HELP! 2.9L sporadic oil guage lifter noise...

[Dylan292]

My '89 B2 has a sporadic oil gauge. Normally it stays in the middle, but lately it has been jumping really quick between the middle and below L (low) and into the red. It immediately jumps back into the normal range. I know that the oil pressure gauge is a dummy gauge, but it troubles me.

The truck runs like a top - no knocks, blow by, or leaks.

Probably 332K miles (232K)??

Only lately (on extended freeway drives does the valve train clatter - strangely NOT When the OP Gauge starts to trip... The ticking remains until I shut it off. The next time I start it its fine.

Stopped up oil sump?

Bad oil pump?

I also noticed that the oil is brown only a week after being changed, slight metallic particles in it.

 

[ragajungle]

I changed the oil on the truck last weekend and theere is already metallic particles in it. Could this be from him driving it while the valve train was clattering away? Or could this be something deeper like a bad CAM bearing? I wonder b/c If I remember reading somewhere the Cam Bearings clearance determines oil pressure?

 

[necessaryevil]

metallic particles are very bad, means bearing are being chewed up. there is a lot more to oil pressure then the cam bearings, mostly crank bearing,and rod bearings. if you want to save that engine STOP driving it!!! pull the oil pan make sure the pick-up tube is clear, inspect the oil pump. if everything looks good the start tearing in to motor, $120 for a rebuild kit is better then another motor.

 

[xr75er]

metallic particles are very bad, means bearing are being chewed up. there is a lot more to oil pressure then the cam bearings, mostly crank bearing,and rod bearings. if you want to save that engine STOP driving it!!! pull the oil pan make sure the pick-up tube is clear, inspect the oil pump. if everything looks good the start tearing in to motor, $120 for a rebuild kit is better then another motor.

sometimes the best advise is free

 

[ragajungle]

if the mains or rod bearings were on there way out wouldn't you hear it?

on my 3.4L monte carlo (pos) when the mains went it was obvious... nasty lower end marbly deep knocking....

this truck runs like a top. no lower end noise wat so ever could it be the cam bearings?

is it hard to take the oil pan down on a b2?

 

[necessaryevil]

i havent had to pull the pan on my 2.9l , but on my '90 2.3l i had to pull the motor.

 

[ragajungle]

Necessary: When you pulled the pan on the B2 where you able to jimmy all the way out from under the truck er????


I ask b/c I did a pan gasket on my mom's Aerostar 3.0L and I couldn't get the whole pan out, I hada work around it :-/

 

[necessaryevil]

ive never had the pan off of the b2, so i couldnt tell you but from experience,but on my '90 ranger with a 2.3l that was given to me by my father, had the same symptoms, we thought that the oil pump was going out, i tried and tried to get the oil pan off, but with the cross member i had to pull the motor, after i got it out and apart i found that just the pickup tube screen was pluged. but i replaced the pump anyways and the clutch while i had it out, but i believe the motor has to be pulled on the b2 as well