I’m looking at buying a 1992 Bonneville that is your classic little old lady/barn find car. It has 45k miles and has been sitting in an unheated garage in NE Ohio for about 3 years. The owner passed away and the estate is selling it for cheap. It is a base model in very good one owner condition. Put a battery charger on it over night and it fired right up and runs great. The oil looks brand like brand new honey colored oil.
My question is, the oil pressure gauge is pegged all the way on high. From what I have read on here that is probably just a bad sensor. My concern is that when I peek in the oil filler hole in the valve cover there is almost no oil in there. I’m used to seeing oil splashing around a little on other cars. This one looks very dry, all I can see is a very small bit on the front of the head. The valve springs look dry as a bone and other than that little bit sitting at the lowest part of the head nothing looks like its getting oil.
I don’t know if I’m just being paranoid or what? Is there anything that regulates oil flow to the top end that could be stuck/plugged? I have no reason to believe that there is any sludge or anything like that in there, but I’m spooked to drive it and buy it.
Do these motors just look real dry up top through the filler hole or is something plugged up?
Thanks!

Chances are after sitting the oil passages might be clogged. Add come seafoam in the oil and run it. Then change the oil again after that.

How long did it run? Most likely the lifters need a few minutes to pump back up with oil, then they pump into the pushrods and into the rockers...spilling on to the springs. I'd assume there should be a good amount of chatter from the lifters until they pump up.

Just had it idling for maybe 2-3 minutes once and maybe 1 minute a second time. Honestly it was purring like a kitten. I thought for sure it would be missing and running like crap from rotting gas. Other than the oil pressure gauge being pegged and my paranoia about the valve train looking too dry it seems to be ready to go.

Change the oil pressure sensor. If it was that high you would know.