Oil Light problem...

[gull]

IIRC the minimum pumping point for 20W oil is about 15 degrees F. So as long as it doesn't get colder than that where you are, it should be fine.

[triplewhite]

Hi, don't mean to hijack the topic, but coincidentally, I am also having oil light (with buzzer) problems.

It started intermittently a few weeks ago, and would only come on for a few seconds. I checked the oil level, and managed to glance at the oil pressure gauge which was reading normal (3 bar on tickover, and 5 bar while driving). Yesterday the buzzer and light came on for long periods of time, but the gauge again was reading normal. I checked the oil, and it was low. Could this be the only cause of this? Or do you think it could be something else?

I have read all the posts from this topic, and it seems the oil level could be the culprit, i just wondered if my sender could be on the way out too.

Thanks all.

PS. Like the new look forums, not been here in a while.

[gull]

Hi, don't mean to hijack the topic, but coincidentally, I am also having oil light (with buzzer) problems.

It started intermittently a few weeks ago, and would only come on for a few seconds. I checked the oil level, and managed to glance at the oil pressure gauge which was reading normal (3 bar on tickover, and 5 bar while driving). Yesterday the buzzer and light came on for long periods of time, but the gauge again was reading normal. I checked the oil, and it was low. Could this be the only cause of this? Or do you think it could be something else?

If the gauge was reading normally, it's probably something else. The senders measure pressure, not level.

I would start by cleaning the connection to the high-RPM oil pressure switch on the oil filter flange. The dashboard indicator circuit expects this switch to be closed above 2,000 RPM, so if there's a bad connection there you can get the light and buzzer activating.

BTW, if you notice any oil seepage from that switch, replace it right away. I had the seal in one fail, and I lost almost two quarts of oil in just 30 miles. If the rubber boot that covers the wire connection is full of oil, the switch is seeping.

[triplewhite]

Thank you for the advice, I shall do that!

[kuklaki]

PS. Like the new look forums, not been here in a while.

Thanks, and good luck with your oil woes

[triplewhite]

BTW, if you notice any oil seepage from that switch, replace it right away. I had the seal in one fail, and I lost almost two quarts of oil in just 30 miles. If the rubber boot that covers the wire connection is full of oil, the switch is seeping.

Ah, now this would seem to somehow have been prophetic advice... See attached file. This happened in about 5 minutes. Started from cold. Ran at 2000rpm for a minute or so to overcome the other cold starting problem I'm having, and while I was de-icing the screen from the outside with a cassette tape, I noticed the Exxon Valdez spill running right in front of me. Not awesome.

Popped the hood, and the oil appears to have come from around the filter area, which leads me to suspect the pressure switch. If I pick up a new switch tomorrow, it will come with the necessary seals etc. right?

Thanks again for the warning, I'm a little calmer knowing this now than I otherwise would have been.

[gull]

Popped the hood, and the oil appears to have come from around the filter area, which leads me to suspect the pressure switch. If I pick up a new switch tomorrow, it will come with the necessary seals etc. right?

It just has a copper washer that crushes slightly when you tighten it, to seal it to the filter flange -- much like the crush washer on a spark plug. A new switch should come with a new washer.

To lose that much oil that fast, you have to be losing it from somewhere pressurized. That would most likely point to the switch or the oil filter itself.

[triplewhite]

To lose that much oil that fast, you have to be losing it from somewhere pressurized. That would most likely point to the switch or the oil filter itself.

Solved it. It was the oil cooler seal. It's hardened, become brittle, and broken. I couldn't find a new O ring anywhere in town, especially on a Sunday, so I used the rubber seal from an oil filter, and that's solved the problem.

Thanks for you time!