oil pressure light

volvov40dk · Post by **volvov40dk** » 15 Feb 2018, 10:03

hi everyone

i hope that you guys can help me.
i have a volvo v40 1,8 122bhp and i am very happy with it.
this morning i drove to work and the oil pressure light began to flash but then after 5 min came on so offcourse i stoppet turned of the car cheked the oil and there were plenty.

the i turned on the car and the light shut off. i drove the last 3 miles and nothin. 15 min after i stopped the car i checked the dipstick again. and it was fine just above half. the engine sounded fine no winding or grinding at all. then i thought well what about the head gasket but there were no oil in the coolant chamber og white gue on the oil filler cap.

so here is my question. i changed the oil i november and there havent been any trouble i drive 90 km a day. but the car has been standing still for the last 2 weeks. the engine has driven 305000 km so could it be possible that there is sludge in the oil pan? or is it a tehcnical glitch in the oil pressure sensor.

what do you guys think ?

Post by **alschnertz** » 15 Feb 2018, 14:33

Not sure why you're thinking head gasket.

How has the car been maintained up till now? Regular oil changes with a high quality oil? What interval & what oil?

I don't think it's "sludge in the oil pan" unless the engine has been neglected.
To clean, you could try a pint of ATF in the crankcase for 400-500 miles followed by an oil / filter change.

You may consider changing the sender. With that age and miles, it's a possibility.

Then again, it may have been a fluke.

volvov40dk · Post by **volvov40dk** » 15 Feb 2018, 14:54

the car have a full sevice book with regular oil and filter change at every 15000-20000 km.

what is ATF is it some kind of engine cleaner never heard of it in denmark.

Post by **June** » 15 Feb 2018, 15:20

It would seem to me you should start by either having your shop or possibly maybe with a loaner tool (if that's possible) the oil pressure should be checked with a manual gauge. Any full service repair shop should have a external oil gauge tool. Once installed they will run the engine and monitor the pressure. If there's a problem with the pressure this will verify the lack of pressure, or if the pressure is fine than investigate the sensor and wiring. I think it would be better to verify what the problem is before throwing parts at the car.

I saw this procedure on one of dad's 70s Buicks durring routine maintenance once. The oil tubes for the manual gauge attach to a thing screwed in between the oil filter and engine. Then the engine was run cold and hot measuring pressure to be sure pump was not wearing. I don't think pumps wear like that anymore, but I am sure the tool must still be used to check problems like yours.

Back when i was in high school my friend froze her engine on the interstate. When I took her to get things out of the car the mechanic had the oil pan off and showed us that the sludge in the oil pan had formed a hard disc the size of the screen where the oil is picked up. This disc of sludge would periodically block the screen causing a blockage. When the engine was off the disc would fall back to the bottom of the pan and occasionally suck back blocking the oil screen triggering the oil light. Then shutting the engine off again it would settle and no light just to end up in a circle until the engine blew. June

Post by **alschnertz** » 15 Feb 2018, 19:32

volvov40dk wrote: ↑15 Feb 2018, 14:54 the car have a full sevice book with regular oil and filter change at every 15000-20000 km.

what is ATF is it some kind of engine cleaner never heard of it in denmark.

That seems like a long interval to me (10,000 miles +/-).

ATF is automatic transmission fluid.

Perhaps my initial response was misunderstood.
I would not recommend throwing parts at the car before a proper diagnosis.

volvov40dk · Post by **volvov40dk** » 17 Feb 2018, 07:02

last night i took the oil pan of and rinsed the oil pickup tube and the wire mesh in the end of it. it was not full of sludge but there were some. i also rinsed the oil pan and emptied it completly from the old oil and sludge then i gave it some new oil and new filter and has now driven 300 km and NOTHIN it actully runs smoother in idle!

i hope this have done the trick!

but i have done as you said june a buddy of mine is in a workshop and on monday we are gonna mesure the oil pressure just to make shure it is as it should be.

Post by **June** » 17 Feb 2018, 07:18

Keep us informed. I am curious if cleaning the pan did the trick. June

volvov40dk · Post by **volvov40dk** » 20 Feb 2018, 04:44

June...

i have now driven 1100 km and still nothin no light no noises as written erlier it is running better in idle.
and when we mesured the pressure it was perfect.

i still cross my finger when i drive though but im pretty shure it has done the trick.