Any Ram owners with this problem?

mudge

About 2 months ago, the "land yacht" ('99 Ram 1500) started burning oil. I took it to my most trusted repair shop and the owner says: "Intake manifold gasket is leaking. This is not inexpensive." I was at the local Dodge dealer the next day and told the guy there what was happening. The first thing out of his mouth was: "You've got a blown intake mainfold gasket." So I take the truck back to my trusty repair shop and get it fixed. $576 worth of fixed. But it did stop burning oil.
OK...so...about a week later, after driving around for half the day...
all of a sudden, the "check guages" light on the dash comes on. I look and, to my horror, I HAVE NO OIL PRESSURE! OK so I'm going to pull off the street and stop when I notice that when the engine rpm's
are over 900, I have about 30 lbs. of oil pressure. Luckiy, I'm not far from my trusty garage, so I take it there. They replace the oil pressure switch. Still no oil pressure. The diagnosis: OIL PUMP!!!
AAARRRGGGHHH. They don't do that at the shop so I'm gonna take it to the dealer. But this is 5PM on Friday. Can't do anything til Monday. So the truck sits in my garage for 2 days. I fire it up Monday morning to go to the dealer and suddenly I've got 80 lbs. of pressure.
Well...I ain't gonna trust this guage til I drive the thing for a while. After about 50 miles, I've still got 80 lbs. of pressure.
Wierd!!!
Any wrenchers out there got any ideas as to what went on?

Mudge the puzzled

ps. I used to do my own wrenching but when they got beyond the flatheads and 2 barrel carbs, I let someone else do it.

I can't come to work today. The voices said, STAY HOME AND CLEAN THE GUNS!

redcedars

Mudge, if I were you I would change the oil and filter. I would examine the drained oil for crud, or little piece of gasket. Sounds like something was blocking the oil pump.

redcedars

dheffley

First thing I would do is put a mechanical oil preesure gage on it and monitor it closely. I hate those electronic things. It can be a bad sender, a bad connection, or a bad gage. A direct oil line pressure gage solves those problems.

How you doin'!

Big Sky Redneck

Most likely the oil passage is blocked from debris when he changed the gasket, there are oil drains under the intake that allow oil to flow back to the pan, I will bet money he dropped a piece of gasket in there! Now that piece can be anywhere in your oil system causing a blockage! it can be in a pressure line to the filter, in the pickup screen on the pump, it can be anywhere! Do not drive this, have it towed to the shop and send the original mechanic the bill! I'm sure you know who things work but here is a quick reminder, oil is pumped thru passages in the crankshaft and oils the rod and main bearings, it is also pumped thru the camshaft bearings and into the lifter passages that in turn oil the lifters, pushrods, rockers and valve stems! These are the main pressure areas and if one of them is blocked to a vital bearing surface, cam surface, lifter passage and valve stems you can go from a simple fix to an engine overhaul! DO NOT DRIVE! Those engines are not cheap! epending on where the blockage is you may need your engine tore down as it is, you do not want to get into replacing major components. Hope that a flushing fluid can be added, oil and filter changed and you will be safe. In simple terms, your mechanic just cost you money because he was not carefull with the teardown! There is a chance that it is a bad connection to the sending unit but i wouldnt take the chance, have it towed to the nearest REPUTABLE garage!

In my experiance as a mechaninc I have seen this before and seen the aftermath of what one blocked passage can do!

HappyNanoq

I'd also change the oil and filter - especially if a cra#head have been messing with the inside or connections to the inside of my engine.


I've seen what missing oil will do to an engine - okay, it was a 16 cyl V-type ships engine, developing 4200Hp - but it threw two counterweights of about 80 lbs each from their place about 1? foot off center of the shaft when doing about 800 rps - crushed two cylinder-liners, two pistons, parted the 9 tonn engine-chassis entirely, two pistonrods were entirely missing.

That was also some nitwit who didn't clean some oillines thouroughly and the reason it happened, was because it was after the oilpump in the pressure line. Got stuck almost immediately.


Flush out the debris - oil and filter doesn't cost all that much - compared to a new engine.


Don't do anything that I've allready done - That'd be just plain STOOOOOOPID.

BOBBYWINS

mudge,
You failed to mention how many miles
are on the Ram,what engine,etc.All the
above posts have good information in them,
however,the "wandering debris" theory sounds
very possible.7mm's advise is good.DO NOT DRIVE!!
How much oil is it burning?
What kind of oil/filter do you use?
My last three trucks have been Ram 1500
w/5.9 liter V8.All started using a little oil at
about 65,000.When I say a little,I mean a qt.
about every 3,000 miles.I'm in tight w/the Dodge
dealer here and have lots of freinds in the service
dept.W/a little more info,I'll pick their brains
tomorrow.Good luck.

