my oil light comes on when i stop at a light and flickers it does this when the car heats up and goes away when i start moving like 20 miles an hour or or so this is the red oil light on an 89 sho upper left red light not the oil level one that is orange is this oil pressure? oil tempurature? my engine tempurature is on normal when this is happening btw i have a noise like a bad idler pully from the alternator side is this maybe a bad oil pump? is it on that side? right now i think i will change the water pump and oil pump and see where that takes me if anyone can give me info on how hard the oil and water pumps are to change it would be greatly appreciated
Oil light
- Thread starter Stoney
- Start date
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Machspeed
Former 1991+ owner
First id start by checking the oil level. If its good it could be a bad sensor.
SolidState
No Mo SHO
it is an oil pressure idiot light....IIRC, it comes one @ >5psi.
This is most likely caused by worn rod bearings. If you let it go too long, you could spin a bearing. At that point, the crank and the bearing journals could be permanently damaged.
Advice: park it, drop the oil pan and have a look at the bearings...
This is most likely caused by worn rod bearings. If you let it go too long, you could spin a bearing. At that point, the crank and the bearing journals could be permanently damaged.
Advice: park it, drop the oil pan and have a look at the bearings...
NotSoSlowSHO
Gas is $$ WALK!
6psi,
follow directions above
drop that pan.
follow directions above
drop that pan.
Mike Kopstain
New Member
This is one of those things where if you are at the point where you have to inspect it, you should just replace it. To inspect them you have to remove them... so just replace them, because if they aren't bad now, they will be soon.
Machspeed
Former 1991+ owner
Ya dude you gotta look anyway. If your gonna drop the pan your self and look at em might as well. Theyre pretty cheap, 65 from napa?
shojuan
New Member
NAPA stores vary. They're less than that from napaonline.com. I paid $44.94 for the six rod bearings + tax + $4.99 shipping. Actually I also ordered for my truck a main bearing set and rod bearings at the same time and it was the same $4.99 shipping on about $150 of parts. Later I had to buy just one $7.49 rod bearing for the SHO because somebody needed one. It was the same $4.99 shipping charge. Still, would have cost me that in gas to go order and pay for one and then to go and pick it up.
You'll need an oil pan gasket set, about $16-$17 also. And you might want to get a fresh tube of O2 sensor safe Ultra Black or Ultra Grey RTV. The small tubes that come with the oil pan gasket set are a joke. Also for the oil pick up tube just cut yourself a gasket from some bulk gasket material. I used some Felpro "Engine Seal" brand rubber fiber material part number 87010. It cost just a few dollars for a 12" X 20" X 1/32" roll and I feel a lot better about that stuff than using the graphite covered metal EGR gasket which would need to be carefully modified anyways to fit (careful as in don't knick the graphite coating too much when hogging out the holes).
You'll also want safety goggles (to keep oil out of your eyes! I had plenty drip into my eyes because I couldn't find my goggles! doh ), razor blades or better yet a dedicated razor gasket scraper tool to remove the old silicone from the block and pan. Solvent to clean the gasket sealing surfaces (don't forget to clean the block mating surfaces RIGHT before you install the pan because oil will continue to find its way down onto those surfaces). I used acetone. Some people like lacquer thinner. I like acetone. Brake cleaner also works great. You can get one gallon containers of lacquer thinner and acetone cheap at walmart. Make sure your bearing surfaces are clean before installation and smear the inside with a layer of engine assembly **** (try to keep the **** off of the bearing shell outsides!) You can also use STP oil treatment or something like lucas oil stabilizer if you get too lazy too find some real engine assembly ****. In a pinch use motor oil if nothing else.
Let's see what other little tricks to keep in mind? When installing the oil pan gasket ends into the block you will need to hold them up with something. You can use a few thin dabs of RTV but it's kind of tricky and messy that way. Better would be to use some kind of adhesive spray like permatex copper gasket spray. Don't overtorque your oil pickup tube nuts! The Helms manual reversed the specs for the oil pickup tube to pump nuts and the oil pickup tube hold down bolt. IIRC Scott here had good luck putting the RTV on the block instead of the oilpan. That would definately make it easier to prevent the silicone bead getting mussed up while maneuvering the pan. I was going to try it that way but it seemed awkward to me. Instead I just did several practice runs fitting the oil pan to the block dry, then cleaned up the pan surfaces with solvent yet again, then applied the silicone, then (IMPORTANT!!) cleaned the oil that drips down from the block onto block sealing surface with acetone RIGHT before finally installing the pan. RTV likes to seal perfectly clean surfaces. It DOESN'T like oil getting in between. Even after sitting for days oil will continue to drain from the block. The key is to (try) to work fast and have those surfaces clean. Some people have had oil pan leaks after replacing the pan. I don't think Scott has having gone the RTV applied to the block route. I haven't heard Doug complain about his pan leaking when I did it via the RTV to the pan route. The key probably being some care, cleanliness, and speed (well, I *tried* to work fast after spreading the RTV, lol!) oh, and good surface prep too of course. I know some guys who have had leaks using RTV and they tried using regular permatex gasket maker on other oil pans with no leaks. In the end whatever works is what matters.
