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Oil pressure warning light 2
speedyxjs - 30/3/10 at 02:46 PM

Following on from my previous thread.

I went to un screw the switch yesterday but due to the stupid positioning of the cooling system, i would need to remove a hose in order to unscrew it.

Is there any other way of checking to make sure the pressure is ok? The engine seems to run fine and the light switches off if i unplug it so could possible go to IVA without it?

blakep82 - 30/3/10 at 02:49 PM

would you want to go to iva if you actually don't have any oil pressure? i know i wouldn't!
it wouldn't be an iva fail, but your engine would fail pretty soon

don't be lazy, get that cooling hose out the way, and get the switch replaced!

of course the light goes out if you unplug it, in the same way the light goes off if you take the bulb out.
i've started my engine a couple of times with no oil light, so don't know if its getting pressure, and i'm terrified i've done something to it lol. the guy who built it assured me it gets good pressure though

[Edited on 30/3/10 by blakep82]

speedyxjs - 30/3/10 at 02:58 PM

quote:
Originally posted by blakep82
would you want to go to iva if you actually don't have any oil pressure? i know i wouldn't!
it wouldn't be an iva fail, but your engine would fail pretty soon

don't be lazy, get that cooling hose out the way, and get the switch replaced!



Another job to add to my list of things to do then

cd.thomson - 30/3/10 at 03:01 PM

quote:
Originally posted by blakep82
the guy who built it assured me it gets good pressure though

[Edited on 30/3/10 by blakep82]


did he give it to you with oil in? if its been dry or stood for any long period of time then the oil pump still might not prime.

Probably be fine though

blakep82 - 30/3/10 at 03:05 PM

he rebuilt it for me, new oil and water pumps, new bearings all round, new seals blah blah blah, filled it with oil and turned it over. think he put a multimeter on the sensor to check, plus he's a friend of mine too, so he's not going to lie coz i know where he lives

cd.thomson - 30/3/10 at 03:08 PM

didnt mean he was dodgy, but if its been stood for ages then the oil pump may not prime.

Mine didn't on my XE which has come straight out of a "running well" car but stood for a few months. I had to mess about with vaseline.

[Edited on 30/3/10 by cd.thomson]

blakep82 - 30/3/10 at 03:10 PM

quote:
Originally posted by cd.thomson
Mine didn't on my XE which has come straight out of a "running well" car but stood for a few months. I had to mess about with vaseline.


and once you finished messing about with vasreline you got to work on the engine?

yeah, it was maybe a couple of years ago it was rebuilt now. 2 years maybe? what do you have to do with the vaseline?

deezee - 30/3/10 at 03:39 PM

You could always screw in a oil pressure guage into the sump plug. For a temporary check. Peace of mind etc etc.

blakep82 - 30/3/10 at 03:50 PM

quote:
Originally posted by deezee
You could always screw in a oil pressure guage into the sump plug. For a temporary check. Peace of mind etc etc.


really? i didn't think the sump was under presure? i thought oil pressure was only in the galleries

AdamR - 30/3/10 at 04:08 PM

quote:
Originally posted by blakep82
quote:
Originally posted by deezee
You could always screw in a oil pressure guage into the sump plug. For a temporary check. Peace of mind etc etc.


really? i didn't think the sump was under presure? i thought oil pressure was only in the galleries


Yep, Blake is right. Plugging an oil pressure switch into the sump plug wont work.

And I agree that it's vital to have a working oil light. 15 mins work versus chance of a wrecked engine!

[Edited on 30/3/10 by AdamR]

t16turbotone - 30/3/10 at 04:20 PM

So let me get this right.....engine was fine running nice - no oil light on?
Then you discover you have over-filled engine with oil? So you drain some oil out of engine and oil light comes on?

have you tried putting more oil back in to see wether light goes off?

just a thought

speedyxjs - 30/3/10 at 05:08 PM

Its all sorted now. Adam, it would have been more like an hours work due to the number of hoses that would have had to be removed.

As it turns out, the oil pressure switch and the oil pressure sender unit are next to each other and although i had checked the wiring, i hadn't checked it was plugged into the right one

Changed them over and all is well!

Thanks for your help.

blakep82 - 30/3/10 at 05:50 PM

ah, good stuff