help - oil pressure Guage at 0 and oil warning light on??

R

rich_1979

New Member
Messages
38
Hi - last weekend I took the Spyder out for a drive and just after pulling out of the driveway I noticed the oil pressure warning light was on (the Guage was at zero) and the dash oil warning light was also on. I immediately pulled back into the driveway and turned off the engine. I've since tested the oil level (dipstick) which is on the max mark and I've disconnected and cleaned the oil sender unit connections as per a topic on the US forum. The warning lights are still coming on (pressure when ignition on and dashboard oil warning as soon as the engine starts).

Does anyone have any ideas what the issue could be? Otherwise I'll probably need to have it trailered to a mechanic as probably shouldn't drive with those warnings?

Rich
 
conaero

conaero

Forum Owner
Messages
34,632
Rich, its one of three things:

Catastrophic failure of the oil/water pump shaft
No oil
Electrical failure to the instrument

Its probably the latter but you are right to stop.

First question, did the car sound like a bag of spanners?....if not, start the car with the left hand (as you look at it) engine cover off and open the oil filler and see if you are getting movement, you can usually tell by pulling the dipstick and looking for frothing on it, an indication that there is flow to the oil system.

You could go one step further and remove a cam cover and see if the oil shoots up.

Personally, if your not sure, get it towed to the garage.
 
R

rich_1979

New Member
Messages
38
No strange noises with the engine running, although I was only brave enough to let it run for just under a minute. One thing I did notice was bubbles with an orange tint on the dip stick when I checked it straight after it occurred. However since then the oil on the dip stick looked normal. I'll check with the filler cap removed in the morning.

Is the oil warning light on the dash a low oil warning or is it a generic oil issue warning?
 
Emtee

Emtee

New Member
Messages
8,446
Hi Rich,

Sorry to hear you're having this problem.

Did you notice whether the oil pressure gauge was reading erratically prior to loosing the reading altogether? Now that you've cleaned the sender terminals are you getting any pressure on start-up? I take it you're getting the red light in the oil pressure gauge along with the oil warning in the centre display?

Do you have access to an oil pressure tester? They usually come with an assortment of fitments, one of which should fit where the sender sits. This will be a certain way to check whether you have pressure, rather than just a dodgy sender.

If you are getting any noise from the vicinity of the oil/water pump, do not start the car. You'll be risking sending metal into the engine.
 
conaero

conaero

Forum Owner
Messages
34,632
I think you have an electrical or gauge/sender failure, sender is the most probably item.

if the dip stick had bubbles on it, that means the oil was pumping

If you did run the car with no oil for a minute, it would be scrap now and sound like a bag of spanners.
 
R

rich_1979

New Member
Messages
38
Hi Miles - I hadn't used the car for about 3 weeks but usually the pressure was straight up to 5 all the time. Yes that's right the pressure warning light and the dash oil light are coming on with absolutely no reading on the pressure at all (the needle doesn't move). Unfortunately I don't have an oil pressure tester - are they reasonably priced? There's no new or unusual noises but as mentioned I've not run the engine for long since it occurred. I'm in Oz so I'll try in the morning running the engine for longer but if I hear any noises I'll turn it off....I think it's a sensor or connection issue but I know very little about mechanics. I just don't want to make it worse but I live out in the sticks so getting it towed is a but more complex/pricey than if I were near the city.
 
BennyD

BennyD

Sea Urchin Pate
Messages
15,006
When you start up after they have been stood for a while they do rattle for about 1 second or so until the pressure builds up. If the 'rattle' stops, oil is getting through and if it doesn't, it isn't so that is a quick way to diagnose whether it is an indication or a pressure problem. I had a long standing oil pressure indication 'problem' which turned out to be an engine earth strap which wasn't properly secured.
 
outrun

outrun

Member
Messages
5,017
Sounds like the sender to me rather than an actual lack of the black stuff. Remember to check the oil level on these with the car running, otherwise you will overfill it.

As Parisien would say an as Benny mentioned above, look at the simple stuff first. The battery connections have been causing havoc for many, myself included. Take the connections off, being careful not to harm the secondary stuff on the positive terminal, leave for 20 minutes, reconnect, tighten up well and see what happens.
 
Emtee

Emtee

New Member
Messages
8,446
rich_1979 said:
Hi Miles - I hadn't used the car for about 3 weeks but usually the pressure was straight up to 5 all the time. Yes that's right the pressure warning light and the dash oil light are coming on with absolutely no reading on the pressure at all (the needle doesn't move). Unfortunately I don't have an oil pressure tester - are they reasonably priced? There's no new or unusual noises but as mentioned I've not run the engine for long since it occurred. I'm in Oz so I'll try in the morning running the engine for longer but if I hear any noises I'll turn it off....I think it's a sensor or connection issue but I know very little about mechanics. I just don't want to make it worse but I live out in the sticks so getting it towed is a but more complex/pricey than if I were near the city.
Click to expand...

Hi Rich,

As already mentioned, there are other checks you can make first, which may well fix the problem - connections, earth strap, etc, however if you do progress to checking the oil pressure, the testers are between £20 and £30. They're readily available from Amazon, Ebay and the likes. If you do use one, don't be surprised if your oil pressure turns out to be greater than 5 bar when cold.
 
Emtee

Emtee

New Member
Messages
8,446
Conaero said:
I heard that too miles, oil pressure cold is like 7-9bar.
Click to expand...

Yes, mine (4200) was more than seven when measured cold. The oil gauge bangs against the max stop, so doesn't give a true reading, but at least indicates there's enough.
 
R

rich_1979

New Member
Messages
38
Thanks everyone for the replies so far. I didn't have time to play around before work but I'll do some of the suggestions tonight or tomorrow and see what happens. There are no metallic clanking noises so I hope it's just the sensors or electronics. Rich
 
R

rich_1979

New Member
Messages
38
Ok so I did a battery reset and also checked the oil after running the engine for 5 minutes. No unusual noises from the engine but still getting the two warning lights. I did notice the air bubbles and orange tint on the dip stick again, is this usual as I don't remember seeing bubbles on it prior to the warning lights?
 
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