Ok guys, i was driving down the road at about 45 or 50 yesterday and i threw it to 3rd and got on it til about 100 or so. Well i smelled something for a split second but didnt smell it long enough to put my finger on it. Well i stopped at a light and then took off normal and was driving normal but realized that my car was completely gutless, luckily my house was not even 1/4 mile away so i went home and turned it off. I started looking under the hood b/c i figured i burnt a wire or something but found nothing. So i started looking under the car for puddles and what not and noticed oil on both of my headers, it ran all the way down to the collectors.My intake manifold is leaking in know so i guess that could be where it was coming from. Well i unhooked the battery and let it set for about 15 minutes. So i started it back up and it started fine and idle fine but i noticed my oil pressure was below the first line ( i believe its like 20psi) at idle. It is usually a bit above this line when its fully heated up. The car was not overheating or even running hot. So i got in it and drove it to see what would happen with the oil psi. I was driving it and it was still gutless, i never tried getting on it though, and my oil pressure never went past about 23psi even at 2500-3500 rpms, which is highly unnormal. I took it back to my house and shut it off. I unhooked the computer again and let it set for about 6 hours or so. I went in the garage hooked the battery back up and started it up...the oil pressure went back to normal so i took it for a spin, but not even long enough for it to get warmed up completely. It idled fine and ran alright, but not like it was before. It idled fine, like nothing was wrong each time it was started. I took it back to the house and turned it off and unhooked the battery and let it set overnight. Today around 2 i put in my new O2 sensors and did a few other things that i was needing to do anyways. As i was doin that i started feeling on the back of the motor and noticed the oil all over then back of the block. Well i felt right where the heads and block meet and felt what i thought was grease... I started her up and the oil pressure was normal so i took it out for a spin. Again it idled fine , and ran pretty good, but i never tried to get on it. It ran better than it did at anypoint yesterday, until it started warming up. Then once it got completely warmed up the oil pressure did the same thing and would not come up hardly at all. I was cruising in 4th gear around 1500 or so and would give it more gas and the psi would actually go DOWN, but once i let off the gas it would go up for just about a second and then go back down again. Since my oil pressure went to **** i took it back to the house and turned it back of and there she sits. At no point did it ever idle funny or knock or anything.

at first i thought my oil pump could be going out but ive never heard of an oil pump gradually going out. So im stumped at this point. Could i have blown a head gasket.It has not overheated or even ran hot or poured out white smoke at all in the past 2 days, so i dont think it would be that but at this point i dont know.

Any help or thoughts are greatly apprectiated.

 

I had something similar to that happen to me a looong time ago. Turns out the oil pump pick-up tube came off the oil pump. Oil pressure would not go over 40 and went down during acceleration. Pulled the oil pan off and found it sitting in the bottom. Mine came off because of a nasty N20 backfire that stalled the motor at high rpms.

It could also be the oil pressure sending unit, but it doesn't sound that way to me.

If you end up pulling the oil pan, go ahead and get a new oil pump and pickup anyways... well thats what I would do

 

hmm i never thought about that. I was planning on changing the oil pump to see if that helped anything at all. To take off the oil pan you have to drop the k-member though so that sucks.

 

ANyone else have this problem or have any ideas?

 

Sounds like it may be a blown head gasket or a spun bearing. A spun bearing will make your car feel gutless, as will a blown head gasket. I'd start by draining the oil and checking the coolant so see if either is 'milkshaked' or if there are any metal particles in the oil. Good luck.

 

Shoebox, Injuneer, you guys have any ideas? I could possibly see it being a blown head gasket, but wouldnt it idle different then normal?

 

Here's a bump for ya.

Boy, you'll do anything to avoid having to autocross against me.

 

Rough first guesses would be either loose /fallen oil pump pickup or spun bearing.