oil pump

[Lee250]

In the mornings when I start my car, or when it is completly cool and sitting awhile the oil light comes on and stays on for about 30 seconds. After about 30 seconds I can here the oil get sucked up and then the light goes out. I'm guessing it isn't picking up the oil for some reason. When I put and additive in like that lucas oil stabalizer it fixes the problem for about 2 days the it starts it again. Anybody have this happen before? I'm going to build the motor out of my parts car and swap them but that will be a while so I need this one to last a little longer. I don't want to change the oil pump on the motor in the car because that is alot of work and I drive this car everyday.

[Kep]

I am tempted to suggest a better oil filter. There are several different types of one way valves (just a flap of plastic or rubber usually) that help to keep the oil in the filter so the engine doesn't have to refill it after being shut off (like right after you put a new filter on it takes 10-20 seconds for the oil light to go off while the filter fills up).

Russ Knize started a pretty thorough oil filter write up in 2003 though he still has a lot of filters to report on (I expect he has finished): http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/oilfilterstudy.html

Kep

[Lee250]

I'm running a Fram filter. I don't think it is the oil filter draining back because when I start it in the morning I can here the oil pump and after about 30 seconds I can actually here the oil all of a sudden get sucked up the pickup. I did get the problem fixed though. I changed my oil and I'm running 20w-50 with some of that Lucas oil stabilizer and the light only stays on for about 5 seconds now. Thanks for the help though.

[Kingdom934]

20-50w? Wow...

I been using 10-40w syn for my Gen1. Change the oil filter every oil change.


What oil where you using before?

[Lee250]

I was running the 10w-40 but then the oil pump wouldn't pick up the oil. Changing to the thicker oil solved this problem. I guess the previous owners didn't take care of it.

[toyomoho]

The oil is drawn from the pan through a filter screen and oil inlet tube to the pump, and then is routed to the filter.

The oil inlet system to the pump could have an air leak causing the pump to have difficulty regaining its prime. Could be the drain back valve is stuck open in the oil filter try a different brand of oil filter such as Wix. The oil tube filter screen could be partially plugged restricting oil flow. The pump has a pressure relief valve, the valve might have a problem or the gears in the oil pump could have too large of clearance and not allow the pump to function normally. The oil pressure sensor could be bad, install a pressure gauge to test the engine.

Suspect the thicker oil is draining back slower, perhaps allowing the pump to gain prime faster.

Start with a different brand of filter, check oil pressure with a gauge, if bad check the oil pump (removable from the front of engine), oil pump screen tube (need to take off the oil pan) and oil pump check valve (located in the housing the oil pump bolt to).