BW

IT'S WHAT PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT THEMSELVES THAT MAKES THEM AFRAID.

select-fire

Mudge, dheff gave some good advice. Electrical gauges can mess up and tell you wrong. First thing I would do is drain the oil. Put yourself in No. 2 oil ( diesel fuel ) in crankcase and fill to mark. Run for about 1 minute and flush. Your return lines on the upper part of engine may be partially clogged. If you get alot of crud out, repeat procedure. CHANGE your filter and fill it up with motor oil. If your gage still fluctuates go to the mechanical gage. Your electrical sending unit is probably at fault.

nord

4.7 or 318/360... Pretty much the same. Assuming your guys were correct and it was the gasket, then you should now be in pretty good shape.

3/36,000 or 7/70,000 warranty? That IS powertrain and it should be covered.

Now then... You don't unbolt an intake and play with engine internals without an oil and filter change. You just paid over $500.00 for a $10.00 gasket. $20.00 more isn't a big issue.

A guess: All three engines above are known to be reliable and pretty much trouble free. If your dipstick showed the proper oil level, then there are two options to consider. Three if the oil was low.

Your motor was running clatter-free with no appreciable drag - Plugged
oil passage to the sensor unit. Buy a new one in case it's an internal problem..

Motor making more than the usual noises, pressure low - Plugged screen or filter bypass has failed. Both are bad news as the engine really was starving for oil. You'll at least want to drop the pan and have things checked.

Last, of course, is that the problem wasn't the gasket and that you really were running on no oil. Lot's of possible reasons, but I'd check compression. One cylinder will be low. Rings or a holed piston. One way to check is massive blow-by at the crankcase breather.

My gut tells me that you had a plugged sensor and no more. To plug an oil screen would have required a massive amount of contaminents. You should have seen it when you checked the dipstick.

And the worst news... If you still have the same filter aboard, and there was massive contamination, and now pressure has returned, then the bypass is now working and all the crud that was supposed to be stopped is now distributed pretty evenly throughout the engine.

I think you'll find the oil black, but clean. Further, when you cut the filter open, you'll find sealant and gasket flakes... And nothing else other than used oil.

If you find any evidence of metal filings there or on the oil drain plug, then you've got a serious problem.

You won't, though. Quit with the worry!

Nord

TRAP55

7mm has it EXACTLY RIGHT! I've been turning wrenches for more than 30yrs and have seen this before. A lazy,sloppy, mechanic dropping intake manifold gasket material in the engine and next day no oil pressure. Have it TOWED! back to the shop that did the work or somewhere else that you trust. Dont drive it!!!

mudge

Thanks for all the input. I appreciate the expertise.
When I drove it to the shop after losing oil pressure, it was totally quiet and not the least bit sluggish. It has 55,000 miles. I changed the oil after the pressure came back. I use the Fram Tough guard and Pennzoil 5W30. I've put about 1,000 miles since the pressure came back and it hasn't used a drop of oil.

Mudge the worried

I can't come to work today. The voices said, STAY HOME AND CLEAN THE GUNS!

Colt Super

One of the guys suggested this on an earlier post, but... many years ago, I learned that the first, easiest thing to do when chasing this type problem is to put a "T" in the block where the oil pressure sender is, and attach a decent quality mechanical oil pressure guage to it with rubber hose. Costs about $40 and can save lots of headaches and BS.

God Bless America and...
NEVER Forget WACO
NEVER, EVER Forget 911

barto

Not to be TOO arguementative but I don't see how you could POUND a big enough piece of gasket through the gravel strainer on the oil pickup to plug an oil passage. The screens are designed to prevent that from happening. Otherwise, why the screen? I would more suspect the pressure sender or the passage leading to it. When I had the sender out I would back-flush the passage with high-pressure air. I have seen a carbon plug build up in this passage & make the idiot light come on intermittently.
Lotsa luck!
[8D][8D]barto

Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.-JFK

bolthandle

barto: I had the same problem years ago in a 402 chevy. Yes they do have screens in the oil pump pick-ups, but some how a amall piece of the nylon timing sprocket had got through this defense and lodged in the pump bypass valve, doing the same thing. No oil pressure, to high oil pressure. I didnt find it till I tore down the engine.

Im glad that they dont use those anymore.

Bolt

PEACE THROUGH SUPERIOR FIREPOWER