Oil issues

[GentleRF]

I gave my '89 Ranger to my youngest son. Today it stopped with a check oil light on and a lot of oil in the engine compartment. It has 2.9 v6 and an a4ld automatic and is a 2WD. Any insights would be greatly appreciated since it is stuck in Edmonds, WA and I'm across the water in East Bremerton.

Rick

 

[wildbill23c]

Did your son put oil in it and forget to put the oil cap back on? Did the engine seize or just shut down due to low oil?

 

[GentleRF]

It's possible but unlikely due to his conscientiousness. He was adding oil every so often with daily checks. I think he would have said something about a missing oil-fill cap. I did point him in the direction of possible oil pressure sender problem. Hopefully he found the problem.

Rick in East Bremerton

 

[Bachelor-house]

Have him look around for a disconnected or broken hose/fitting.
Clean the engine with degreaser and hose off a few times, then top off the oil and run it briefly to see where it's coming from.
Could be something easy...

 

[GentleRF]

I had a weird thought, what if the timing chain wore through the cover causing the oil loss then popped thereby stalling the engine. That would account for some of the symptoms.

Rick in east Bremerton
-------------------------
A little Asperger's goes a long ways

 

[RonD]

yes, anything disconnected from the valve cover will cause oil spray when engine is running, i.e. oil fill cap, PCV valve, Vent hose.

Oil pressure sender and oil filter are long shots but still shots.

Along with timing chain cover.

But the only oil at the top of the engine is pretty much in the valve covers

 

[GentleRF]

Have him look around for a disconnected or broken hose/fitting.
Clean the engine with degreaser and hose off a few times, then top off the oil and run it briefly to see where it's coming from.
Could be something easy...

1. Did that part a while ago.

2. Kinda hard to do in a parking lot. Also, not running at the moment.

3. If it were easy, would we need the brain-trust?

Rick in East Bremerton

 

[GentleRF]

yes, anything disconnected from the valve cover will cause oil spray when engine is running, i.e. oil fill cap, PCV valve, Vent hose.

Oil pressure sender and oil filter are long shots but still shots.

Along with timing chain cover.

But the only oil at the top of the engine is pretty much in the valve covers

What about the check engine oil light and it not running? While I have done timing chains and gears under field conditions, I don't like to.

 

[adsm08]

The oil light could be a pressure sender or a level sender issue. I am not familiar with the gen 2 clusters and can't picture it right now.

Not running, well, does it even crank?

 

[RonD]

The oil light could have come on because engine stalled(key on, engine off = oil light), was he specific that the oil light came on first and then engine stalled or was it just oil light was on.

Oil covering the top of the engine could kill the ignition system, '89 2.9l is TFI I think.

And as adms08 asked, is it cranking but not starting or not cranking at all?

 

[adsm08]

'89 2.9l is TFI I think.

All 2.9s were TFI. The 2.9 didn't lose the TFI until it grew up and became a 4.0.

 

[GentleRF]

Okay, here's what it does: it turns over, distributor spins in time with the turning, oil pressure comes up a little while cranking (plenty of oil), and no spark. We ohmmeter checked the coil at a local O'Reilly's and it came out good that way. Gave an impromptu class in basic electronics to the counter guy. Bought a TFI module then found out we didn't have the right tool(s) to remove the old one. Went home on the ferry. Truck was towed to son's residence.

Rick in East Bremerton

 

[RonD]

This is a good read about troubleshooting TFI:
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/TFI_Diagnostic.html

Did you ID were the oil on the engine came from?
Could it have shorted out the electronics, for the "no spark"?

Thanks for the heads up adsm08

 

[GentleRF]

Ron,

The left side valve cover gasket is the source of the oil.

Rick in East Bremerton (wishing I hadn't forgot the tow rope)

 

[GentleRF]

Ron, I read that article on the TFI testing and it is well reasoned. I did not, however, find anything showing where the EEC-IV module is located. Not even my chilton's does.

Rick in East Bremerton