1993 rodeo 3.2 engine

[tmuller02]

hello i have a 93 rodeo yesterday while i was at idle at a light i noticed the oil pressure gauge go all the way to zero and start to flicker alot also the low oil light came on checked the oil and it was bone dry it was not due for an oil change for another 1000 miles so i added 6 quarts of 10 w 30 and still have the same problem but when it put the car out of drive into park the light goes off and the preesure rises up a bit iwas wondering if maybe i should adjust my idle it is at 1500 at idle also when i drive the light goes off and the preesure goes up could this be my pump

[Ramblin Fever]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think you can adjust the idle on these 3.2L V6's. They are self adjusting??

Ok, not sure if I'm reading this right, but you said that it was bone dry and you put in 6qrts of new oil. Is THAT oil still there?

Have you gotten under the truck to check your rear mail seal to see if it's leaking? Sounds to me like you have a major leak somewhere and/or perhaps the truck was being driven in a way it's not normally? AKA more highway, faster speed driving, towing, etc then it normally does?

You failed to mention how many miles are on your truck.

It wasn't due for an oil change for another 1K miles, but, was the level checked at least once a week?

[superfret78]

Ok, well if you're losing oil THAT fast, you must have a major leak somewhere. Make sure you check to see if you see any oil on the ground under the truck...or any oil splattered all over the engine compartment. If you can't find any signs of major leaks anywhere, then its possible that not enough oil was put in at the last oil change.

As for the problem with the pressure gauge.....it could be your oil pump, but before you get too convinced that that is your problem, I'd check the oil sending unit to make sure it's not malfunctioning.

[tmuller02]

Originally Posted by superfret78

Ok, well if you're losing oil THAT fast, you must have a major leak somewhere. Make sure you check to see if you see any oil on the ground under the truck...or any oil splattered all over the engine compartment. If you can't find any signs of major leaks anywhere, then its possible that not enough oil was put in at the last oil change.

As for the problem with the pressure gauge.....it could be your oil pump, but before you get too convinced that that is your problem, I'd check the oil sending unit to make sure it's not malfunctioning.

the truck has 190 thousand miles on it and i put the 6 quarts of oil in it after i seen it was bone dry and today when i was driveing it the temp gauge started malfunctioning going all the way to hot then going back to cool but i felt the hood and it didnt fell hot also i do see alittle oil under the truck but were talking little round splats do you think this could be a elec prob i thouight maybe a relay when i saw the oil gauge flicker and the pressure gauge also when i started the truck up this morning the pressure was at 55 pounds as the engine warmed up the pressure went down when i started it up this morning i heard a squel i know its not a belt cause i changed all 3 belts also the heat dont work

[Canucklehead]

Originally Posted by tmuller02

the truck has 190 thousand miles on it and i put the 6 quarts of oil in it after i seen it was bone dry and today when i was driveing it the temp gauge started malfunctioning going all the way to hot then going back to cool but i felt the hood and it didnt fell hot also i do see alittle oil under the truck but were talking little round splats do you think this could be a elec prob i thouight maybe a relay when i saw the oil gauge flicker and the pressure gauge also when i started the truck up this morning the pressure was at 55 pounds as the engine warmed up the pressure went down when i started it up this morning i heard a squel i know its not a belt cause i changed all 3 belts also the heat dont work

when was the last time you checked the oil prior to your adding the 6 quarts the squeal when you start the engine is likely the alternator belt which will tend to stretch a bit sometimes look at the voltmeter when you start the engine if it stays low while the engine squeals and jumps up to 14v or so when it stops you need to tighten the alternator belt how long has you heat not been working

[tmuller02]

the heat just started not to work maybe 4 days after i seen the pressure oil pressure light come on and like i said the temp gauge is acting screwey it goes to hot then back to normal i feel the hood and the hood is cold i added the oil 2thousand miles before the light came on castrol high milage oil and yes the truck squeaks and the vols are down then i rev the engine and it stops and the volts go back up and stay up and the squek stops replaced the alt belt 2wice in 2 months the first one broke also did the other 2 belts also when i put the turn signal on the volmeter goes back and forth like gets wiggle

