run in it?
 
TrailBeast said:
First get something on there to verify pressure instead of the light.
If you could even hook up a temporary pressure gauge to it.
It could be just a bad sending unit.
There is also the possibility of a stuck open pressure bypass in the pump which is kinda common.
Oil viscosity may be an issue also, so what weight oil do you run in it?
Click to expand...

2x... and what is the temp swing where you live?
 
I can purchase a pressure gauge from summit, it would be here tomorrow, they're close. Will it have the correct connections for a Slant 6?

I am running 10W30 the oil level is full.

Temp range here? As cold as 0 degrees F as hot as 99 degrees this summer, lol. But this is not a dialy driver. It only sees nice weather.
Yesterday evening it was only around 80.
 
They usually come with an assortment of plumbing choices.
In the meantime I wouldn't worry too much, as I have seen tons of cars that the oil light blinked at idle.

roadrunnerh said:
I can purchase a pressure gauge from summit, it would be here tomorrow, they're close. Will it have the correct connections for a Slant 6?

I am running 10W30 the oil level is full.

Temp range here? As cold as 0 degrees F as hot as 99 degrees this summer, lol. But this is not a dialy driver. It only sees nice weather.
Yesterday evening it was only around 80.
Click to expand...
 
get yourself a real oil pressure gauge. i would run a 10/40 myself. as long as you have 10 psi for every 1000 rpms , drive it.
 
805moparkid said:
yea 10/40 is what i was thinkin to...
Click to expand...

it would definitely help. that 5/30 is so thin when its hot. my slant made all kinds of top end noise when i got it because the guy was using 5/30. i put 10/40 in it and it made a difference right off the bat.
 
Oil pressure gauge is on the way. How do you hook one up?
remove oil pressure sending unit and install a fitting with the line for the gauge? And of course 12V connection.
 
Yes that is all you need to do.
If you want you can also put a "tee" in and run both the light and a gauge.
The gauge will have instruction on how to hook up.
 
AND......................on top of what everyone else said, if you are running a mechanical fuel pump, do not dismiss the possibility that the pump is leaking fuel into the crankcase, diluting the oil
 
73AbodEE said:
it would definitely help. that 5/30 is so thin when its hot. my slant made all kinds of top end noise when i got it because the guy was using 5/30. i put 10/40 in it and it made a difference right of the bat.
Click to expand...

i run 20/50 in mine but my motor is clearanced and its 110 lol... but for normal temps 10/30 or 40 is good...

67Dart273 said:
AND......................on top of what everyone else said, if you are running a mechanical fuel pump, do not dismiss the possibility that the pump is leaking fuel into the crankcase, diluting the oil
Click to expand...

usually get a complaint of very bad mileage along with that but yes very true...
 
67Dart273 said:
AND......................on top of what everyone else said, if you are running a mechanical fuel pump, do not dismiss the possibility that the pump is leaking fuel into the crankcase, diluting the oil
Click to expand...


You guys are GOOD!
How can I tell? I really don't notice gas mileage, with this car, it's not really a concern since it's not a daily driver.
 
roadrunnerh said:
You guys are GOOD!
How can I tell? I really don't notice gas mileage, with this car, it's not really a concern since it's not a daily driver.
Click to expand...

pull the dipstick and smell it... it will reek of gas and will be watery... not as thick as usual...
 
Put a mech gauge, $15 from local store on it; tell us the pressure, this is already becoming an oil thread, where nobody wins. Get it guys?
 
When was the last time you pulled the valve cover ? How clean is the inside of the engine ? Years ago I got a 67 Dart for free because of the oil light on at Idle. Went through the hassel of pulling the pump only to find the problem was still there. Problem was sludge in the pan and clogged the pickup. The car had less than 60,000 miles. Just a thought... Your Ideas of the relief valve sticking has been discussed on slantsix.org and yes it is common ocurrence.Easy to clean as you will be right there when you go to hook up your new gauge.
 
Slants seem notorious for sludge on the oil pickup screen. My 69 Dart did that and my mom ruined our ~63 Valiant by driving it with the light on when I was a kid. I bet if you drain the oil and fill the crankcase w/ gas or kerosine and let it sit a few weeks, then drain, most of the gunk would come out.
 
Thanks for the on-going feedback guys, I appreciate it.
I pulled the dipstick and didn't notice a strong gas smell.
Well, my plan is to set up the oil pressure gauge and clean out that relief valve/spring on the oil pump.
Also, I plan on adjusting the valves, so I will pull the valve cover and see if the top end looks gunked up. I certainly hope not....
 
roadrunnerh said:
Thanks for the on-going feedback guys, I appreciate it.
I pulled the dipstick and didn't notice a strong gas smell.
Well, my plan is to set up the oil pressure gauge and clean out that relief valve/spring on the oil pump.
Also, I plan on adjusting the valves, so I will pull the valve cover and see if the top end looks gunked up. I certainly hope not....
Click to expand...

.010 int and .020 exh hot lash...
 
#1. Check oil for dilution (which it looks like you've already done)
#2. Check oil pressure with a live gauge to verify if pressure is really low.
#2. Remove and inspect pressure relief valve for proper movement.
#4. Replace pump on the odd chance it's bad
#5. Bearings are worn out

If the sump was plugged, it would be worse cold than hot. It would also be worse as the RPM's increase.
 
ok guys, after I got off work today at 8pm I looked through the box I received from Summit and checked out the gauges (temp and oil pressure).
The temp gauge's sensor/probe looks WAY larger than the factory temp sending unit with electric plug on my Slant. It doesn't look like it will even fit into the threaded factory hole. How do you hook this up?
(I know probably a rudimentary question but I'm learning...help)
 
You use your skills as a plumber. You may have to head down to your local NAPA store or similar to find some adaptor fittings to get everything to hook up. Just be carefull you don't confuse SAE with Metric. I think I would probably start with looking through the Summit web site and/or calling them to see if they have the adpators in stock. They may know exactly what you need if they've run across it before. Welcome to aftermarket parts!
 
Years ago I had this problem a couple of times, I turned the idle adjustment a half turn and problem solved. It could be that it's just a touch low on idle.

I know it sounds crazy.
 
roadrunnerh, In post #21 You are writing about a "temp sensor" ?? I sure hope this was a type O. ??? Oh now I see you are installing both oil and temp gauges. On slants the temp sensor is 1/8'' pipe. You can drill and tap the head to the proper size pipe thread. OR some people tee it into the heater hose with parts from the local hardware store.
 
I wouldn't bugger with the head to install the temp sensor. Can't you get one with a 1/8" pipe thread? I recall the one on my 64 slant looks the same as my 65 SB and both are 1/8" NPT. I bought new ones. Check rockauto.com and ebay. I think they were functionally equivalent thru the years, but the electrical connector changed, and maybe the pipe thread.
 
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