Hi Everyone!

This is my first post. I got a bit of a scare today, and went searching for any help. This looks like the perfect place to ask!

Well, I noticed leaving work today, that on a sharp right turn, the Oil warning light lit up on the dash of my 1979 Plymouth Volare. I just saw a flash, thought it may have been the Break light, checked the release lever, and continued on. It was not more than a second. Pulling into a street near my home, I turned another long right corner, and the light came on for a couple seconds. It went back off as soon as I straightened out. I shut off the car, and checked the oil.

It was very low. There was maybe half a inch above the end of the dipstick, 1/3 of the way between the end of the stick and the Add line. I put in a liter of oil that I carry with me, and got it home without incident.

My car usually goes through a liter of oil between oil changes. However, checking back at work, there was oil under my car. The tappet cover was leaking, probably the cause of the excess loss.

I think all in all, the light came on three or four times, never for more than a couple of seconds before I caught it. I am terrified, however, that I have done horrible damage to my engine. It sounds and feels like it always did, and I don't notice smoking, pinging, or anything else. It always vibrated a bit, as all these old cars do.

So, are my fears terrors of my imagination, or am I in for some major, major repairs. Any knowledge on this subject would be amazing to set my mind at ease.

Thanks!

-Matthew (worried) H.

drive on! slants are pretty tough old things,and have been known to suffer far worse than that before major catastrophe.
keep the oil up to it,and settle in for the next 10k miles.just get your leaks fixed soon.


---- oh,and welcome to the board. lots of good stuff and people on here.

regards, Rod

"It happens ....just don't do it again" that's my motto.


You obviously caught it before anything did happen, so that's good and positive. Just keep an eye on things for the next little while and fix when you can.

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GTO: "It's not too comfortable in here"
The Driver: "Yeah, It doesn't even have a heater...... It slows it down"
-Two Lane Blacktop

Thanks! Great to hear! I really want this engine to last as long as all slant sixes should.

I picked up the cover today, and I'll change it this week. Luckily it looks quite easy to change.

And thanks for the welcome! This looks like a great community, and I'll jump in wherever I can.

Welcome!!! Very nice car I've always liked Volares and Aspens.

I had the same thing happen to me just Friday, with the light flashing on just for a second on a turn. Filled it proper, then drove about 100 mile round trip for a concert that night - the engine was fine.
Like the others have said, your engine will be fine too, just fix what leaks you can, and try to remember to check your oil regularly.

As a testiment to slant hardiness, about a year and a half ago I drove my slant from the San Fransisco bay area to Salem, Oregon - a distance of about 600 miles. My engine had an exterior crack in the block which leaked coolant, a half-plugged radiator, and cylinder compression issues. The engine did fine with an hour break in the middle of the trip, and ran up until about three months ago when I finally swapped in an engine in better shape.

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<i>D'Artagnan</i>
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/stephaniexchaos/dart/th_IMG_0326_zpsumhhfxi0.jpg">

yea mine does the exact same thing (my valiant). just have to keep givin her drinks occasionally.

May I suggest, you adjust the valves, while you have the cover off.

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Charrlie_S
65 Valiant 100 2dr post 170 turbo
66 Valiant Signet 170 nitrous
64 Valiant Signet
64 Valiant 4dr 170
64 Valiant 4dr 225

79 ??? adjust valves?? be hydraulic would they not?


regards,Rod

The hydraulic lifter engine started in 1980 - 81 so I would guess this one is a solid lifter engine.
The "give away" for me is the wide valve cover they used on the hydro engines but as we know, stuff gets swapped around over the years...

Pull the valve cover and look at the rocker arms, if they have adjustment screws, check the lash and adjust the clearances as needed.
No adjustment screws, change the V.C. gasket and move-on.
DD

uhuh.
we did'nt get hydro engines out here,so have never seen one.
did those lifters make an already smooth engine smoother/quieter?

regards,Rod

No, but if someone lacked the knowledge/experience/patience to properly adjust them when needed (or have a trained mechanic do so), then I'm certain it helps.

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vm

hey Matthew,
are you following this thread?
this will give you some idea just how tough these engines are.

regards,Rod

just for the records: I gave 5 years of castrol on the rocks to my slant before engine fixin'. Yeah, 5 years of bleeding!!!!!!!! And he did it right well for years and years. Tough thing...

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