SoobieDoo Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 (edited) I've got a '86 GL Wagon 4wd, that's always run cool...up 'till now. Driving home from work the past two nights, the temp gauge has spiked near H and the oil pressure gauge has been low. Since she's always been an oil dripper, I added a quart and all was fine. I didn't check the dipstick 'till I got home and found the oil is way overfilled. The radiator is not leaking, so I suspect the oil pump. Doing the swap, along with timing belt, is this a day job and can I trust my chilton? I can work on it Sunday, so I know that I should ground the car, but how is an oil overfilled engine damaging? Thanks in advance for any tips, tricks, and advice! Edited November 13, 2008 by SoobieDoo Solved issue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoobieDoo Posted November 13, 2008 Author Share Posted November 13, 2008 You need to put a mechanical poil pressure gauge on the car first to check out the pump pressure. Why do you think its the oil pump. As an engine over heats, the oil will thin out. What you saw as a spike may have been there for a while. How old is your thermostat? Thats the first thing i would suspect. Radiators do not need to leak to fail. They can clog, they can get decriped and literally fall apart between the AC condenser and the radiator. nipper Yeah, I haven't checked it with a mech gauge yet. I'll buy one. The thermo is brand new and caused no overheating previously. The radiator and hoses are not new, but old receipts show that they have been replaced some time ago. To clarify: The spike was temp to hot, not oil pressure. The pressure gauge did show low pressure, until I overfilled it. Then it showed pressure as normal, before this problem. I just don't suspect the cooling system, because adding oil dropped the temp significantly (H to just above L) Should I drain the oil to the max point, where to connect the gauge, and what should the pressure be? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoobieDoo Posted November 13, 2008 Author Share Posted November 13, 2008 Do an oil change. Connect the gauge to where the sneding unit is for the switch, if you want to do it temp. Use a Tee if you want a perm setup. Oil starvation wont cause a temp spike, it will be a slow climb. Start with a cheap fix, and replace the rad cap. Inspect the radiator. Check the cooling fans. It takes a while to heat up the oil to thin it out so low that it triggers the light. Sooby lights are set at really low pressure to illuminate. Get a 0-60 or 0-80 psi gauge. Dont worry about it pegging when the engine is cold, but you want something where you can read the low end. The other posability is that you have worn bearings. Thats the usual cause for low oil pressure on non sooby engines. How many miles on this car? nipper I will do that mechanical check first thing Sunday. Mine's an EA82 with 180K and just did a weber swap, if that helps any. I don't have any warning lights, other than the ECS, but actual gauges on the dash. Temp is C to H, and oil pressure is up to 85psi. Previously, even when full of oil, the gauge would not show much more than halfway, 45psi, up to 3500rpm. Now, it's showing the same psi when grossly overfilled. Could overfilling with oil correct another cooling problem, such as rad. cap? I guess time will tell, when I check the dash gauge against the mech one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoobieDoo Posted November 13, 2008 Author Share Posted November 13, 2008 Is there a chance your leaking fuel into the engine? nipper Could be...that would explain the high oil level. The weber is rebuilt, but it's still not working quite right. I'll go smell the dipstick real quick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoobieDoo Posted November 13, 2008 Author Share Posted November 13, 2008 I think you pegged it, nipper! I got a pretty good gas smell from it, and the viscosity seems way too thin. That can only be the carb? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoobieDoo Posted November 13, 2008 Author Share Posted November 13, 2008 Yup, chase that down, and change the oil asap. nipper Thank you so much, nip! I'll get a hold of the guy that rebuilt it, and ground the car 'till the oil change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvilDead Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 Wow, nice call Nipper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 May not be a rebuild problem (probably isn't). It's likely just jetted way too rich. Find out what your jets are, and in the future note that this is exactly why you should do your own rebuilds of things like carbs that have to be carefully setup for each vehicle.... or buy new one's that are already setup for you. Very often with old Weber's it's cheaper in the end to just buy a new one or the whole kit from redline after you pay for the lost time and hair. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoobieDoo Posted November 15, 2008 Author Share Posted November 15, 2008 May not be a rebuild problem (probably isn't). It's likely just jetted way too rich. Find out what your jets are, and in the future note that this is exactly why you should do your own rebuilds of things like carbs that have to be carefully setup for each vehicle.... or buy new one's that are already setup for you. Very often with old Weber's it's cheaper in the end to just buy a new one or the whole kit from redline after you pay for the lost time and hair. GD I agree GD. This one was purchased from Jerry Demoss here, though. I got the web rebuilt and a ported intake for a great price. He even threw in some wiring for the choke! He did a flawless job...It was having a mechanic install it that was the mistake. First he removed the choke because it interfered with the power steering pump, then apparently "forgot" to snug up the carb's hold down bolts!!! That was the first thing I checked when I found the gas in oil prob, 'cause I trusted Jerry's work. BTW, thanks for all the tuning tips, GD. I searched and found! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.