[99v6stang]

Should the oil pressure gauge show pressure as soon as the car is started? mine reads nothing at idle.

[shadow5403]

you mean the needle is staying all the way to the left? and not in the middle where it should be? If it is staying all the way to the left.... DO NOT TURN ON YOUR CAR. I would def check the oil level and not risk starting the vehicle if there is little or no oil pressure.

[moond0ggie]

When you first start a cold engine, the thick oil should read as high PSI.
Are you the one who did engine work on their car? Some moly cam & lifter
pre-lubes will clog the oil filter so it should be changed after break-in.
You can connect a mechanical oil pressure gauge to get a direct read on the oil pressure,
to double check the factory gauge calibration.

[stephen]

Originally Posted by 99v6stang Should the oil pressure gauge show pressure as soon as the car is started? mine reads nothing at idle.

Unless the sender is defective you have low oil pressure. This is probably why you are getting lifter noise.

Try substituting a gauge for the sender unit. I think it is supposed to be at least 10 psi at idle.

[itschristorres8]

i'd like to see 12psi or higher at idle
if you have no oil pressure that engine will fail QUICKLY

[99v6stang]

the gauge stays all the way to the left, what do i have to replace? And yes it has oil

[stephen]

Does the gauge stay all the way to the left all the time or just at idle?

If it's only at idle it's probably worn bearings, oil pump or similar problems.

If it's all the time perhaps you have a problem with the oil pump or it's drive shaft. A while back some people were having problems with the gear on the end of the cam that drives the cam position sensor and also connects through a hexagonal cross section shaft to the oil pump. You might take out the oil pump and be sure the drive shaft for it is in place and that it turns when you turn the crankshaft manually.

[99v6stang]

well the shaft and oil pump are so simple i doubt the problem could be with them, but i will be going out to check in a few minutes. As for the oild pressure i had the car just idle at about 1000 rpms for about 30 seconds, it had no oil pressure, so i shut it off.

[99v6stang]

okey yea everything looked fine, the shaft turned, the gears spun, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. So what the hell is wrong with this car, i am going insane

[stephen]

Originally Posted by 99v6stang okey yea everything looked fine, the shaft turned, the gears spun, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. So what the hell is wrong with this car, i am going insane

The oil gauge on that car is not a real oil pressure gauge. It is fed by a sender unit that is basically an on off switch. If there is oil pressure it reads midscale if not it reads zero. You probably have some oil pressure, just less that the minimum specified at idle so it reads zero. You could try replacing the oil pressure sender or putting a mechanical oil pressure gauge in it's place to see what the actual oil pressure is.

You should also try replacing the oil filter since it was suggested that some cam lubes can clog it. If after replacing the filter and measuring the oil pressure with a gauge the oil pressure is low, there is something wrong in the engine. The likely possibilities are a worn oil pump or excessive bearing clearance somewhere. It is also possible that the pressure relief valve, which is in the front cover, is stuck open, but I think that is not common.

I have a good used oil pump from my Mustang that you are welcome to if you pay shipping.

[03_StangGuy]

If you dont have enough oil pressure youll hear a ticking noise. Run your car like that and it will blow shortly after.

[99v6stang]

is the oil pressure sending unit the thing with a plug containing one single while right above the oil pump? I have an extra, but am i going to have to remove the timing cover to replace it?

[stephen]

Originally Posted by 99v6stang is the oil pressure sending unit the thing with a plug containing one single while right above the oil pump? I have an extra, but am i going to have to remove the timing cover to replace it?

In this picture, the oil sender attaches to the metal tube in the lower right of the picture.

http://s290.photobucket.com/albums/l...nt=engine8.jpg

[99v6stang]

yea thats what i was thinking it was, i will replace it tonight hopefully. Is there possibly one thing that could cause my no oil pressure and lack of power?

[stephen]

Originally Posted by 99v6stang yea thats what i was thinking it was, i will replace it tonight hopefully. Is there possibly one thing that could cause my no oil pressure and lack of power?

If the oil pressure really is low it would account for the noise, which is likely lifters that are too loose because of low oil pressure. Because of that noise I suspect you are going to find you really do have low oil pressure.

I still suspect the lack of power is due to inadequate fuel flow.

Based on the experiences of other people on this form, failure of the drive gear for the cam position sensor would cause no oil pressure and a bad running engine. I don't think that's it because you confirmed that the oil pump drive shaft turns when you turn the engine.

So bottom line is I think you have multiple problems, but your probably looking at a bottom end rebuild to cure the oil pressure problem.

[99v6stang]

what would be causeing the low oil pressure though? THe bottom end was rebuilt 3,000 miles ago

[stephen]

Originally Posted by 99v6stang what would be causeing the low oil pressure though? THe bottom end was rebuilt 3,000 miles ago

I don't know.

I would substitute a new oil pressure sender or a gauge first to see what the oil pressure is. There is still the suggestion that if you used an assembly lube it could have clogged up the oil filter. You should try changing the oil and filter. If after that there really is low oil pressure, it could be a bad oil pump or pressure relief valve. If it's not that there must be excess bearing clearance somewhere. That seems unlikely to be the crankshaft or bearings if it was recently rebuilt. Could the cam bearings have gotten damaged installing the cam?

First thing to do is to change the oil and filter and verify the oil pressure, preferably with a mechanical gauge installed in place of the oil pressure sensor.

[99v6stang]

okey i changed the oil and oil filter, and the pressure sensor. Still shows no pressure after i started the car, and now it threw P0453 Fuel Tank Pressure Signal circuit Input above maximum which im assuming has something to due with the svt fuel pump i just put in, what is wrong there? I only ran the car for about 10 seconds but it sounds like it is knocking or something and isnt making good sounds. Yes possibly the cam bearings could have gotten damaged, but i dont know. Would a scratch or something cause this or would it have to be the thing destroyed

[stephen]

Originally Posted by 99v6stang okey i changed the oil and oil filter, and the pressure sensor. Still shows no pressure after i started the car, and now it threw P0453 Fuel Tank Pressure Signal circuit Input above maximum which im assuming has something to due with the svt fuel pump i just put in, what is wrong there? I only ran the car for about 10 seconds but it sounds like it is knocking or something and isnt making good sounds. Yes possibly the cam bearings could have gotten damaged, but i dont know. Would a scratch or something cause this or would it have to be the thing destroyed

That doesn't sound good.

This is a 99 Mustang right? It has a return less fuel pump. Make sure the new fuel pump is the right kind.

It's quite clear there is inadequate oil pressure. It would be helpful to hook up a gauge to distinguish between no oil pressure and low oil pressure, but I don't think you should be running the engine any more, since you may be doing damage. You might check to see if the oil filter filled with oil. If it didn't you have an oil pump problem for sure.

When the bottom end was rebuilt did you have a machine shop help and what was done? You should probably talk to the machine shop. You took the oil pump out earlier. Did you check for scratch marks on the gears or body and for clearances? You might have a machine shop look at it and give you an opinion. Also possibly the pressure relief valve in the timing cover is stuck open. Unlikely but possible. Other than that you need to remove the engine and disassemble it to check all the bearing clearances. You asked about the cam bearings. It would take more than a scratch to reduce the oil pressure this much.

[99v6stang]

the fuel pump was a 310 vmp svt fuel pump so it shouldnt have any problems I will check about the oil filter. That would have for sure filled up in like ten seconds of running? What kind of a guage do i need to check the oil pressure.