Oh good lord, what now?!? OIL PRESSURE DROP!

[DaPurpleRT]

Hey, this sucked when I bought it for 1800 then had to put a HG in and such for 400, then it was actually kindda FUNNY a week later when the timing belt snapped and gobbed up the valves costing 700 bucks plus 300 for a head. Then when I got it back with a check engine light and a dead knock sensor, that sucked. Found out how hard it was to do the knock sensor, really sucked, but did it. Car ran OK, BUT liked to smoke (think it was fuel smoke) if it was cold out (though it will stop if you rev or drive it), no biggie, but I wanted to runa compression test and change plugs (figured running so rich with the bad knock had hurt em). Now, don't know if that started when I changed the knock sensor, when I did the comp. test/plugs, or if it was doin it before and I didn't notice, BUT, it is now off of idle kind of missing (almost sounds like detonating) and wanting to stall out (will sometimes) and the real scary thing is the oil pressure drop a lil below 1/4 on the gauge if it's idling!

What in the WORLD could be wrong with it now? Oh yeah, it HASN'T come back to beingf funny yet, just very very sucky.

TIA fellas,

Ryan

 

[DaPurpleRT]

Oh yeah, forgot some details.

1, was around half a qaurt low on oil, but I filled it up (a little over actually, oops).

On the compression test, the numbers weren't great but within spec. Here are the numbers (Going from pass side to drivers side):

Cyl 1: 131
Cyl 2: 130
Cyl 3: 151 (this is the cylinder the shop just had to put new piston/ring in, prolly why it is so high)
Cyl 4: 141

TIA guys.

 

[Defiant]

A shop did one piston and rings?

Good god.


Oh, nice sentence, too.

 

[mustg5]

well that smoke is probably oil burning....headgasket....and as far as the rough idle......head gasket.....and low oil pressure is normal at idle in these cars...just watch for that idiot light.........my guess would be the headgasket that is causing a vac leak, and the smoke

 

[DaPurpleRT]

They just put a new HG on. Grr.

I'm gonna watch the oil over the next week. If it is burning oil, how much should it lose over a week?

Thanks, Ryan

 

[DaPurpleRT]

BTW, thanks defiant!

 

[DaPurpleRT]

Also, since the oil pressure deal is normal, I shouldn't worry about installing my trubo timer?

Thanks, Ryan

 

[mustg5]

They could have messed up on the head gasket.....as far as how much oil burning.....honestly depends on how bad the gasket is......ive heard people loosing anywhere from a quart a week to a quart a month......do you have a vacumne guage?? What does it read at idle.......and as far as the turbo timer......I do not use a turbo timer......i have heard way to many peoples stories or them messing up and causing problems......personally i just be patient and sit in the car and let it run for an extra minute......IMO turbo timers arnt worth the money....hope this helps you out

 

[DaPurpleRT]

I'll do a vacuum test tomorrow and let you know. The HG is a new Mitsu 3 layer so I guess if worse comes to worse I can rip it apart and reuse that gasket (sucks going back to do it yourself 700 dollars later!).

Driving today it felt fine, I put the idle up to around 1k even and the oil pressure stayed half or above even if idling for 1 or 2 minutes to let it cool. Only thing now is it's got the stumble/miss off idle SOMETIMES that feels bad It can be pulling out and do it or just slowing to let osmeone pull off then getting back on it.

Thanks man for all your help so far!

-Ryan

 

[92awddsm]

Check the timing belt and make sure the marks line up. If timing belt is right, vac at idle should be 18-20 hg. If one of the cam gears are 1 or 2 teeth off, it will decrease idle quality and it can also cause compression to be low.

 

[DaPurpleRT]

I will def do that!

Also, it started doing the idle thing after I put new plugs in...... Just for a change to try em out, I put the Autolite plugs for the turbo DSM in it instead of NGKs..... Could that be the cause off the off idle stumble????

 

[UNDR PSI]

if you didnt gap them right yea.....gap should be between .28 and .32

 

[DaPurpleRT]

Alright, stumble is back intermittently. he is also bellowing black/gray smoke at idle again, some even from under the hood I THINK. Now, I have a bolt broke off in the head so there is an exhaust leak there. could this cause any of my problems?

My vacuum tester is not around right now so I am going to make a "boost leak tester" and see if I can find anything.

The car is sickeningly slow as well. Tried to launch it yesterday night.. Pull a Ford Escort out and go quarter to half throttle and that's how it launches. It's an AT BTW>

TIA guys, Ryan

 

[DaPurpleRT]

Well, It's burning oil, gona through around half a quart in the last week and a half. How much of a chance is it that it's the HG as suggested? I mean, wouldn't leaky rings cause the compression to be below spec?

I'll be fixing whatever needs fixing myself, the shop refuses to do anything and I don't have a warranty in writing or anything so I'm screwed.

Trying to figure out most likely culprit before I tear it down since gaskets aren't cheap.

TIA guys, Ryan

 

[UNDR PSI]

Could be the rings, if i were you i would hope it was the head gasket vs. the rings. Alot cheper and alot easier to do. Do a leakdown test to confirm if it is the rings or the gasket.

 

[sakrafice]

Did they use gasket sealer.... and did you drive it the day u put the head back on ?

 

[DaPurpleRT]

I don't know. I am fixing boost/exhaust leaks on Friday and then when I get my truck back and have other transportation, if it's still using oil, it get's a compression AND leak down test to determine the culprit, then get's whatever it needs to fix it, even if I have to go back and replace all the rings.

thanks for help thus far guys!