Hello all! First post time!

My Van:
1990 Dodge B250 cargo van (previous owner modified it for camping) V6
Automatic

I haven't tried it in drive, but in reverse the oil pressure drops and it stalls when I get on the gas, (such as going up a hill). Also the temp gauge only rises to just above the C. Any reason this may be happening? Also in the video included the exhaust sounds strange, I do not have custom exhaust installed. Any help?

Video Link:
Sorry for being a noob, this is my first car and im pretty unexperinced

 

Welcome to the site, many pleasant and knowledgeable folks can be found here.


I watched your video, what seemed obvious to me is your engine is not firing properly. Two reasons in your case which would cause low oil pressure worn internal engine components ie bearing clearances or a low idle (RPMs) due to the miss firing/skipping. Also 200K+ is not low miles especially if your van was not properly maintained, installing a mechanical oil gauge would be helpful.


Do not overfill the oil otherwise you will have a mess on your hands, remember oil level will not affect to oil pressure. IMHO search this forum for engine misfire or skip. Others will chime in with other ideas good luck.

 

Yes, 200K miles is high. If the maintenance has been poor, the cap-n-rotor, ignition wires and an oil change of 10w40 would be ideal. The heavy oil will has less chance to blow-by.

Are you sure it have a V6 and not a /6 ? The /6 is a little monster engine that easily can reach 300+ miles with fair to good maintenance.

 

The low oil pressure and low temperature reading could be something as simple as the sending units being bad. As to the stalling, it looks to me like your idle speed motor isn't working.

 

Okay so here's what happened last night, I had 2 mobile mechanics come over and they replaced my plug wires, plugs and valve cover gaskets (they were puking oil all over the exhaust). They also filled up my diff as it was 2 quarts low. I also figured out the exhaust problem. When they pulled the plugs out they were completely melted. Plug wires too. I found out thats why the whole cab smelled like melting plastic. The van has a bit more pickup but oil pressure is still on the low side. The previous owner also just told me that they had drove across country 3 times a year in the van since the odometer broke in 2008. So im guessing that the van has over 300k. I will check the oil PSI manually with a gauge today. Thanks for help!

 

That's alone is good for 18K miles a year.

 

Sometime in the past I recall reading if the engine is overfilled with oil the crankshaft can churn the oil into a froth (add air bubbles) and the oil pump sucks the aerated oil which means lower oil pressure. I don't believe that is your issue but just food for thought.

 

ya, i'd start off by replacing the oil pressure sending units. if that doesnt help may wanna consider dropping the pan and looking for sludge and clogged screen on the oil pump.

as for temp gauge stuck at C, I assue you're able to idle it long enough for the temp to rise. if so, again could be sender unit or thermostat stuck open. if you have an infrared thermometer you might want to hit the thermostat housing to see what the temp reads. btw, some years have multiple sending units, one for the ecu/computer and one for the gauge. also, you could have a bad/siezed fan clutch.

 

2-wire temperature sensor is for the ECM.
1-wire temperature sensor is for the dash gauge.
Both are next to the t-stat housing.

 

My mechanic said that the engine is just getting old. We hooked up a mechanical gauge and it read low too. I do have a serious question for yall though. Is the fuel pump inside the tank or is there a mechanical one? Also fuel filter location? Thanks!