lost oil pressure, gettin hot

[skiviskaves]

87' Ranger XLT 2WD, 2.9 V6, 5 spd

I lost oil pressure when driving...the gauge went to absolute zero, below the red, however the warning light never came on. Then the truck started heating up. I was close to home and got the truck in the garage before it got too hot (temp gauge still in the "normal" zone). However I was watching the temp rising fast.
When I parked it a little bit of coolant (maybe 1 ounce) dripped down from above the passenger side wheel well/fender liner, however I could not locate its origin. The coolant looks good and clean. The oil looks dark, but is clean...no coolant, no snot. The top of the motor shows no signs of leaks anywhere. The truck still runs smooth with no odd or loud noises.
I am thinking oil pump, which looks like a bitch to change out, so I thought I'd run this by the forum before I start tearing into it. Anyone ever had these symptems? Could it be anything besides the oil pump? What is it most likely to be? Anyone ever change an oil pump on a 2.9? Do you have to pull the motor to do the job? Any insight, advice, tips, toubleshooting, etc on would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Mr. Bill

 

[Big Jim M]

Forget about the oil pump! You indicated it had no noises.. If you had lost oil pressure there would have been all sorts of noises within 15 seconds! So there was no loss of pressure. What happened was simply the gauge or the sender or the wiring in between went away.
Really! If it ain't making noises it has oil pressure.
As for the temp...as long is it stays in the NORMAL area it is Ok. However if you found some coolant that leaked out you MUST find where it came from. Small leaks are the cause of about 98% of headgasket blows and head cracks... Keep your cooling system full and leak free.
Big JIm

 

[skiviskaves]

OK, but the temp is rising fast. It stayed in the "normal" zone, but only because I got the truck turned off before it got too hot. The indicator was rising fast and right at the top of the normal zone when I turned it off. The truck usually runs very cool and the temperature is usually stable. When the gauge indicated that oil pressure was gone, it directly corresponded with the temp rising rapidly.

 

[Big Jim M]

When you get the oil pressure gauge repaired you may find the temperature gauge behaves normally also.
Big JIm

 

[90B24wd]

Check your heater core under the glove compartment. If your heater core is leaking there is a drain on the passengers side where coolant will drip out from.
All 3 Bronco IIs that I bought all had leaking heater cores
that caused the engine to over heat, thus cracking the heads.

 

[skiviskaves]

Bingo! It is the heater core that is leaking. I'm putting in a new one today...I'll update ya when I'm done. Thanks!

 

[skiviskaves]

good news, and bad news

OK, got the heater core replaced. Despite the oil pressure gauge not working I took the truck for a 30 mile ride and it didn't overheat, in fact it ran great. Got the truck back home and changed the oil. Started it up and pulled out in the driveway to wash it...after the wash it wouldn't start again. I just can't win. It turns over but won't fire up. I took off (1) spark plug wire and tried to create a spark in the wire by inserting a long screwdriver while turning over the motor. The spark won't arc in the wire. Also, I tried to make spark arc at the coil wire...again no spark there. I replaced the coil which didn't change anything. Next I guess I'll pull the distributer cap and see what's going on in there...maybe pull the ignition module and have it tested. Any other ideas??? The fuel pump is relatively new.

 

[Big Jim M]

The modules are cheap and go away after a few years. Just get a new one if you havn't in three or four years.
Big JIm