302 oil pressure question

[Bronconeedshelp]

Originally Posted by pontchief

Hi

The problem was crank and bearings.

Regards Per Arne Sund

The mechanic says bearings also how freakin sad

[singersq2]

I own a 1995 ford e-350 club wagon van w/140k miles on it...the van is in great condition, until this....I was driving about 65 MPH and slowed down to about 50-55 MPH when comming apon a stoplight...when all of a sudden a fire truck come out into the inersection with the lights on...i was about 20 yards from it when the light changed to red.....in an attempt to slow down quickly, i droped the gearshift into low 1 when i did this the van did what was expected and slowed very quickly, whitch reved the engine very high for the tranning to catch up. when the van came to a stop the engine died...i started it back up and i noticed the oil presure gauge was on the very low side and was "wiggling very fast back and fourth" so i reved the engine up and the pressure went back to normal til the RPMs went back down, then did it again. (and continues to be that way today) well i continued to drive the van to the nearest gas station and checked the oil and noticed it was 2+ quarts low added the oil to bring it back to full and checked for any oil leaks...found NO LEAKS at all. so i drove the van as normal for the next 2 days, and now there is a "clicking sound comming from the engine....but only after the van warms up (10-15mins)
and the sound is not all the time after hearing it for 20-30mins it sometimes gos away then comes back 30-+mins later. so it seems that there is a progressing problem....is there anyone out there that can help me get to the bottom of the problem....this is my only car at this time and most of the work i do is 60-70 miles away....so i'm traveling 4 days a week...PLEASE HELP... Thankyou -Brian

[TravisWBrooks]

I have an '89 F-250, 5.8L, with the original oil pressure gauge, and an aftermarket PSI gauge installed, and even after adding nine quarts of oil, it still drops to zero PSI whenever I slow to a stop, or I'm moving really slow. Do you think it could be the oil pump causing the problem? Cause when I check the oil manually, it shows plenty of oil on the dipstick. Don't know what else it could be.

[mechhound]

Originally Posted by TravisWBrooks

I have an '89 F-250, 5.8L, with the original oil pressure gauge, and an aftermarket PSI gauge installed, and even after adding nine quarts of oil, it still drops to zero PSI whenever I slow to a stop, or I'm moving really slow. Do you think it could be the oil pump causing the problem? Cause when I check the oil manually, it shows plenty of oil on the dipstick. Don't know what else it could be.

Most likely your bearings are getting worn. You might try running 15w40 oil and in the summer even adding a quart of Lucas oil stabilizer.

Do you know how many miles are on the truck? If you don't let the engine run for any length of time while on zero oil pressure it may well run you a very long time that way. Don't put too much oil in the engine, not much over the full mark on the dipstick.

PS I have a 1990 F-150 with a 302 that basically has the same oil pressure problem as your truck. I am doing as I advised you and it is serving me well.

[TravisWBrooks]

Found out, the oil pressure only drops when the engine is warm. While it's cold, and it's cold outside, the oil pressure stays at about 40psi whether I'm running at speed, or coming to a stop. But as soon as the engine warms up, the oil pressure starts dropping and reducing to 0psi.

[mechhound]

Originally Posted by TravisWBrooks

Found out, the oil pressure only drops when the engine is warm. While it's cold, and it's cold outside, the oil pressure stays at about 40psi whether I'm running at speed, or coming to a stop. But as soon as the engine warms up, the oil pressure starts dropping and reducing to 0psi.

That's pretty much how an engine with worn bearings acts. It could be your oil pump, but quite a job to replace with the engine in the truck. My guess would still be worn bearings.

How many miles on the truck?