What To Do?

[scolist]

Started the car this morning and the oil light stayed on. Shut it off and checked oil level. Oil pan is full. Drove a short distance and the light would flicker at certain rpm's. Now it's starting to knock and the light is on all the time. There was no light showing at any time before I turned it off last night. I'm starting to think it's the oil pump, but I don't know for sure.

Is it a major repair job? Do oil pumps fail instantly? What am I in for?

I'm scheduled for surgery next week, so there's no way I'll be doing it.


90 dx 4 cyl 176k

[Mike Gerber]

First of all, STOP DRIVING THE CAR. If it were my car, I wouldn't have driven it around the block with the oil light on. The oil light shows lack of oil pressure, not volume of oil. To answer your question, yes, oil pumps can fail instantly. The noise you are hearing is an indication that oil is not circulating thorough the engine. What you need to do now is have the car towed to a trusted repair facility. They will remove the oil pressure sending unit and screw in a mechanical oil pressure gage in it's place. They will then start the engine to see if there is any oil pressure. They might also suggest a compression test to see if there is enough compression left in the engine to justify replacing the oil pump, if that is the problem. Worn engine bearings can also cause low oil pressure.

This is a test/repair that must be taken to a mechanic you know you can trust. He/she must be able to advise you truthfully, if the car/engine is worth putting in the money that it will take to repair it.

Good luck.

Mike