11 replies to this topic

[smorg]

ok my oil light came on 2 days ago so i slowly drove home went to halfords with a friend and got some oil (in his car) so i topped my oil up thinking there might be a small leak well light came back on last night and friends think it could possibly be the oil pump... please help i dont want to drive it!

[Ethel]

It could be many things including the pressure switch itself. Oil pumps don't really suddenly fail without doing something dramatic. Low oil pressure is usually more noticeable at low revs and when the engine is warm (and the oil thin). An oil pressure gauge would tell you a lot more.

[smorg]

well yeah at low revs it is bit crappy had it cut out twice on the way home when comming to a stop at the lights

[minidaves]

oil light could be the switch but if it stalling sounds like another issue, any strange noises?,

get it looked at before more damage is caused

dave

[PaulF]

had a similar problem the other week, turned out that the oil switch was dodgey changed it for a new one and all was fine. they only cost liek £4 so worth trying it

[Asphalt]

Easy and secure way: check the oil pressure with a mechanical pressure gauge

[smorg]

.... its not the oil switch i noticed a slight loss in performance and as said above its crappy at low revs!

[Jordie]

How can you make that connection?

Crap at low revs could be down to fueling or maybe something like timing etc.

That wouldnt effect the oil pressure light coming on.

Change the switch, or even better fit a pressure gauge.

Jordie

[icklemini]

check the pressure as above with a proper gauge...

check the oil pressure relief valve...

you do have oil in it?

if still no oil pressure (verified wth a gauge) - then its engine strip down time!

[smorg]

How can you make that connection?

Crap at low revs could be down to fueling or maybe something like timing etc.

That wouldnt effect the oil pressure light coming on.

Change the switch, or even better fit a pressure gauge.

Jordie

no its crap at low revs since the oil problem LOL

[Ethel]

Think you may have missed Jordie's point:

It could be the low revs causing low oil pressure not the other way round. A look at the oil pressure relief valve and possibly an oil change with engine flush won't do any harm.

[Grayedout]

Or it could be the low oil pressure is true and at idle it's so low that you are not getting enough oil through the bearings to prevent metal to metal contact which is then increasing the engine rotational resistance and causing it to stall !!!!!

At the very least get a new pressure switch and try that. Even better would be to install a gauge, even temporarily, and see what pressure you are getting!