safleming72 Posted November 7, 2007 Report Share Posted November 7, 2007 I posted on here a little while back, thanks for everyones help by the way, that I thought I had an oil pan gasket leak. But after researching this forum and getting the car up on a rack, I dont think it is the pan gasket. There is a HEAVY build up of black gunk and oil on the right (passenger side) front area of the oil pan. This build up is directly below, around, and all over a brass colored unit that looks like it is attatched to the top of the oil pan with an electrical connection coming out of the end of it. I am trying to explain the best I can remember from looking at it with eyes full of oil and road debris!!! After crawling under the car I could see that the oil pan and trans pan were both wet and evenly covered by a thin film of oil, but the oil also looks to be sprayed above the pan and onto the starter, if that is what is directly above this brass colored fitting. The amount of dried black residue in this area leads me to believe that this is the source of the leak. I am not sure what this fitting is, is this the oil level sensor? Any help is greatly appreciated and any advice on changing this out would be great also!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonA Posted November 7, 2007 Report Share Posted November 7, 2007 That large brass-colored fitting is the oil LEVEL sensor. My '97 had a leak from there as well. What I did is remove the sensor, put some Teflon tape on the threads, and re-install. On my '97, I could NOT completely remove the sensor. The sensor is LONG...and there was not enough room between the engine and front crossmember to completely slide the sensor out of the pan. So I had to work it the tape with half the sensor still inside...but it was okay because you can easily expose all of the threads. Note that the pan only holds about 4-5 quarts below this sensor. Full pond in a Northstar is about 7.5 quarts. So you'll want to drain your oil before you do this...or you'll have a LOT of oil coming out when you unscrew the sensor. Since the sensor is submerged all the time, it's easy to see how any leak in the thread area could go on perpetually, until you fix it. Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond) "When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted November 7, 2007 Report Share Posted November 7, 2007 If it is on the passenger side, it may be the oil filter adapter. Either the fitting or "O" ring. The electrical connector is probably the oil pressure switch. BTW, the starter is on top, under the intake manifold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted November 7, 2007 Report Share Posted November 7, 2007 What you are seeing is the ALTERNATOR not the starter, you can't see the starter its under the intake manifold. Here is a photo of the oil level sensor, old on the bottom and new on top, note the purplish o-ring on the new one above the threads Here is a photo of the oil filter adaptor with oil pressure switch attached and an oil pressure switch on the side Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
safleming72 Posted November 8, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2007 From the pics it is definately the oil level sensor. This weekend I am going to try to take it out and teflon tape it, thanks for that piece of advice!!! Now that I know what the oil pressure switch and adapter look like, thanks to those great pics BodybyFisher, I will also check to see if they could be leaking as well. Thanks once again for the great help and advice guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beefy Posted June 27, 2010 Report Share Posted June 27, 2010 My 4.9L 92 deville "Oil" Light is coming on at idle but goes off at any revs above idle. I know for sure Its not the sensor though because the valves arent getting oil and the lifters are tapping. first thing I did was take the filter off and cranked the motor to see if oil was being pumped to the oil filter adapter. It just puked out of where the filter was, so I assume the pump is ok? My manual says there is a valve in the oil filter adapter that either diverts some oil through the cooler when the oil is cool, or ALL of the oil to the cooler when its hot. I believe the filter is after the cooler in this circuit. So if I saw oil coming from where the filter mounts I shouldnt have a restriction in the cooler or anything causing low oil pressure should I? Do you think that valve in the oil filter adapter could be the cause of the oil issue? Need an answer asap this is my commuter car. thanks in advance:-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted June 27, 2010 Report Share Posted June 27, 2010 Its really hard to say what is causing your low oil pressure, do you have coolant in your oil? Have you tried changing your oil? It does sound like low oil pressure because of the lifter noise. What viscosity of oil are you using? Are you using synthetic? I would put a gage on your oil system to see what is going on. As a temp fix you could try going to 10W40 Your post here does NOT belong the subject of this thread is a Northstar Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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