Oil Pump, Pressure

[wdibert]

I have a '97 Monte Carlo. Coming home oil pressure gauge came on. When I opened the hood oil all over the front of engine and radiator. Checked dipstick no oil. Put in 4 qts to see where leak was and had no oil pressure. Now a major issue. Had car towed home, put into the air and still cannot find leak. Read there may be an oil cooler, I then traced out the lines I thought were trans cooler lines but are oil cooler lines.

Questions; Can they be blocked not allowing the oil through so why there was a rupture? Should not the pump pick up the prime since I did not do a tear down and totally drain the system? Is there a way to pressurize the system without starting the engine? Do I have to primp the oil pump? How do you prime the pump when there is no distrubutor? Should I just disconnect the oil line at the engine to see if there is pressure?

Thanks for any info

Wayne

[tractorman]

Run error = does not compute

Something doesn't make sense here. Something leaked out all your oil first? And now you don't have oil pressure? If that's the case, then I suspect that oil is DUMPING out when the engine is running... and you ought to see something.

If, on the off and nonsensical chance that your engine is sitting there running, full of oil, with no oil pressure AND no visible leaks... then you have serious problems that won't be taken care of by 'priming'.

More details, please. How long have you run the engine? Is it full of oil? Is oil leaking out? How are you determining oil pressure or lack thereof? Oil light? OEM gauge? Aftermarket gauge?

[SappySE107]

There are no oil cooler lines on a 97 unless someone put them there. There is a transmissions fluid cooler built into the radiator, and you will have lines for that but the oil doesn't leave the block/oil filter.

[wdibert]

Oil Pump, Pressure

OK Here is the story
When coming home work the oil pressure light stated to flicker then when stopped at a light just stayed on. I pulled over opened the hood and there was oil all over the lower part of the radiator and on the lower part of the front of the engine. I checked the dipstick and it was not showing oil. Seeing there was a leak I put in oil started the engine and the oil pressure light was still on and no oil that I could see coming out of the engine. I had the car towed then started to do a thorough inspection looking for leaks. Inspecting the line coming out of the bottom of the engine it does go into the radiator where you would run the line for the transmission to cool the fluid. Since I had oil all over this area I believed that this was the source of my leak under pressure. There is a seperate line from the transmission for cooling its flud and it is air cooled. I jumped out the oil cooler line, topped of the oil started the engine and the oil pressure light went off. Thinking I fixed the problem I ran the engine to verify. Then another leak showed. This was right out of the top of the oil pressure sending unit. I replaced the unit and now have no leaks. I understand that they did not put oil cooler lines on this engine but apparently they did with mine and it is not an after market application, the lines are tapped into the block not the oil filter. I was also noticing water in the oil and believe it was getting in from the radiator exchange.

I realize this was winded but I hope it provided some insight

Wayne

[bszopi]

Just out of curiosity... Where are these lines tapped into the block at?

[pontiac3100]

hmm
not trying to change the subject but when i was working at autozone on certain cars with 3100 asked if the engine was like oiled cooled....

and it's weird becuase when my temp reaches 220-225*F the oil gauge reads near 40psi but when 200*F or lower it reads 40-60psi(above 60 psi when engine cold).....

[geoffinbc]

If you have an oil cooler and the lines or core are leaking that that is a potential for a catastrophic leak. If the lines leak oil will be forced out under pressure until the sump is drained. This would explain the empty pan. The same can happen with a broken pressure sensor with a hole in it.