oh man sounds like alot of work i just did the front seal twice cause someone forgot the bottom tensioner bolt and it was still leaking now this well at least everything should come off easy
how many hours labour should a repair shop charge to change the rod bearins and oil pump since theres no point in checking em i might as well change em
how many hours labour should a repair shop charge to change the rod bearins and oil pump since theres no point in checking em i might as well change em
JoeHoe_SHO
SHOPUKE
Do you have a oil pump? Ford does not make them anymore. I'm guessing it would be around 500-700 bones in labor alone...maybe I'm way off
SHOtimer
#2910
Just make sure that you are VERY gentle with the oil pick up tube to oil pump studs/nuts while tighting them. Just snug them up.
P.S. Yep Rick not a drop! thumb
Doug
P.S. Yep Rick not a drop! thumb
Doug
How many miles do you have? How old is your oil? what weight oil did you use?
Levand16
New Member
My car did that and before I even made it home I spun a rod bearing! Check the bearing or better yet replace them!
40BelowSummer
SHO Member
Ok, today while driving around town I noticed the oil light would flicker when I'm at a stop light, and would go away when I accelerate. Idle doesnt sound bad and stays between 900-1000 during the flickering. I checked oil level which was a little low, so I added some and I know it is at the proper level now but the light still flickers. It's the red oil pressure light. I try to stay on schedule with my oil changes and the oil was changed less than 1200 miles ago and still looks good. I changed the rod bearings 6 months ago which is less than 5K miles ago.
Whats weird is if you read the first post in this thread the guy said he said he has a "noise like a bad idler pully from the alternator side" I also have some sort of bad noise like that I can hear when Im driving.
What could be causing my oil pressure light to come on? Anyway to verify my oil pressure?
Thanks
Whats weird is if you read the first post in this thread the guy said he said he has a "noise like a bad idler pully from the alternator side" I also have some sort of bad noise like that I can hear when Im driving.
What could be causing my oil pressure light to come on? Anyway to verify my oil pressure?
Thanks
NotSoSlowSHO
Gas is $$ WALK!
guitar333 said:
With a recent rod bearing job done, Id suspect the oil pressure sending unit is at fault.
Id also suggest getting a real oil pressure gauge on it
rangerj
Active Member
Before you drop the pan and inspect the rod bearings look on the back side of the engine block towards the driver side for the oil sending unit. If it is original and there are any signs of leaking oil replace the sending unit. then if you continue to get a red oil light consider checking the oil pump and rod bearings.
The sending unit is relatively cheap and easy to replace. Further, it is a common cause of the symptoms you describe when it is leaking or has failed.
rangerj
The sending unit is relatively cheap and easy to replace. Further, it is a common cause of the symptoms you describe when it is leaking or has failed.
rangerj
Cobraii976
I am an idiot
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Well to stoney you've already spun the bearing I know what I'm saying I had the same problem with my wifes ATX thought it was a tensioner too. Spun rod bearing ruined the rod and crank. guitar333 read what I posted about the orginal comment. I'm not saying you did the rod bearings wrong or anything but something went wrong when you did the bearings either dirt or the crank was scratched or gouged. Either way both pans have to come off.
Address this problem ASAP. My buddy let his go with the light on at idle for 6 months! He then raced at Summit Point, and spun a few rod bearings! We had to replace the engine!!!
Step 1. Get a mechanical oil pressure guage, and T into the block where the stock sensor is. This will give you a more accurate reading of your oil pressure. Low pressure = SHO BOOM!!! I have pic's to prove it!
Step 1. Get a mechanical oil pressure guage, and T into the block where the stock sensor is. This will give you a more accurate reading of your oil pressure. Low pressure = SHO BOOM!!! I have pic's to prove it!
SHOwener1986
SHO Member
i had a light and it turned out to be a 50 dollar part, the oil pressure sending unit had gone bad.
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