Moose

well, i've gotten alot of help from people on this forum on the past and i really appreciated it. but i don't think i can fix this one. i have a 1976 olds 98 maroon with maroon interior and white top. a lil while back the oil pump gave out while i was driving, i stopped the car as soon as it happened but i don't have the money or resources to fix the car now as i am in highschool and my job has suffered greatly from the drought. the car has absoulutely no rust whatsoever and very few very small parking lot dings and the interior is still in pretty dang nice shape for being a new mexico car it still cleans up pretty nice. anyways i have sunken alot of money in this car and i just can't do it anymore so i wanted to see if anyone would be interested in it. i can post pics if you want. it has all new brakes and a really tight transmission this was an amazing car before it quit and it would make a great project or a really really great parts car.

redoldsman

Sorry for your bad luck. Posting pictures and price will help a lot. Good luck on selling it.

FIRST 442

Moose - where are you located ?

Moose

I'm located in eastern new mexico near a town called portales

Moose

this is the only pic i have it's a few months old i will try to take some pics today when the mud dries up a little

Allan R

How did you diagnose it was the oil pump? From the only pic you posted it's a great looking car. Would be a shame to part it. There are some big car guys on here who may be interested.

Rickman48

Once had a 62 Nova 6cyl - pickup tube fell out!
Put 2 xtra qts. of oil in it, drove it home and fixed it the next day.
Put another 20k miles on it, at least!

Not that pulling the pan is easy on yours - might be just that, and not needing a motor.

Moose

i decided it was the oil pump because the light came on and it began making some un-happy noises so i called my dad to pull me home and i pulled the valve covers and started it for long enough that some oil should get there and it never did so i decided it was the oil pump.

MDchanic

So,

1. The light came on
2. It "began making unhappy noises" and
3. You did not see oil coming out of the pushrods.

and this led you to deduce that the oil pump was bad.

Did you check the oil pressure at any time?

Did you check the oil level at any time?

Would it be possible for you to describe the "funny noises" that it made?

Did it make those noises the second the oil light came on, or before, or after?

Had it ever made those noises before?

Had the oil light ever come on before (such as in hard turns, short stops, or rapid acceleration)?

Is the engine modified in any way? Did you ever work on the oil pump or pickup?

Have you tried probing around inside the oil pan with a tool or a stiff wire, or dropping the pan to have a look inside?

- Eric

Allan R

Moose,
Eric knows his way around troubleshooting. I think the gist of what he's asking right off the start is whether you checked to see if there was enough oil in the engine, which is totally logical. All the things he is referencing are related to low or no oil. I know for a fact Eric has the best interests of helping you with this. Don't be intimidated by all the queries.

Moose

the oil level is on full, the best description i can give is a light knocking, it has never made that noise before. the noise came after the light came on and i don't have an oil pressure gauge to check it the motor was overhauled before i bought the car about 20k miles ago as far as i know it is all stock except for most of the emissions junk is gone. the light came on once after a hard stop but went off shortly and never knocked or anything, i am currently not equipped to pull the pan because me and my dad have been fighting and i think it would be best to sell the car to someone who can fix it like it deserves, if it was up to me i would pull the engine and overhaul it completely but i can barely change a tire without getting in an arguement so i don't see how that could happen right now and i already have another car that needs a motor so i can't really save this one for better times either sorry for such a long reply

hotrodpc

That light knocking could even be a broke oil pump shaft causing no or low oil pressure. Never know. And even if it is an Oil pump, gasket and an oil pump is not a huge expense. But, the arguments with dad, I get. I'm now 46 and to this day, I won't do a mechanical project with him. And he can't even install a damn battery right, and I'm not kidding.

Are you considering any trades for something else that runs and drives? What kind of money are you talking for the car.

MDchanic

Are you sure that the oil level is right?

I ask this because the oil light coming on during a hard stop is a sign of a low oil level.
If the person who "overhauled" the motor installed the wrong dipstick or dipstick tube, you may have been running without enough oil.

It's hard to diagnose problems from descriptions of sounds, but from what you say, it does sound like you could have suffered some damage from low oil pressure.

