I am starting a project on a 91 firebird 3.1 and I've only had it a week but its been sitting for three years. I've already changed all the fluids, filters, spark plugs and wires. Luckily even after sitting three years with a new battery it cranked right up no problem first turn of the key. It runs pretty smooth but, I keep loosing oil pressure and I have to step on the gas to get the pressure to come back. I am thinking to change the oil pump I will have to either pull the motor or at least lift it. Are there any suggestions of any other options before I go through all that trouble.

Also when I changed my spark plugs I noticed most of them were burnt and had oil on them. That means that my piston rings are bad right and how big of a job is that because if I break it all down I might as well put what I want back in. Any advise would help.
Thanks

 

man 9 people looked at this and no comments. A little help would be nice

 

im not familiar with the v6 in these cars, if the oil pump is in the front like a 3.8 then u should be able to just lift the engine a lil drop the pan down and take the pump off the front, but before worrying with all that id do a compression test on the engine to see if those rings are bad or not......if they are then pull the motor and replace/rebuild it. if the motor checks out sound on the compression test then just change the oil pump......

 

i'm not real sure about the v6 , but the oil press. sensor's on v8s are far from accurate . i would check/swap it out first . good luck .

 

2nd, i wouldnt trust the gauge, as long as it registers somin.

 

thanks for the advise. I'm really worried about the rings first of all because of funds. Also I've never had to take the engine apart before. When I got this project I told myself I would do everything myself. Or at least attempt to. ha ha. It will definately be a learning experience.

 

I really wouldn't trust that guage. our cars have a special shut off switch, it turns off the fuel pump and kills the engine if oil pressure goes to low. so you mush have enough to run if its not shutting off. as for your oily plugs, check out your valve covers.

 

I too always had the feeling that my oil pressure was too low (never really got past the half-way mark on the guage). I changed the pressure sensor, but that never really made any difference. But compression was okay, oil consumption was fine, water temp also okay, so I never worried about it after that. However, when I did my re-build, I installed a high volume oil pump and I couldn't believe the pressure I now have and the engine runs a lot cooler!!!

 

1. Oil pump is in the largest section of the oil pan, aka the back of the engine. This means you have to A. Lift the engine, and B. Somehow squeeze the 18 year old bolts out of their holes underneath the crossmember. Had to do this on a 95 vert Z with an LT1... No fun at all.
2. Get your hands on a compression gauge. THAT will tell you the condition of the rings for sure.
Oil fouled plugs don't necessarily mean bad rings... My valve guides are junk but I have damn good compression (especially in the #6 cylinder that has the worst oil leak). Our gauges are, for the most part, grossly inaccurate, which is why everyone switches to aftermarket (except those of us without the funds).

 

You might want to start by going to a thicker oil just to get you by. I would recommend 15w40, something similar to what the diesel trucks run. I didn't see how many miles the car has on it. If you are worried about the condition of your rings, etc... then get yourself a compression tester for a few dollars at the local auto parts store and see what the cranking compression is on each cylinder. That will tell you a LOT without having to tear anything apart. They should all be within 10% or so of each other. If you have one that is more than 20 lbs less than the others, you have a problem.

Like some others have said, the gauges aren't that reliable either. You might have a bad sending unit or something wrong with the gauge itself, and not have a problem with the engine.

 

15W40 thats a bit heavy. that much oil weight will definitely effect milage and response. you can just step it up to 10W30 instead of 5W30 if your concerned. thats what the S10 2.8s run.

 

My guess is still the valve stem seals. You said the car sat for years not running, so that would be my guess, rotten seals. It's either that or your cylinders are pitted due to rust, which means the rings are doing their job, but the walls hold so much oil that the rings can't scrape off, that it gets burned instead of put back in the pan where it belongs.
And I second the 15W40... 10W30 isn't that much different from what we run from the factory when hot. It might help... You should be okay as long as you don't do something absolutely nuts and go up to 20W50 or something (DON'T DO THAT!). Also go to an R44 plug. It's hotter than R43's, which will help it to keep itself clean.