Low/no pressure light

Lenox223 · Post by **Lenox223** » 08 Jul 2018, 09:04

Hello everyone, ok so here is the issue, I was headed out of town on the freeway when the low oil press light came on. It was intermittent. This only happened when I pressed the gas. I safely got off the freeway and when to the nearest auto parts store and got oil change supplies. I changed it in the parking lot of the store. I started her back up and the light went away. I drove for about 15-20 min when the light came back on, it was intermittent again, only turning on when I pressed the gas pedal. I pulled over again and shut off again, turned in and light was gone. Prior to this issue I changed motor mounts and a lot of parts associated to emissions and vaccum lines. Lastly, my scan tool picked up 5 codes that seemed totally different from my issue. One was a p0027, p0497, and 3 others.

Any ideas?

Post by **oragex** » 08 Jul 2018, 13:34

I'd rather not run the engine until the issue is fixed. May be a faulty pressure sensor but more probable and issue with the oil pump or some seals inside the oil pan.

Lenox223 · Post by **Lenox223** » 08 Jul 2018, 16:16

But would a bad pump only cause that light when the gas pedal is pressed? Wouldn’t it do it the whole time, gas pedal pressed or not?

Post by **SuperHerman** » 08 Jul 2018, 17:07

mileage and engine?

Usually with oil pan o-rings an increase in RPM causes the pressure to increase hence the light turns off. Now it is possible that the o-rings are so far gone that under pressure they leak severely.

A discussion on one of the sub-forums on o-ring failure was recently had - worth a look.

The smart approach would be to test the pressure sensor and examine the wiring and not run the engine until you figure out the issue. Dropping the pan and servicing the o-rings would be a good move. The oil pump is pretty robust and doesn't fail too often as it is always lubricated unless you have sludge. Pulling the pan will answer that question.

Lenox223 · Post by **Lenox223** » 08 Jul 2018, 17:45

Ok, sounds like a plan, I will drop the pan and get a gander at what’s inside. Also, the light comes on when the gas is engaged, meaning when there is acceleration, but I will take a look in the pan.

Post by **SuperHerman** » 08 Jul 2018, 22:45

Wise move, but I urge you to do a little research before you start. On some Volvo's it is an easy task, but on others it is difficult to take off the oil pan. You will also want to get some anaerobic sealant and the o-ring kit. May also want to do your oil cooler o-rings (some kits may have them included) as that will have to come off.

Plenty of write ups so familiarize yourself with the pan removal and the O-rings at issue. Good luck.

Lenox223 · Post by **Lenox223** » 09 Jul 2018, 21:30

I pulled off the oil pan and there is a lot of sludge caked on the inside. It has the old style oil pickup tube. All in all, everything looks good. Any ideas on how to get the burned oil out?

Post by **SuperHerman** » 09 Jul 2018, 23:24

Nice work. Quick.

First scrape off as much as you can. Then use some sort of cleaner to get it manageable so you don't leave a mess on the next step. I then used a power washer. I then went back with soap, scrub brush and water. You just need to get it clean enough - making sure you will not have flakes breaking off and causing issues.

A few items: 1) What is the condition of the sealing o-rings? Are they still pliable or are they hard? You need to eliminate them as the cause of your oil pressure issue.

2) How bad is the sludge especially around the pick up? Could this be the source of your problem? I think you can remove the pickup - if you can remove it and clean everything up. Inspect all the passages for restrictions.

3) Make sure the path from the PCV system is clean. I think it is a square if I recall correctly. The opening I am talking about is where the PCV fire box goes into the block and then enters the pan. Make sure you clean this out really well as it cakes up. Clean it out with a screw driver or something and then spray up with a cleaner to flush it out. Be careful not to push a clog up.

4) For reassembly you may want to use thick assembly lube or a thick grease to hold the o-rings. These cannot fall down or you will for sure have pressure issues.

5) Finally - how bad is the sludge? If it is really bad your top end may be similar and this could be your issue.

Any pictures?

Lenox223 · Post by **Lenox223** » 09 Jul 2018, 23:32

The sludge was pretty substantial, I have the oil pan soaking in a solvent. I’m going to need to buy the o-ring kit, they were still alittle rubbery but for the most part getting hard, so I think it would be safe to just change them. The pick up tube is soaking right now as well. I will do more in depth looking tomorrow and take pictures to post.

Post by **oragex** » 11 Jul 2018, 04:36

Check as well the o-rings on the oil cooler lines while there