Re: [DML] Rough Idle

["Walter" <Whalt@xxxx>]

Joel,

I think that seeing the oil pressure light after the engine is started is
bad news. I had a GM car
do that. At idle, the low oil pressure light would flicker on just a little
bit. The idle was a bit rough, but it otherwise ran fine. After about 50
miles of driving like this, the engine seized up. It turns out that the oil
screen was gunked up. The reduced oil circulation ruined the engine.

I would make sure that you have a reliably functioning oil pressure sending
unit (the one that runs the gauge, not the idiot light). Then make sure
that the low oil pressure is only a symptom of a problem and not the cause.
If for some reason your oil isn't properly circulating but it has enough
pressure to turn the idiot light off, then you are at the mercy of the gauge
to tell you what is going on. Since OEM oil pressure sending units are
known for giving pressure readings much higher than actual, this could hide
a more serious problem.

On a friend's D, I replaced the low oil pressure switch, and the wire going
to it was baked from engine heat. I replaced it with high temperature oven
wire. Now it won't fail again for that reason. If the low oil light is
still blinking on when the gauge is giving a high reading, then you may just
have a burnt and shorted wire.

The OEM gas sending units are notorously flakely. Until I got a Tankzilla,
I mostly relied on the trip odometer to judge how full my tank was.


Walt Tampa, FL