[alfa] oil light on...a bit long

["P Hood" <phood56@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Greetings, Digesti:  Here's hoping you and yours had a good Thanksgiving,
and you're not suffering too much from tight trouser wasteband! I have a
quandary related to my '72 US Spica Berlina...The car has an oil pressure
gauge, but it also has an oil warning light. When I first got the car,
all seemed ok, at least I didn' tNOTICE the oil light coming on. Oil
pressure is indicated as ok at all times, and I realize that Alfa gauge
readings are to be taken with a grain (pound?) of salt, but it appears to
be performing as expected, even if you allow for gauge error; that is,
high oil pressure on startup, about 100 psi indicated, then it settles
down to about 40 to 45 psi at idle with the engine warm, but pressure
goes up with revs, reaching nearly the 100 psi mark at about 3500-4000
rpm. However, the oil light comes on solid on startup, (when the oil's
cold and thick?) then goes out as it warms up, but still flickers a bit
underway, even though the gauge is reading well into the safe area. Then
when I drop back to an idle, the light is pretty steadily on. The oil
pressure sender (right rear of the block) has a single wire going to it,
and all seems well there. haven't been able to find the switch for the
oil light. Schematic shows both, though. The engine is a 2 liter, and my
other 2 liters, (Spiders) haven't had this extra trouble light, I don't
think...Does anyone know where the sender for the light would be located?
I've not done TOO much to the engine, other than replacing a leaky
radiator, replacing a cracked exhaust manifold, helicoiling a stripped
cam cover stud that was causing a HECK of an oil leak down onto the
exhaust manis, but I've not seen a sender anywhere in the oil gallery
portion of the engine. Also, don't remember an extra port on my other
engines that could be used for this switch. One last question...can
anyone tell me if I need to get metric adapters to plumb in a temporary
mechanical gauge to check accuracy of the electric gauge? It would be
nice to have both in the system at the same time so I can compare
readings and make some notes as to how far off the electric one is. Why
do you suppose Alfa would put an idiot light AND a guage in a Berlina,
and not in their other cars? (Because it's a grocery-getter, and
therefore the operators are less like to be technical enough to recognize
that zero oil pressure is bad?) Hmmm, I may have just insulted myself.              
Have fun out there...               Pat Hood, Seattle              
Bunch-O-Boxy-Italian Sedans

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