[hightechredneck]

2003 Disco

Well winters here in Chicago and since the temps have dropped below 40 the Oil light now comes on when I first start up the truck and once it warms up and I start to drive it goes out and doesn't come back on until the next cold start. It does seem to start up just fine at 18 degrees.

haven't had the truck very long and last oil change was about 800 miles ago (2 months) and I used Castrol synthetic 5w40 with a quart of Slick 50 and a mobile 1 oil filter.

You can also hear the valves clicking a bit until it warms up but that seems to always happen on cold days with any car I have had.

Any thoughts? Im guessing the Slick 50 may have something to do with it. Reading the forums I decided on 5w40 for the winter and the Castrol was the only one I could find. Thinking about getting the rotella 5w40. The 15w40 just seems like it would be really thick as It gets colder.

 

[Disco Mike]

So stop driving it before you blow the engine, your lifters are clicking for a reason, little or no oil pressure.
Why putt in Slick 50 into an engine that is known to have oil pump/pressure issues?
How mechanical are you, can you follow directions?
I am serious when I say do not run the engine till you find and fix the problem or you will end up with a boat anchor for an engine.

 

[Bosnian Discovery]

Considering you have a 2003 Disco, it's more than likely that your oil pump gears are cracked which is causing your oil pump to lose it's prime after sitting overnight. It's likely not a problem in the summer as the oil is thin enough to reprime, but the cold weather causes the oil to thicken leading to these issues.

Another possibility is that your oil strainer is plugged up with sludge, a problem once again exacerbated by the cold.

Your first step is to get an oil pressure test done. You'll need 4 readings - cold idle, cold 2000rpm, and hot idle, hot 2000rpm. The cold readings should be 50+psi, the hot idle 10+psi and the hot 2000rpm 45+psi. If your numbers are off then you'll need to pull the pan and timing cover and inspect your oil pump gears and your bearings for wear.

If you are mechanical with a good set of hand tools the parts you need won't cost more than $150 and shouldn't take you more than a weekend. Taking it into a shop will bump those costs up considerably.

 

[hightechredneck]

I know my Disco does not fall within the Vin range for the oil pump issues. The reason I put in slick 50 was in the event of a pump failure I hoped the engine would not seize up right away. I think I'm going to try warming up the engine, Pouring some seafoam into the crank case run it for 10 minutes or so, Drain it and put 5w40 Rotella in it and see what happens. Seemed fine until the temp dropped below 30 degrees and the slick 50 is really thick stuff (more like gear lube than oil) so Im hoping once its out the problem goes away.

I only hear the valves clapping if the engine is cold and I rev above 3000 RPM's at idle when its cold it sounds fine.

Anyone run seafoam threw their motor? Is it ok to do so on a Disco. for a few minutes to break down the sludge?

I worked in a oil change shop for 2 years full time and saw a lot of sludge in the oil and the sea foam cleaned it right out and the cars would sound a lot better after words.


Thank you for the replys

 

[Bosnian Discovery]

Just because you're not in the range doesn't mean that you're safe. Look up the problem. The problem can be found on 2004 D2s, 2003 D2s not in the range, and even on earlier vehicles. And often 2003 D2s in the range run with no problems whatsoever.

The D2 oil pump gears are made out of sintered metal. Essentially it's a metal powder that is compressed and heated to create a solid part. It's inherent porosity lends itself to use in automotive gears as it tends to hold lubricant better, but it's also weaker, leading it to snap under load. I can send you pictures of my own pump gears if you want to see what kind of metal you're dealing with.

Don't be stubborn about this. Get your oil pressure tested to see if it's within spec. You can try to pour additive after additive in the crankcase but if your pressure is bad you're just doing further damage. $5000 installed is a BARGAIN for D2 motors.

And please stop using Slick 50. No additive will save your engine if the oil pressure drops off. It's a function of heat - if an engine doesn't receive oil the friction of the parts rubbing together will cause thermal expansion, forcing the parts to score each other. Nothing you pour in can stop that.