[Canucklehead]

Originally Posted by tmuller02

the heat just started not to work maybe 4 days after i seen the pressure oil pressure light come on and like i said the temp gauge is acting screwey it goes to hot then back to normal i feel the hood and the hood is cold i added the oil 2thousand miles before the light came on castrol high milage oil and yes the truck squeaks and the vols are down then i rev the engine and it stops and the volts go back up and stay up and the squek stops replaced the alt belt 2wice in 2 months the first one broke also did the other 2 belts also when i put the turn signal on the volmeter goes back and forth like gets wiggle

a squealing belt doesn't necessarily need to be replaced just tighten it and you should be set if you haven't checked your oil in 2000 miles you are very lucky that you weren't posting about a seized engine as it stands if your normal routine is to not check the oil level between oil changes unless the oil light comes on who knows what kind of shape your engine is in it's very likely that you have been running that engine low on oil for many months and only noticed it this time because the idiot light came on

[Ramblin Fever]

Hate to say this, but it sounds to me like maybe a head gasket issue is in the works, i.e. engine getting hot, no heat, etc.

BUT, it could also be a bad alternator, these trucks are known for having screwy symptoms if the alternator is going bad and/or the belt not adjusted properly.

With 190K miles, you NEED to check that oil weekly - if it's like mine, probably doesn't burn a drop in a week, however, you just never know.

I'd never dream of only checking my oil every 2K miles - and my truck never seems to need oil between every 3K mile oil changes.

[tmuller02]

just found out today that it was the upper heater hose that had a small leak that got bigger and starte to smoke noticed it tonigh when i was under the hood the hose was resting on the hot engine and burnt threw a litttle and then got bigger now im replaceing the upper heater hose from engine upper to lower right behind the intake manifold

[tmuller02]

that explained the overheating and the heat not working but still dont no why the oil pressure is still low do you think they can all be connected ty for your help guys

[Canucklehead]

Originally Posted by tmuller02

that explained the overheating and the heat not working but still dont no why the oil pressure is still low do you think they can all be connected ty for your help guys

your oil pressure may not actually be low it may be that your oil pressure sending unit is fried or you have a blockage in the sensing line

[tmuller02]

how would i got about trying to unblock it would i slick50 it

[tmuller02]

Originally Posted by tmuller02

how would i got about trying to unblock it would i slick50 it

the hose that was cut was the hose from the throttlebody to the water manifold

[2eyefishclaw]

remove your oil pan not just the little one remove the main pan remove the oilpump pickup tube clean it clean the sludge out of the oil pan take a good look at the screen on the pick up tube you will find that the screen has been sucked up against the tube because of something I call LOM (lack of maintenance) oil is not changed often enough use a pick to pull the screen away from the tube because this will restrict oil flow which will cause funky guage and oiol light to come on (just because oil light is on does not mean oil is low ) there is no oil llevel sensor on these vehicles light comes on due to low pressure it is a real pain in the ass to pull the pan off after alll of the bolts are out get ready for a fight if it is not repaired you will incur serious engine damage

[tmuller02]

Originally Posted by 2eyefishclaw

remove your oil pan not just the little one remove the main pan remove the oilpump pickup tube clean it clean the sludge out of the oil pan take a good look at the screen on the pick up tube you will find that the screen has been sucked up against the tube because of something I call LOM (lack of maintenance) oil is not changed often enough use a pick to pull the screen away from the tube because this will restrict oil flow which will cause funky guage and oiol light to come on (just because oil light is on does not mean oil is low ) there is no oil llevel sensor on these vehicles light comes on due to low pressure it is a real pain in the ass to pull the pan off after alll of the bolts are out get ready for a fight if it is not repaired you will incur serious engine damage

is there an easier way like adding some gunk or seafoam or something to clean it before an oil change