Oil Gauge Fault

8

85FieroSE-V6

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I'm looking to buy an 85 SE 2M6 for around $1000. The car runs good and it has 85,000 on it. One issue I see is the oil gauge keeps reading low at idle and fluctuates with the rpms. There is a slight tick in the motor at idle, but it seems to go away after driving at highway speeds. The car has plenty of power and did not show any signs of overheating. Would low oil pressure in the 2.8 liter cause the engine to heat up? I'm thinking the oil gauge and/or sending unit may be bad. Any input would be helpful. Thanks.
 
Some More information. The car has sat for sometime. Could old oil be a factor in the ticking?
 
The oil sender on a V-6 does tend to act up due to dirt and deposits. Especially if the person who owned it before was a little lax in the oil changes. My suggestion is to do a fresh oil change and filter and see how the oil pressure is. Since it sat for a while, it could have some deposits that are causing the problem. Running fresh oil and filter may just clean it up.

The oil sender on a V-6 with A/C is on top of a tube to the left of the battery. If you want to verify the gauge or sender you can hook up a mechanical gauge and read the pressure. If it reads the same as the dash, The sender and gauge are good.

If the oil is freash and the gauge/sender check good, then usually fluttering or low pressure at idle is usually the main and rod bearings are worn enough to reduce pressure. You can use 10W40 oil, STP or Marvel Mystery Oil to coat the worn parts and get some more milage out of the engine. The thicker oil or additives will increase the oil pressure back to normal as well.
 
My 86 se 2.8 did this exact thing. I did checks and thing seemed to clear up. Than it got a knock, and the knock got worse until it made my #4 rod a 3 piece. Best of luck.
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Thanks for the information. I've posted some pictures of the car. The body looks to be repairable. The paint has been poorly attempted to be fixed. The gouge on the drivers side rear looks like it can be repaired with fiberglass or this stuff I've been hearing about called "butter". I hope I'm not spending too much for a car in this condition. I owned an '84 2m4 in 1990 and regretted selling it. Since then I've only seen 2 or 3 on the road.
 
Well I ran the vin# and found out it is a 86 Fiero SE V6. Now I'm going to have to change my user name.
 
85FieroSE-V6 said:
Thanks for the information. I've posted some pictures of the car. The body looks to be repairable. The paint has been poorly attempted to be fixed. The gouge on the drivers side rear looks like it can be repaired with fiberglass or this stuff I've been hearing about called "butter". I hope I'm not spending too much for a car in this condition. I owned an '84 2m4 in 1990 and regretted selling it. Since then I've only seen 2 or 3 on the road.
Click to expand...

Do not use regular fiberglass or "butter". It will crack and fall off. The Fiero body panels are made of Sheet Molded Compound (SMC) and expand/contract differently than fiberglass, "butter" or Bondo. Most body supply places carry SMC repair kits. Use this to repair gouges and cracks.

Make sure it says for SMC on it.
http://autobodystore.net/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=6PRM
 
Well, I bought the Fiero today. Had fun driving it, washing it, and started to make a list of what needs to be fixed. I went to move it into the garage, it will not start. It cranks and cranks, but does not fire up. Any direction to start tracking down the problem would be appriciated. (my project is starting off just like I though it would) ;)
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welcome back to our world! Don't know about the starting issue (not enough info), but I wouldn't fool around with patching Fiero panels. There are plenty of panels available in salvage yards, and they're easy enough to remove. You might even find the right color, since the stock colors were pretty limited year-to-year.
 
Thanks for the advice on the panels. Oh and after replacing the ignition coil the car is running again. Now to tackle the oil pressure issue.:)
 
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