Well, I was driving along and I heard three distinct loud clunks and looked at the oil pressure gauge which was reading ZERO!!! I shut the car off hoping to salvage the motor. Luckily, I was about 2 blocks from my shop so we just had it towed in with a truck.

I found not a single metal shaving in the oil that I drained out of it, and the oil filter was half empty. Did I just break an oil pump driveshaft???

I am pulling the oil pan off tomorrow and I will be looking to see what failed and if I ruined any bearings at all.

Please, just tell me what you think...did I shut it off in time to save myself or am I just SOL???

Thanks

 

pickup tube may have come off

 

Would my motor be salvagable if my pickup tube came off??

 

Well, I got the oil pan off today and I must say, I didn't see a damn thing wrong. The oil pump shaft wasn't broke, the retainer wasn't broke, the pump itself wasn't binding, the pressure relief valve was doing its job, and the rod and main bearings didn't show too much wear (with the exception of some over-revving, but I expected that), but none of them were spun at all and the bearings themselves weren't in too bad of shape for 70,000 miles.

There were also no shavings in the oil pan at all.

I replaced the retainer on the oil pump, the pan gasket, and filled her up with new oil and disabled the ignition system to see if oil pressure would build. Sure enough, I got pressure back. I started the car and the thing ran just dandy, with no strange noises (other than an exhaust leak that I created). I think my car is cursed, but do any of you think I should be worried about it??

 

Maybe it was a grounded wire to the sending unit or something? Check your wires for bare spots.

 

But the thing that really scares me is the clunking that I heard, that wasn't good. By the way, where is the sending unit on our cars??? I looked for it and looked in the service manual and I didn't see squat??

Oh, and I did try and start the car after it lost oil pressure to see what would happen (keeping in mind that I would shut it down right away) and the thing wouldn't start after that, but I could still turn the motor so it wasn't seized up at all.

I honestly think my car is cursed.

 

Here is mr. shoebox's picture. http://csce.uark.edu/~jgbertr/rb/intake_rear.jpg
I'm glad it checked out ok. If it really worries you, you might think about running a manual gauge for a while too. You could tap in off the plug by the oil filter.
Yor cars name isn't Christine is it?

 

I though the computer cuts the fuel once oil pressure drops below a certain range. Like said before, could just be the sensor.

 

Well, if it is supposed to cut off fuel, it didn't cut off fuel. It kept running until I shut the thing off. I just got REALLY lucky I take it.

Thanks