Thread: Low oil pressure

Could the oil filter be defective? Does it have a non return valve?

This is the most common cause of rattles at start up, and can happen with OEM filters or any of the common brands.
The non return valve can be faulty.
However I find usually the humble Ryco is as good as any.
Just change the filter and see if it helps.
Regards Philip A

Just reread post the pickup could be blocked up a bit. How dirty was the inside of the engine?

Try some Castrol Edge 25W50 it works great in mine with 390K. I too was having the light come on at slow idle.

Paul

Pretty hard to go past Castrol/Ryco combination. Just put a high quality Penrite in sons Subaru, it made strange noises, dumped oil and put Magnatec in, all noises gone. Have tried many brands over years but keep coming back to Castrol.

I changed the oil and filter at the weekend. A new ryco filter and Valvoline 15w 40 oil.

The oil light goes out much quicker at start up. Now maybe 10 seconds.

It does still come on at idle but, if this makes sense, it is flickering and trying to go out. So I assume the oil pressure is closer to the minimum than it was with the Penrite 20w 60 oil.

With an engine with 335K, it is probable that the low oil pressure is caused by worn bearings.
However , I have rebuilt 2 engines with low oil pressure only to find it was a faulty sender. Yes I am a slow learner.
I suggest that you replace the sender before deciding to rebuild the engine as you should do that anyway. They are only cheap AFAIR.
It beats rebuilding the engine and starting up, only for the light to come on. ARRRGH!
Regards Philip A

Valvoline 15w 40 oil is way to thin if you suspect your engine is worn!