Success!

I changed the sender tonight! I picked up the part at the local Pontiac
dealership for $40. I dont know if that is a good price but I went with it.
I realized after I got it home that I didnt have an open end wrench that fit
the new sender. So i looked for the channel lock pliers. They were big
enough and would work okay if I was careful. After removing the air filter
and related parts I reached down under the intake manifold and found the oil
sender. I was careful to save the oval shaped gasket from electical
connector of the sender. I ended up using some regular pliers to loosen the
sender from the block about a 1/4 turn. After that I could remove the sender
by hand. I compared the old and new senders. The new sender was slightly
smaller but had the same electrical connector. I carefully screwed the
sender into the block until just tight. Next I used the pliers to gently
tighten it. After reassembling the electrial connector and reinstalling the
air filter my son started the engine while I watched for any oil leaks.
Success! No leaks and the oil pressure cold was a solid 60 lbs and steady.
Sure beats the weak 20 lbs from the old sender. I let the car warm up for a
few minutes and the pressure held. I drove about 10 miles tonight and the
lowest pressure was about 45 lbs hot. I think the evening was a success.

Next will be to solve the failure of third gear in the automatic
transmission!

Kevin