E30 Zone

Hi all,
I've noticed that the oil light on the dash (which I assume is oil pressure?) is starting to flicker on just a bit. You can only really see it when the car is in the shade (or at night). The OBC oil level thingy is happy, and the dipstick is reading in the middle so I'm guessing its either a sensor fault or mebbe some strange oil pressure problem like a blocked oil pipe/feed/thingy somewhere. The car is due a service in another 2k miles. Is this something that needs immediate attention or can I wait until the next service?
Thanks for any answers...
Morat

Check the insulation on the oil pressure switch wire where it goes across the front of the engine near the fan pulley.
If this is OK try a new oil pressure switch.
If that doesn't cure it, try a new engine.

Bit mean!!!! what about oil pump if not electrical?? Or oil thats too thin, or its really really old, and now it warming up a bit its too thin!!

mrlee

Definitely check the wire that runs from the switch around the front of the engine. Mine had exactly the same symtoms as you describe and the wire was just rubbing on the fan belt.

A few years ago my tech 1 oil pressure started to flicker then it gradually stays on longer until its always on....hopefully its just a fault somewhere otherwise your fucked just like me now with my tech2 last sunday!!

mines flickered at idle sometimes, i changed the oil and it never came on again, and that was about a year ago!

Changing the oil might change it from just flickering on, to just NOT flickering on, but I still wouldn't want to buy your engine.

new engine? eek....
I'll check the wire and see if its being a pain.
Cheers!

You could try changing just the oil filter.
I had a similar problem with mine in that the oil pressure light would flicker on at idle, but would go off at any higher rpms.
The old filter was a bit blocked I think, when I took it off and held it upside down I only got 3 drops of oil come out!!

Jackle wrote:You could try changing just the oil filter.
I had a similar problem with mine in that the oil pressure light would flicker on at idle, but would go off at any higher rpms.
The old filter was a bit blocked I think, when I took it off and held it upside down I only got 3 drops of oil come out!!

If this is the standard of maintenance its had in its life, then you will need a new engine.

Jackle wrote:You could try changing just the oil filter.
I had a similar problem with mine in that the oil pressure light would flicker on at idle, but would go off at any higher rpms.
The old filter was a bit blocked I think, when I took it off and held it upside down I only got 3 drops of oil come out!!

You were lucky!

Brian, I try to keep it well maintained.
The oil and filter usually gets changed every 5000 miles or thereabouts. I think the problem with this filter came from using some of that "Restore" stuff. Something I won't be using again!
The engine seems to still be running ok, so I think I was very lucky. The only thing I shall be putting in my engine from now on will be oil.

Jackle wrote:You could try changing just the oil filter.
I had a similar problem with mine in that the oil pressure light would flicker on at idle, but would go off at any higher rpms.
The old filter was a bit blocked I think, when I took it off and held it upside down I only got 3 drops of oil come out!!

Was that the car that had Amatach Engine Destroyer added to the oil?

Anyhow with oil lights flickering the safe course of swift action is to change the filter and oil. If you want to see if a car has been looked after in the oil department and the engine can be saved - take the rocker cover off and look at it and the cam bits.



If mineral/petroleum oil has been left in there too long then the polymers (that for instance make SAE10 oil behave like SAE40 oil in 10W40 oil) will have left varnish and deposits while simultaneously thinning the oil down to SAE10 as it leaves. The 325 this came out of had two major oil related failures - the 2nd one fatal to the engine. I reckon these deposits would give even a 10mm oilway a hard time...one is bigger than a pea.

Look at this picture, then change your oil + filter, preferably for full synthetic...

Yes that's what it was.
I always use a fully synthetic oil anyway, have been using Mobil 1, but I'll probably get some off oilman for my next change.