Slick 50 is essentially 50w motor oil with suspended PTFE (Teflon) solids. These solids are meant to "coat the moving parts" of the motor to reduce friction, but in reality they don't coat anything and oftentimes they create blockages in oil filters leading to diminished oil pressure. Think about it - Teflon is marketed as a 'non-stick' material. It quite literally doesn't want to stick to anything. Non-stick pans have to undergo a pretty severe heat treating process in order to accept their Teflon coating. Dupont, the inventor of Teflon, specifically stated that it was not beneficial as an additive in internal combustion engines.

Seafoam however is not an additive as much as it is a moderately aggressive solvent. It can be and has been used to successfully clean up sludge, but considering the nature of our oil pans (the drain plug sits slightly above the lowest point), the sludge frequently settles on the bottom of the pan, only to be redistributed when the oil heats up. I've personally experienced this. I used Seafoam for the last 30 or so miles before my last oil change and when I dropped the oil pan to do my timing cover I found a 1/4" thick layer of sludge on the bottom of the pan.

Be smart about this. We are in fact looking out for your best interest.

 

[lowest bidder]

My 2003 is not in the range and the oil pump failed. The outer gear broke in three pieces just like the gurus on this forum had predicted. The VIN range is about some holes in the engine block that are slightly out of alignment, and that puts additional pressure on the internal parts of the pump. But the pump gears are still fragile and can fail on their own, as Bosnian explained above.

I was lucky, it broke while cooling off after a long drive, and the next morning the oil light would not turn off after starting so the engine did not suffer. But if it overheats, then it's gonna be a slipped liner, and you're in for a new engine.

 

[Dane!]

Change to a lighter oil, your pump gears could be cracked as said previously, that would explain the loss of oil prime and the light being on. Don't run the engine while its ticking, that's suicide for your engine. when changing the oil, fill the filter w. oil to just make it less of a chance to loss prime. That being said, I changed my oil recently, went to the bigger 3001 k&n filter instead of stock size and didn't fill it with oil, I lost my prime and it ticked, I just filled the filter, pulled the CPS sensor, and used the starter to turn the gears and primed it that way. My brothers buddy who lived in Alaska installed a kill switch to an old truck of his so he knew his truck was primed before he'd start it. just a thought though if youd want to try that.

 

[hightechredneck]

First I just want to thank everyone for their replys and although I didn't follow your suggestions I do value your opinions.

The more and more I thought of it I decided to try to replace the oil and filter. I started up the truck and let it warm up for about 10 minutes in 45 degree weather and oil light was on the whole time. I brought the RPM's up to about 3000 and the oil light shut off. I only get clicking if its not warmed up and I go over like 2500 rpms. I poured in a half of can of seafoam and ran at idle for about 15 minutes. Jacked up the front of the car as high as my jack would go and drained the oil and replaced the filter. The oil I had in it was 5w40 Castrol synthetic and one quart of slick 50 with a mobile 1 oil filter. The new oil I used rotella 5w40 synthetic. I started it up and oil light stayed on for about 2 seconds (didn't prime the filter but in retrospect should have) and the light went out. Shut it down. Early this morning (truck had been off for about 16 hours) I started it up and the light flashed on and immediately back off in 40 degree weather. No Valve tapping or anything. Revved it right up and sounded great so I think I am in the clear.

Do you guys still think I need to check the pump?

What I think happened (and I could very well be wrong) is it was a combination of the slick 50 and the mobile 1 oil filter in cold weather. About 10 years ago I was working in a oil change shop and we were wondering the real difference between a normal oil filter and a mobile 1 so we cut both of them open and found they both looked almost exactly the same but the paper on the mobile 1 filter inside was about 3 times thicker than the standard filter..

While under the car I noticed another problem. I looks like a I have a break fluid leak coming from the bottom side of the master cylinder. Had quite a bit on my driveway but the level hasn't gone down in the tank so not totally sure what's going on and after off-roading a few weeks ago I am now getting a check engine light.

Again than you everyone for your replys.

HTR

 

[Disco Mike]

I can't believe you would ask if we think you should do a pressure test, hell, I am still wondering why you are still driving it when it was advised you not drive it until the problem was fixed.

 

[mbruneaux]

Save yourself a ton of grief and check your oil pump gears, hesitating to do this could cost you thousands instead of hundreds of dollars. It will fail, on the coldest night on the way to the most important event.