Engine Troubles - Oil Pump?

[jjenkinsxviii]

I've had a '92 Trooper (3.2l DOHC) for about three years now; it's just about to roll over 200,000km. I've run into most of the common afflictions but I now have a problem that seems less common.

The other day the oil pressure dropped to zero and stayed there. It seemed to run fine, so I drove it home and performed the Chilton/Haynes test, grounding out the lead with the engine on to see if there was any activity at the guage. There was none, so I assumed it was an electrical or instrument cluster problem.

The next day my wife drove it for about 30 minutes and it went into "limp home" mode, and she did make it home. I started it the next day, and the oil pressure needle shot up to where it would normally be, then immediately fell back to zero. Thick smoke came out of the tailpipe (smells like gasoline), and there was carbon all over the snow. I shut it off and took my car to work instead despite the impending snowstorm.

I started it again this evening and there's just a tiny bit of oil pressure; the needle is moving but ever so slightly. The exhaust is still thick and smells like raw gasoline.

Does this sound like an oil pump problem?

Have I destroyed the engine (valves) by driving it when oil-starved?

Does the engine need to be lifted to get the oil pan off to replace the pump, or can this be done without major fuss?

Thanks

John J.

[trooperguy]

the smell of fuel would be what i think any way, is that the piston rings are shot and letting fuel into your oil, thining it out and making you lose oil pressure. the rings would also explain why its smoking. if theres oil getting by the rings its most likely getting ignited with the fuel there for causing the smoke. does your oil smell of fuel and is it really thin? that'd be my geuss.