hey malc or old guy... hell anyone that knows why has my oil light started to come on when the engine is running and i am stopped at a stop sign or traffic light but goes off when i accelerate off the line is my engine about to die? the car runs great however this is a major concern do i need a new oil pump will my engine lock up what should i do? p.s theres oil in the engine

Charisse,
How old is the oil? Buicks are not necessarily known for giving high oil pressure, but the light should not be coming on at idle. First, check with a spare but good gauge that it is not just a faulty sender. If the gauge confirms no oil pressure you can buy an oil pump rebuild kit from jc whitney ( use the link on the home page ). If it is not cured with this, you may be looking at big-ends or mains, although you would be getting the accompanying noises from the engine if these were at fault.
Best of luck,
Malc

yes there is fresh oil in the engine high milage quaker state and i also notice that the light only comes on after the car gets warm and i'm holding my foot on the brake with the car in drive and i'm at stop or something it goes out on acceleration engine oil level is fine i wanted to go on a four hundred mile trip but this problems concerns me?

Charisse,
I'm certain that the oil pump is weak, or pumping a low volume, since the oil light goes out upon acceleration. I had a Mercury several years ago with a 351 Windsor engine, which had a weak oil pump, and I discovered this after I bought it. It did the exact same thing your car is doing. I drove that car for over 5 years, and about 40,000 miles without killing it!!! Took it on a 4,000 mile trip to Western Canada and Western US, never missed a beat. Oh sure the valve train rattled a bit, and I'm sure there was some piston slap, but it didn't matter to me, it was cheap transportation. One other thing you could do, is to use a heavier motor oil, such as 20-50. This kind of fools the engine into believing it has more oil pressure.
Of course, I wouldn't recommend doing this to a valuable engine or car for too long. Just until you can do all the items Malc has suggested, especially double checking the oil pressure sending unit before tearing into the motor.
Good Luck,
Tom

Another possibility is that the pressure relief valve in the oil pump is not closing all the way. I had this happen once in my 85 Park Avenue, and it acts exactly as you describe. The spring could be broken, varnish built up behind it, it could be seized, or in my case part of nylon timing gear tooth was stuck behind it. That meant the timing cover, pan and pick up tube had to come off, and a new timing set was needed. Little parts of the timing gear were everywhere! Well 20,000 miles later it is still going.

Originally posted by Dr. Frankenbuick:
Another possibility is that the pressure relief valve in the oil pump is not closing all the way. I had this happen once in my 85 Park Avenue, and it acts exactly as you describe.... This brought back memories of a 78 Regal that I use to own. Had a Chevy 305 in it (from the factory)...the engine of soft cam lobe fame. :rolleyes: Anyway, I'd just done an oil change on the car, drove it a few miles and the oil filter blew right off the car...wrong filter thinks I..darn counter man! Replaced the filter and the 2nd one blew off! Turns out that the pressure relief valve on the oil pump seized closed! Just goes to show that these valves are not without failure. I agree with others, sounds like an oil pump problem which would be easily determined with a proper guage.

...Tony

The idiot lights are set to 8PSI and if the pressure drops below that, the light comes on. You need 10PSI for every 1000RPM to keep you engine alive. Even 6-7 PSI will oil the engine when it is at idle( 550-600RPM) If the light bothers you ,you can purchase from any reputable GM dealer, a bottle oe EOS (Engine OIL Supptlement) It says on the bottle not to use it in the engine as a lube, but that is for the EPAs benefit. It is loaded with anti-scuffing additives( zinc Dithiaphospate) and might not help your catalytic convertor, but I use it in ALL my older Buicks and ir is one of the few additives I highly recommend.

Had same problem of oil light coming on a idle in two Ford motors. First one I changed the pump and everything was okay. Second one, car was sold. On high mileage cars seemingly wear has increased bearing and oil pump gears clearences. Ed

If the vehicle is a high mailage motor and this is starting once the engine is warm I would look into these areas. I have had a number of buick motors over the years that have had this happen and it usually seems to stem from one of the following things.
1. The oil pump thrust plate surface is worn out and once the egine is up to operating temperature the expansion in the metal allows a greater clearance in the plate for the oil to flow through and around it.
2. The front cover and/or oilpump gears are worn. Usually what happens is that as the oil pump gears rotate they rife against the aluminum surface and gouge out little shavings of metal which in turn get stuck between the gears and the casing in which the ride in the front cover which will result over a period of time in grooving the inside of the cover and nicking the surface of the gears.
3. I've seen on a few occasions where as the cam bearings wear and the timing chain stretches it will allow the cam to ride forward creating a larger gap between the cam and the front of the block allowing for essentially an internal oil leak at the front of the motor which does not make itself apparent usually until the motor is warm and at operating temp. In this situation look for a badly worn and deeply grooved fuel pump eccentric. It's wear pattern in a case like this will be wider than the fuel pump rod.
4. last but not least check the drain back holes in the head and in the block and make sure they do not have a ridge of sludge and funk that is preventing the oil from draining back quick enough for the pump to capture it. This is usually the easiest to check since it only requires the removal of the valvecovers to inspect it.

bluewhale13 hit the nail on the head the cheapest way to go is to buy a thrust plate. the best way to go is to go to www.taperformance.com (http://www.taperformance.com) and checkout the new timing covers they might seem exspensive but read about them. I learned the hard way my engine did the same thing yours did and it blew. I purchased a 455 and started having the same problems which i purchased the thrust plate on start up pressure is about 60 once the engine warms up it drops to 20. I'm thinking of investing in the new timing cover.

If you need the thrust plate I can get the complete kit containing the thrust plate bypass valve and three different tension springs here in Wichita for 35.00 for the kit. I'd be more than willing to pick it up for you and ship it for actual cost. You will need to look at your housing style closely when installing it. Buick used two different style pump covers that have different length springs. This kit covers both styles. Let me know if you need it and I pass it on to you at my shop's purchase price. graemlins/thumbsup.gif

I forgot to add the fact the the rebuild kit has 2 new oil pump drive gears in it. Let me know if you need it

Hmm. Charise hasn't spoken since May. I wonder if we are all just talking to ourselves...

-Bob Cunningham