We can help you more if we can get some more information, but I am afraid that I, for one, would be of no help in solving interpersonal problems.

- Eric

Moose

when i changed the oil i put about five quarts in last oil change and brought it to full, i would consider a trade for a running car, i'm not entirely sure what it's worth though.

hotrodpc

And it could be the oil pump pick up has fallen off too. Rare, but again, we'll blame the guy that "overhauled" it last, if he didn't install it right, or it fit loose in the pump it can fall off.

Never know MD, we might be able to throw our best Dr. Phil suggestions out there and be able to help with those interpersonal problems too.

Moose

well i took some pics today unfortunately i can't get them uploaded right now, i'll try again later

oldcutlass

This is one of those times when a your basically at a crossroads. I understand about your financial situation, but whats your alternative. Either way your going to have to have a vehicle. If the car is in good shape like you say, I believe that it would be less expensive to repair what you have if your mechanically inclined. Even a motor swap would probably be less than buying another vehicle at say $3500 + whatever expense it would take to ensure it's road worthiness.

MDchanic

Well, when my father and I work together, we can get a bit prickly, but we don't let it go too far, and we stick to the job and "git 'er done."

My brother and my father, on the other hand, would have been at each others' throats after exchanging about two sentences, no matter what they were doing.

In your case, since you guys can't get along right now (things may be different in ten years), and since it sounds like all the tools are in one place at his house, I would suggest arranging for him to stay away while you go over there and work for some specific amount of time. If you guys always fight, he'll understand.
Of course, if he just plain don't like you, he'll say No just to **** you off, but at least you'll know where you stand.

- Eric

Moose

this is true, but i'm also worried about pissing him off more since i still have a year and a half till i'm out of school and old enough to move out. he said he either wants the car fixed or sold but work is so slow i can't even afford to drive my pickup to school.

Allan R

Maybe a dumb question. Who owns title to the car - you or him? If it's you I don't think he has any right to tell you to sell it. You're over 18? The only thing he has for leverage over you may be the roof over your head. I'd try and hit him up with Eric's suggestion. Course if you're not at the age of majority yet, you're kind of scrweded.

Moose

i'm only 16, the car is in my name and his for insurance purposes i bought and paid for it and my other vehicles, i bought it when i was 14, maybe if i sold my f100 i would be able to foot the bill for the work, i work on a farm and this drought is killing the whole town i live in. anybody wanna buy a sweet 73 ford? hahaha

stressed1

Moose, I'll buy both front and rear bumpers from you and the front headlight/grille assembly. Let me know. Thanks!

76 Regency

BUMP!

Hey Moose!

Please do not part your Ninety Eight out! I've only seen the one pic but it looks like a really nice, solid car. Regardless of what's up with the motor (not likely to be too serious since those engines are damn-near bulletproof). Even if the motor was completely shot, you could drop another in there pretty easily.

If it was indeed the pump, you can do it without removing the engine. You'd have to remove the exhaust crossover pipe and raise the engine just enough to drop the pan, then change the pump, install a new pan gasket, reinstall the pan and pipe and drop the motor back down. That's it. It may cost you about $60 or so for the parts and it would be very well worth it.

It's also possible you've got some sludge going on in the motor and possibly the oil's not making its way through the engine and back down to the pan. Try changing the oil and see how it looks. If it's very thick and almost chunky, you've got some sludge. You can try running a quart of tranny fluid in with the balance of 4 quarts motor oil. The tranny fluid works well to help clean out the passages and it's completely harmless (from what I'm told).

You were the one that turned me on to the company that is now reproducing the quarter fillers for our cars. I hope you hang on to yours or AT LEAST make sure it goes to a good home! There are fewer and fewer nice original Ninety Eight's out there everyday. It's terrible how many get destroyed in demos on a regular basis. Please save that beauty!

Let me (all of us for that matter) know if I can help you with anything that will help you keep it or at least save it.

John
PS, let's see some more pics of the car too!

Rickman48

I worked on a '65 442, and all the return holes were blocked with broken valve seals!
All the oil stayed in the covers during running and trickled down, overnight.
Bet that's your problem!

76 Regency

Hey Moose,

What did you end up doing with your Ninety Eight?