cyber_x

I have a '02 with 90k miles. Twice over the last week, my oil pressure warning light has come on briefly (about 1-2 seconds at a time) in the first 5 minutes of driving. I haven't seen it happen except in the first few minutes of driving. I checked my oil level, and it was okay.

Has anyone enountered this or can shed light on what could be happening? Thanks for any insights. I can provide more detail if necessary, but don't want to clutter this post up with unnecessary information.

stefluva

I had this problem intermittently for a while and the engine eventually started knocking which after pulling the oil pan i found a rod knock and plenty of shavings from the connecting rod bearings. My problem was probably worst case scenario but just giving some insight.

vtec9

oil pressure is highest in the first few minutes of driving before it gets hot and loses viscosity. just a thought.

start by checking the pressure sender. I've only had my S two weeks so I can't be too much help, but I bet its somewhere on the head.

Intrepid175

Is there a direct pressure gauge you can screw into the port that the sending unit is in? If your oil level is Ok, I'd suspect the sending unit next on a car with 90k miles on it. The idea of putting a pressure gauge on it is to confirm what you've actually got in the way of oil pressure. Although I'd consider it unlikely, it is possible you've got a pump problem or possibly some kind of restriction in the oil passages.

I'd definitely try to get this one figured out before any serious damage is done to the engine.

Good luck,
Steve R.

vtec9

Good suggestion. Definitely hook up a mechanical pressure guage, if the stock sender is a screw in unit (I have no idea). There's a recent thread on here about appropriate pressures that you can check out to get an idea where your car should be.

I would not suspect the oil pump, as the light comes on when the oil is cold. Even a failing pump should provide adequate pressure after startup, and not show its age until the oil loses viscosity at higher temps. Blockage in an oil passage seems more likely, as the converse is true in this situation. Thicker oil will have a more difficult time passing through a semi blocked passage than thinner, warmer oil.

cyber_x

Thanks for the input, guys. I'm mechanically challenged but will get a friend to help me check this stuff out. I'll print out a copy of this thread for him.

Time for a dumb question: Is the pressure sending unit basically just the sensor? In other words, if only the sending unit is bad, then the rest of the engine should be okay -- is this correct?

I also recall hearing something about a clogged VTEC solenoid being associated with these symptoms. Does that sound plausible as well?

I'm not making any assumptions yet but am hoping it's nothing serious. Your suggestions will hopefully help reduce the diagnosis time needed down the line. Thanks again.

Intrepid175

[QUOTE=cyber_x Posted on Dec 24 2005, 01:43 PM]Time for a dumb question: Is the pressure sending unit basically just the sensor?

HeelandToe

WTF thats crazy man!

cyber_x

So here's the update, which can be succintly summed up as...

"Dumb Threads on the Internet: Sometimes You Read Them, Sometimes You Star in Them."

I'm starring in this one. I'm hoping my engine isn't co-starring, but we'll see.

It turns out that the problem was indeed low engine oil. I dropped the car off to be checked out, and the tech called me back to tell me that he test drove the car and noticed the oil pressure indicator come on during sharp cornering and hard braking. He then said that I was down 2.5 quarts of oil.

He filled the engine back up with oil and said it should be okay. I've driven the car about 40 miles since all this, and it appears to be normal so far (no noticeable unusual sounds or behavior). If there were oil starvation, how long would problems normally take to manifest? Would the symptoms even be noticeable to the untrained eye/ear?

I think the reason I thought the oil level was okay was because I checked the dipstick only 1 or 2 minutes after having driven the car. Perhaps the reading I got was from oil that had splashed up inside the engine. Does that sound plausible?

Summary: What do you guys think? Did I dodge a bullet or am I driving a time bomb?

Slows2k

tick..... tick.... tick....


Running any engine no oil pressure will cause internal damage. How long it lasts after the fact all depends on how much damage was done. You'd have to disassemble the engine to determine what was damaged.

It doesn't take long to starve the rod and main bearings of oil.