Oil light - I'm scared!

[jmrivera]

Hi All,

So I searched and search the forum for info. and like the title says, I'm scared... But I am hopeful...

So the wife and I decided to take a last minute camping trip this past Friday (7/25) about a 2 hours drive north of us (about a 2000 ft. elevation climb)... All was well until I pulled into the campground and was letting the Disco. sit idle with the A/C on and the tranny in "D" - the oil light came on... When I hit the accelerator, it went off... :

So I assumed the oil level was just low due to the trailer being hooked up and the truck not level... Checked it in the morning and it was fine, right in the middle of the 2 marks...

I hooked up the trailer this morning and I could hear a ticking noise in the engine, but it went away as soon as it reached normal temp.. But, the same thing happened, oil light came on... I took the leap of faith and drove home - 2 hours @ 65mph, 90 degrees, 5500lb trailer, 3 kids. :stupid:

We made it home with no issues other than the light coming on @ idle with the A/C on and the tranny in "D"...

Immediately I began to read the threads regarding this oil light and found some things... But I'm scared...

So I started with the easy step - flush motor and change oil....

When added the motor flush, I could hear the ticking noise, but no light... Once the temp. was at normal idle level, light came on and ticking went away...

Drained oil and added new oil - Castrol 10W40, BOSCH filter... So far, so good... Checked for leaks (none) and took her for a spin to heat up... No light...

QUESTIONS:
1). So, I was going to drop the oil pan and clean the sludge - can this wait until the weekend or am I putting myself at risk if I drive the truck this week (~250 miles)?

2). My VIN falls into the oil pump Technical Bulletin - is this a sign of oil pump failure to come? Can it be beat by replacing the oil pump now?

3). Could it be an oil pressure sensor? I have read they either work or don't, nothing in between...

I'm figuring that if the oil pump (Technical Bulletin related) was going to fail, the trip home was going to be its demise... I'm leaning more towards sludge on and around the pick-up tube! Am I being too optimistic since that's the cheapest remedy?

Thanks in advance!

Jonathan
'03 Discovery HSE7 w/SLS, ACE, and 55500 miles - no mods!

I promise I will give an update when I actually get under the truck again!

[p76rangie]

What viscosity and how old was the oil that was in the motor before the change?

[jmrivera]

Originally Posted by p76rangie

What viscosity and how old was the oil that was in the motor before the change?

DAMN, i knew I forgot something....

It was Castrol 10W40 and about 2500 miles...

[p76rangie]

Originally Posted by jmrivera

DAMN, i knew I forgot something....

It was Castrol 10W40 and about 2500 miles...

Others will argue with me, but personally I think 10W oil is to thin for 90F + heat. But that said, your oil light should not have been coming on in a car with as few a miles as yours. But then again,that is when is is going to show up first (hot day at idle).

I always believe that you are better off trying the cheapest things first. Which you did with changing the oil. However, I think you will find that once the oil gets a little work under it, the same thing will happen on the next hot day. If it does, I would lean towards the oil pump being faulty.

[Disco Mike]

Don't go dropping the pan yet. Have someone do an oil pressure test both when cold and at operating temp., at idle and at 2000 RPM's so you will know what is going on, then decide a plan of attack.
Mike

[jmrivera]

Originally Posted by p76rangie

Others will argue with me, but personally I think 10W oil is to thin for 90F + heat. But that said, your oil light should not have been coming on in a car with as few a miles as yours. But then again,that is when is is going to show up first (hot day at idle).

I always believe that you are better off trying the cheapest things first. Which you did with changing the oil. However, I think you will find that once the oil gets a little work under it, the same thing will happen on the next hot day. If it does, I would lean towards the oil pump being faulty.

So I am assuming that these pumps can partially work? they are not either working or not working - the have some gray area of possibly working?

I'm heading out to do some pressure testing... I'll post the results...

[jmrivera]

Oh yeah, I also forgot that I added a half quart of fresh oil when I got home just to see if it was an oil level issue... I added it while the engine was idling and the light went away, then began to flicker...

[Disco Mike]

Get the oil pressure tested and go frpm there.
Mike

[jmrivera]

Originally Posted by Disco Mike

Get the oil pressure tested and go frpm there.
Mike

I am trying to get a mechanic to do the test for me, but there are only 2 places here to get it done: Dealer and former mechanic from the dealer...

The dealer told me I need a new engine... Oh yeah, and they can't diagnosis it until Thursday!

Jonathan

[jmrivera]

Originally Posted by p76rangie

Others will argue with me, but personally I think 10W oil is to thin for 90F + heat. But that said, your oil light should not have been coming on in a car with as few a miles as yours. But then again,that is when is is going to show up first (hot day at idle).

I always believe that you are better off trying the cheapest things first. Which you did with changing the oil. However, I think you will find that once the oil gets a little work under it, the same thing will happen on the next hot day. If it does, I would lean towards the oil pump being faulty.

So would you recommend a 20W50 oil? I'm leaning towards that...

I used to run that weight in my VW Jetta's and never had issues...

[Disco Mike]

No,
Heavy oil isn't going to make your possible problem go away.
Go find someone who can do the pressure tests and get back to us with the 4 sets of numbers, then you can start working on what to do.
In the mean time, I wouldn't drive it much if any.
Mike

[DailyDrivenTJ]

Originally Posted by jmrivera

...
The dealer told me I need a new engine... Oh yeah, and they can't diagnosis it until Thursday!..

They said you need a new engine without diagnosing it? WTF?

Oil pump is entirely mechanical. Unless there is mechanical damage like chipped tooth or gears are severely worn out which is unlikely if you have done some sort of maintenance, it will work to some degree. Now if it was working enough to save the engine, no one would ever know UNLESS someone checks for the oil pressure, just as Disco_Mike said.

[jmrivera]

Originally Posted by Disco Mike

No,
Heavy oil isn't going to make your possible problem go away.
Go find someone who can do the pressure tests and get back to us with the 4 sets of numbers, then you can start working on what to do.
In the mean time, I wouldn't drive it much if any.
Mike

Of course I wasn't going to change weights to fix this issue - I meant afterwards...

I'm only a partial idiot with occasional moments everyday...

I'm parking it until I can get those numbers...

Thanks for the help and advice!

Jonathan

[p76rangie]

Originally Posted by jmrivera

So would you recommend a 20W50 oil? I'm leaning towards that...

I used to run that weight in my VW Jetta's and never had issues...

Because where you live you often have cold nights and hot during summer. I would go for a 15W50 or a 15W60.

Is you motor idling very low? It might be just a case of too hot a oil with too low idle.

[Capt. Ron]

I've been using 20W-50 for as long as I can remember. My cars and motorcycle always seem to run more smooth and quiet. I did switch one time with my D1 and used a 10W-40; that lasted one oil change. I've also found that my D2 seems to be a touch quieter with synthetic.

I would agree with P76 about the oil choice for your region. I live in Georgia; a very cold night is about 20 deg. and I can feel the engine strain a bit when moving that thicker oil.

I went through this back in May, one of the gears broke in half. The pump was fine though. My VIN is just outside the range by 13 or so...101K at the time so I believe it's safe. Knock on wood...