Out doing the Woodward Dream Cruise this afternoon, my 928 decided it didn't want to have any more oil pressure. The guage dropped to 0, the "!" started flashing and I got that wonderful belt-tension light, too.

The car was still running like normal, and I pulled over into the first parking lot, about 100 feet away. The belt looks fine through the belt cover holes, and nothing seems to be dripping.

The first suspicion was that maybe the pressure sender wasn't getting power (maybe a wire came off), so we decided (there were 5 sharks there) to pull the car forward a couple feet to be able to crawl underneath.

Upon starting the car (and it DID start normally), a rhymthic scraping noise appeared. I guess my pressure guage is right!

The good news is that I have a spare oil pump. The car is back in the garage (yet another piggy-back ride) so it's time to find out what's wrong.

Before diving in, I'm guessing that the pump has gone bad or at least the pump gear is loose. Everything else looks to be normal...and I'm relieved to know that the car still runs and was able to drive normally into the parking lot. I didn't touch the oil pump during my rebuild except to change the belt-driven gear.

Anyway, I'm not panicking. Just a little annoyed that I've got to crawl back under to find out what's wrong now.

Ironically, my belt failure happened almost exactly 1 year ago. Maybe I ought to lock the car in the garage next August....seems to be a bad month for me.

Wish me luck!

 

I've got everything I own crossed for you.

 

I hope it's something simple.... You've already spent one winter freezing your nuts off under your shark!

 

What Ernie said, me too!

Jim Mayzurk
93 GTS 5-Spd

 

If the pump gear is loose, that would explain both warnings.

I just put together a little prayer alter out in the garage and offered up my bad relay collection and five broken water pump bolts to the Almighty Ferdie on your behalf. I'll hold off on the human sacrifice until we really need it.

 

Everything?!

 

Big Dave... speaking of sacrifices...
we're looking for a virgin or our
first born or a chicken. Tell us what you need.

G'luck.

 

The belt covers on both sides are off, and the timing belt marks still line up perfectly.

Time to pull off the center cover and take a look at the oil pump.

I'll update in a little while.

 

AHHHH fudge! I forgot my flywheel lock is out on loaner to another 928 guy.

Gonna see if the bolt will come off w/o it, but if the engine starts to turn backward, I'll have to wait a couple days to get the lock back. *sigh*


Edit: Yep, it wants to move counterclockwise, but I ain't gonna let it. The investigation's on hold until at least Monday night. My flywheel lock is in Denver.

Anyone else from our Detroit club got a flywheel lock handy?

 

Hey Dave your oil pump was brand new wasn't it??? Could it have been a defective unit? That really sucks considering you just got that car back together only a couple months ago!

Good luck to you...

 

No, the oil pump is original. I don't think they're prone to failure...you'll find few, if any, posts here about them failing.

I have a spare pump, so if it's a loose gear or bad pump, I'm good to go. If it's a bearing problem, well, um, I'll be unhappy.

 

Lining up some candidates for the human sacrifice...

But seriously, if you can get the lower bellhousing cover off, you can jam an appropiate bar between the outer ring and someplace on the frame . Not on the ring gear with its small starter gear teeth but against whatever that other flywheel ring is with the heftier cutouts (for crank position).
[EDIT AFTER POST: DON'T DO THIS. As Jim Bailey reminded me, the timing ring is pressed on to the flywheel and may move if you use it in the manner I mention here. I appreciate informed corrections. I did use that ring to undo and redo the flywheel bolts, but they are only about 60 ft lbs. I never did it for the crank bolt, so it was kind stupid of me to post that. I recalled that it was pressed or shrunk on but thought it was firm enough to take a lot more torque.]

 

Dave,
Call Rob Budd. I'll bet he has one.

 

There is a nother trick to loosen the Jesus nut. I've not done it myself...

Put your 27mm socket on the breaker bar, get it set on the nut with breaker bar on the floor.... and give the starter a touch.

 

WTF!!!

Look closely...the oil pump gear is...skewed a bit. I think we found the guilty party, complete with some metal shavings.

Unless I'm wrong, this means the pump itself failed (or the gear came off) and the engine itself isn't F.U.B.A.R.