Losing oil pressure Up hill... with plenty of oil

[zed]

I'm losing oil pressure when going up hill. EDIT: may have been coincidence..
It comes right back on level.

I am assuming the dip stick is correct for the model.. think it took the recommended amount of oil. Its right up next to the H (high)
well above minimum

Think I lost the sump pickup?

[jimfoo]

I'd only loose pressure going down steep hills. Could the wire be shorting on something when going up hills?

[zed]

Dropped the oil pan.. Everything looks good.
popped off the check valve bolt and put it back on.. the ball didn't roll out.. but the spring was nice and springy.

replaced the oil pan.. poured a quart and a half down the driveway.. put the drain plug back in and filled it with 6ish quarts. Figure 7.5 for filter change.. 6 brings it to just about halvsies on the stick between H and L.. well above "min".

I started it.. it pumped up. Then failed for a long 10-20 seconds.. may have just been catching up with the empty oil pan.
Then pumped up again.. fluttered once dropped down to about 30 on the gauge before it caught up again. popped back up to about 50 to 55 and stayed there.. let it idle in the drive way for a while.. then took it around the block a couple times... (its a 3 mile block)

Think maybe the bypass failed or something? Its been sitting for the better part of 2 months. Its been moved around but this was the first time its gone down the road.

What could cause intermittent oil pressure problems like that?

One thing that was less than great in the oilpan was the what I believe to be "hylomar" a hard as rock gasket glue ... black in color. It was in little bits all in the oil pan.. some may have been small enough to bypass the screen... maybe get stuck in something? that's all I can say.. not even any real sludge to speak of.. Just a little black layer.. normal sump scum.

another goof. I thought I had several oil pan gaskets in the parts that came with the car.. turns out I have 7 valve cover gaskets 3 exhaust gaskets 2 head gaskets and scads of hub gaskets among others.. Nothing i've ever needed mind you.. just everything I dont.

Luckily the oil pan gasket that was on there came off in one piece and didn't stick to the hylomar.. So I RTV'd the hell out of it and put it back.. hopefully the RTV won't cause problems..

Maybe I'll marvel mystery oil the oil for good measure.
Also.. castrol comes in 5 quart containers now.. how grand.

[zed]

did it again this morning.. didn't go down to 0 just "fluttered" again.. down about half way hung there then came back up..
what is causing this?

[zed]

THink I have it knocked out.
It may have been a short in the wire or a stuck relief valve...

Time will tell. I've got the gauge reading well.. I've got good flow through the valve rockers.. and the warning light sender is reading properly for a good running condition.

Don't know if I'll ever know exactly what happened.
Thinking a 2 month sit may have been the culprit and if I had driven longer I may have never noticed it.