JonnyP

JonnyP

Well-Known Member
Been searching and searching on this and I now understand way more than I did, but I still have an oil light on at low revs when the engine is warm..

The oil was changed and 10w/40 put in as the manual says.

I have changed the oil pressure switch, but that didn't help..

Today I went and got the oil pressure checked.
The car was not fully warm when we checked (drove 2 miles to the garage), but we left it to run for a bit, but the pressure readings did not change... I am running at 12psi on idle, going up to 45psi revving it up.

I do not know what to do next.. With my searching I found that I could try putting 15w/40 mineral oil in, and maybe some additive.
Can anyone recommend a good additive for this sort of thing..?

I also found that it could be the bearing shells, being worn, are letting the oil through once warm, and so dropping the pressure. Someone told me you can undo a plate on the side of the engine to access the bearings, and put a grub screw through to stop the shells moving about.. I do not understand any of that, but hopefully someone here will.

They guy in the garage told me I had pressure there and not to worry about it too much at the mo cos the light wasn't on all the time. He suggested I tried stretching the spring or packing out the oil pressure release valve, but he also said I would be better off talking to someone who knows land rovers..

Any help or thoughts appreciated.. :)
 
how many miles has the engine done?
dont put screws thru shells, but it is an easy job to change them. relatively cheap too. A trick we used to do in the old Ford days was to put a spacer behind the pressure relief valve spring, but that was on a good engine, not a nackered one.
 
Sean said:
what's it tickover revs ?
Click to expand...
This is interesting, cos my idle fluctuates between 800 to 1200 rpm. At 800 is was 10psi of oil pressure, but my engine speed picks up after a few seconds of idling.. Dunno why..

The Mad Hat Man said:
how many miles has the engine done?
dont put screws thru shells, but it is an easy job to change them. relatively cheap too. A trick we used to do in the old Ford days was to put a spacer behind the pressure relief valve spring, but that was on a good engine, not a nackered one.
Click to expand...

Engine has done 168'000 miles, but sounds sweet as a nut..
 
flicking light on tdi is a poor sign if switch is okay ,check actual pressure ,if poor crank bearings and maybe cam bearings
 
jamesmartin said:
flicking light on tdi is a poor sign if switch is okay ,check actual pressure ,if poor crank bearings and maybe cam bearings
Click to expand...

Not sounding good.. What do you mean by checking actual pressure James..? I thought that was what I did..
 
yes so you did ,didnt read that bit just part that come up on lz live ,if shell are worn theres no screw you can put in dont know were anyone got that from,12psi should put light out ,id have a look at crank bearings and for loose oil squirt first ,if copper is showing through bearings they need changing on piston it will be top shell mains bottom thats worst worn
 
jamesmartin said:
yes so you did ,didnt read that bit just part that come up on lz live ,if shell are worn theres no screw you can put in dont know were anyone got that from,12psi should put light out ,id have a look at crank bearings and for loose oil squirt first ,if copper is showing through bearings they need changing on piston it will be top shell mains bottom thats worst worn
Click to expand...

Thanks for that James.. I understand I just need to drop the sump to get to the bearings, yes..?
 
seeing as it's running ''sweet'' doesn't apparently have any other issues other than an annoying flickering light and an unstable idle

does the OP really want to be pulling it apart ?
 
Perhapes it's as simple as that you had a faulty pressure switch and have gone and replaced it but with one that's incorrectly rated for your engine, ie. a fitted 16psi switch instead of a 10psi one.

Changing the oil from 10w to 15w40 won't do anything the oil SAE grade is still 40 if you wish to try a heaver grade then it would be 50 or 60 SAE, multigrade of course.

Worn bearings etc is usually associated with engine noise as stated in the link. Loads of info on oil pressure and the lack of it on the www.
Low Oil Pressure at Idle
 
not necessarily noise comes when bearings completely gone and so has by then crank,pressure lowers as white metal thins but no noise is evident ,
 
jamesmartin said:
yes why not dropping sump aint hard ,if bearings have wear better replaced now before later a damage occurs
Click to expand...

Agreed - it really is **** easy - only problem is making sure yu get the correct size.


jamesmartin said:
not necessarily noise comes when bearings completely gone and so has by then crank,pressure lowers as white metal thins but no noise is evident ,
Click to expand...

or when pressure is very low - but pressure that low will run a bearing very quickly.

Mite be worth getting the pump checked over or replaced.

Or pour some treacle like STP or Wynns in, but that is really a bodge.
 
size is stamped on shell back though it should be std ,lack of oil changes is often cause of worn shells ,ive stripped engines with 200k and still good for more and a lower mileaged dirty engines were all bearings are coppered,was still running but how long,
 
discool said:
Perhapes it's as simple as that you had a faulty pressure switch and have gone and replaced it but with one that's incorrectly rated for your engine, ie. a fitted 16psi switch instead of a 10psi one.

Changing the oil from 10w to 15w40 won't do anything the oil SAE grade is still 40 if you wish to try a heaver grade then it would be 50 or 60 SAE, multigrade of course.

Worn bearings etc is usually associated with engine noise as stated in the link. Loads of info on oil pressure and the lack of it on the www.
Low Oil Pressure at Idle
Click to expand...
by the time you hear knocking bearing isnt worn but destroyed
 
jamesmartin said:
lack of oil changes is often cause of worn shells ,ive stripped engines with 200k and still good for more and a lower mileaged dirty engines were all bearings are coppered,was still running but how long,
Click to expand...

I reckon the people I bought the car off, never looked after it at all..
Look at the state of the gearbox oil sump magnet..

001-6.jpg


The filter was just as bad, with shards of metal in there..
The oil was thick and black that came out.
I refilled it with new oil and some molyslip, but its an awful gearbox..

I still got to do the transfer box oil and the dif oils, not to mention the cam belt, but I am very low on money at the mo...
I really should of scrapped this car a long time ago, but I have invested too much time n money in it to give up now.

Thanks for all the input guys.. Food for thought.. :)
 
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