Symptoms of a weak Oil pump

[The Slider]

My 2.9 has been acting strange! WHen i come to a stop my oil pressure ligh come on, but i have no rattleing in the engine, i give it a little gas and the light goes out.... then i will be driving down the road and ill hear lifter noice with NO light on and after 5-10 mins it stops. then maybe 30 mins later ill hear lifter noice again, but its intermittant. Does that sound like a weak oil pump??? This was a rebuild engine about 70K miles ago, from what i was told a CHEAP engine rebuild company.

Thanks,
Chaz

 

[Hahnsb2]

Oil pumps rarely fail, low oil pressure in these engines is almost always caused by worn out bearings.

 

[Big Jim M]

Yep, sounds like bearings. I'd change the oil and try 40W, and NOT 10W40 either.. If that helps then it is bearings for sure and the 40W will help.
Big JIm

 

[2ranger87]

Yep, sounds like bearings. I'd change the oil and try 40W, and NOT 10W40 either.. If that helps then it is bearings for sure and the 40W will help.
Big JIm

I agree a "little" thicker oil will sometimes help, but you're only covering up a problem. Running STRAIGHT 40w going into the winter months is only going to cause more problems than its going to solve. ( Try putting a quart of 40w in your fridge overnite and see how it flows....)

Bear in mind that regardless of mileage on the motor, it was designed to run on 10w30 oil, and even if the the bearings are in fact worn (which I highly doubt on a motor with only 70,000) thicker oil will cause starvation elsewhere.

The only way to tell what your oil pressure actually is, is to do a mechanical pressure test. If that checks out within specs, you'll just have to live with the fact that almost ALL 2.9's have lifter noise.

 

[The Slider]

I never had lifter noice before.. If i sit still in neutral OR park and i have lifter noice, i will give it some gas and the more i give it gas the lifter noice stops.

Chaz.

 

[Jspafford]

My 1989 2.9L does not have an oil pressure light. It simply says "Check Oil". The one and only time mine came on was when I was a qt low on oil.