67 lost all oil pressure

Hi,

I recently bought a 67 coupe Sports Sprint with A code engine and manual transmission. The car seems pretty original, including engine and transmission - at least everything ties into the Marti report.

I would like to keep the car running for about 6 months until I get the facilities to do a striped down restoration - currently I am living in an apartment with no garage.

I have been fixing small problems, but have now run into a potential big problem - oil pressure gone.

I was driving around the block to check out the engine because the it had started to run really rough after installing a PCV valve and breather (they were was missing), and changing HT leads to a new Autolite set. I had uninstalled the breather (re-plugging the manifold) suspecting this might be the cause, but the engine was running even worse (could be the new leads I guess - they seem too long).

I stopped the car to put in a little more gas - the sender in the gas tank is suspect. When I restarted the car the fuel gauge twitched and the oil pressure dropped to zero and has stayed there. I drove the 1/2 mile home, with the engine running as before.

The engine has been making a tapping sound when warm since I got it - but it appeared to be coming from the bottom of the engine rather than the top - that is, I do not think it is in the valve train. I discovered a loose spark plug and thought that this might have been the cause, but no. Could it be the oil pump?

The previous owner said that the sender unit on the gas tank is defective, since the guage reads empty until it nearly is, and then it climbs before returning to empty when the tank is. I can't confirm this because he delivered the car with gas and the guage has read about 1/2 all the time.

I had replaced the instrument voltage regulator (although I think the old one was fine), and got the temperature gauge working (the previous owner had thoughtfully installed a new sender with ptfe tape), although it only just gets off the cold mark when warm. I don't trust this, since down here in Arizona I can't believe the engine runs cold, and it sure seems really hot under the hood. The sender resistance goes down to 15ohms.

How can I check if the loss of oil pressure is a sender problem or something more serious? I have tools, but no facilities, and I don't want to risk driving the car to somewhere to get it checked out.

Other problems: the carb is incorrect, a 1.08 Autolite 4100, with missing stove pipe and fast idle cam - the choke housing is there. The number indicates it is from 1974.

Thanks, Clive.

Reply to
Clive
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Get a cheap mechanical oil pressure gauge at pep boys. It's easy enough to install it in the parking lot. Just un-plug the factory sender, and screw in the new tubing. Don't bother installing it under the dash, just hold it in your hand. Start the engine and confirm the pressure.

Reply to
.boB

Be careful with this one. the gage may be correct after all. I have a 67 w/289 2bbl. The original valve stem seals are black rubber umbrellas that fit on the valve stems not the valve guides. With time, they hardened and broke. The pieces plugged the oil drainbacks and also got past the screen and cover bypass grommet and jammed the oil pump. When I removed the distributor, I found a beautifully twisted drive shaft. Fortunately i was able to replace the seals by using compressed air to hold the valves shut and only had to drop the oil pan to repair the pump.

Regards, Tom

Reply to
TM

Many years ago I stripped the oil pump drive shaft inside the oil pump. It happens when you try to start a 100k mile motor with straight 30 wt oil at 20 degrees F. :(

With no oil pressure I had the worst case of clattering valve lifters you have ever heard. It also had no power because the valves were not opening very far.

Follow the other guys advice and put a mechanical gauge on it to make sure.

Erich

Reply to
Kathy and Erich Coiner

I think the first thing I would do is to remove the valve cover and briefly start the engine and see if your getting any oil to the valve train. It should be obvious, if you got pressure the oil should be flying all over, if you don't the valve train will clatter and be very noisy.

Gene

Reply to
EUGENE KIMBALL

Thanks for all the good advice.

I decided that the gas gauge was too suspect and so disconnected it - my oil pressure magically reappeared! I have reconnected the gas gauge now and everything is back to normal.

I guess it is going to be one of those impossible to track down intermittent faults. Either there is a problem in the supply to the gauges (faulty ignition switch?), or the gas sender circuit is shorting causing all current to flow through the gas gauge - starving the others (although the gas gauge should read full if this is the case).

My rough engine is still there - I will check all plug and breaker gaps, etc, and put the old HT leads back on.

Thanks, Clive.

Reply to
Clive

You seem to have solved the oil pressure problem so right to the carb. I'm not sure what you mean by "incorrect". If you want, post the entire carb ID numbers.The 4100 with 1.08 venturis is the correct carb for the car if the engine is the 289 (Ford did use the 1.12 carb on the Hipo 289). Also, the

4100 was not used after 1968, so the any '4' in the ID probably refers to 1964. Most missing parts can be obtained from Mustang suppliers (notably, Pony Carburetors).

mike

Reply to
Michael

Hi Mike,

The carb number looks like D4G FAE (although it is difficult to make out accuratly). The Ford service manual says the correct carb should be an Autolite 4300 in 67, not the 4100. I have read that 67 was the first year with these carbs on the A code, although the K code continued with the 4100 and 1.12.

Also rectified the rough engine problem - some of the new leads were a loose fit in the dizzy cap and I had to open the connectors out a little - one had worked its way almost out of the rubber boot.

Regards, Clive.

Reply to
Clive

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