Okay, here's a weird one:

[Tony K]

Okay, this is on the white car (see my avatar pic).

I have not done a thing to this car since I bought it, other than clean it up, balance the carbs a little, and remove half of the interior.

- have checked the oil, but

- have not changed the oil, or checked to see whether the dipsitck and/or tube are the correct length

- have not done anything else at all.

- have not looked into this technically at all -- am just throwing this on here to see if anyone has heard of this happening before:

Here is what is happening: Driving around town, when I turn LEFT with some degree of g-force (moderate left turn, but not easy left), the needle on the oil pressure drops. When I turn right, it doesn't. The more it is warmed up, the more the swing of the needle.

Thoughts:

- could one of the baffles in the pan (sump) be missing?

- I doubt it is a gauge malfunction, as g-force woudl throw the needle to the low mark on a right turn, not left turn

- could be low on oil (although dip stick, unverified measurement, says oil level is fine)

- some issue with some crud (like gasket material) partially blocking the pickup tube?

- still, could be a gauge/sending unit malfunction?

I won't be able to do much with it right away. But before I tear into it, I am wondering if anyone else has had this problem. Anyone?

Thanks,

Tony

[Tony K]

Quite frankly, without looking at it or doing a thing, I am 99% sure it has a broken or missing baffle. I can't come up with any other explanation, but I am in denial that such a thing could happen. HOW THE HELL CAN PEOPLE LET THIS HAPPEN???? HOW ON EARTH DOES A BAFFLE IN AN OIL PAN ON A STREET-DRIVEN CAR THAT JUST HAD ITS MOTOR REBUILT 800 MILE AGO BREAK OR BECOME MISSING?

GOD ALMIGHTY, PLEASE LET IT BE BROKEN, AND NOT SOME IDIOT MECHANIC WHO REBUILT THE MOTOR REMOVED IT OR DRILLED HOLES IN IT OR SOMETHING CRAZY LIKE THAT.

I CAN'T BELEIVE THE THINGS PEOPLE DO TO THESE CARS -- GOD I HOPE THE BAFFLE IS HONESTLY BROKEN, BUT STILL THERE IS EVEN NO EXCUSE FOR THAT!

(Don't blame me -- I just bought it in December and have only put about 100 miles on the car, driving it around the neighborhood, just "feeling it out" for things that it needs, learning its condition . . . ah, I found something. . .)

Edited May 19, 2006 by Tony K

[Joey]

Tony. I had similar issues on my Buick... turned out to be the sending unit was bad. But it could also be a ground issue.

I hope it was not a mechanic doing something dumb...

[Michael Blue]

...I think she's telling you to sell her to me.

Good luck with the fix!

[USAndretti42]

Had the same thing on my Elan many moons ago. It always correlated with me being low on oil. As I had a quickish, long left-hand bend on the way to work I could use it as an oil level indicator. I think the oil pick up must have been off center.

Are you sure your dipstick and dipstick tube are correct? Compare them with the red car's to be sure. The dipstick may be too long or the tube too short so you think you have more oil than you do.

Does your car have a mechanical or electrical gauge?

If it's electrical, are any other gauges similarly afflicted?

Could anything be flopping against the connector on the sender and shorting it out?

[Guest Troy Halliday]

I think but not sure but you should be able to feel the steel sump baffle that sandwiches between the sump and the block. In fact I am so curious to see if you can when it finaly stops raining I'm going to pop out and check mine.