Sudden loss of oil pressure

[Eldavo]

Am at the R3 PCGB meet currently, heading up the hill 1/2 mile away and it sounded like a tractor and the oil pressure light was flickering - pressure bouncing between 1-2 and up to 3. It seemed to increase a bit with revs but could've been as I was going uphill?

Feathered it into the car park and had a look over it, oil level is near the top mark but you can tell by the sound that there's no oil getting to the lifters. I'm going to have a pint and ring the recovery company. I'm guessing it's either the pickup in the sump or the woodruff key on the pump?

Monday 26th at Knockhill is looking unlikely now

Help!

 

[944 man]

You can probably identify a broken pickup by over-filling, which should restore pressure. Better not to drive it.

 

[Eldavo]

Thanks Simon - I tried ringing you for advice!

Any advice is most welcome at the moment

 

[robwright]

Check your crank pulley bolt.

 

[944 man]

Sorry, I have just walked in. Ed H. will be better able to advise you as it happened to him in Belgium. I might consider it if I was stuck in the middle of nowhere, but if you can be recovered then I would'nt entertain trying to drive it.

All the while you have pressure youre unlikely to have done any damage.

 

[PSH]

I would also check the crank pulley as Rob suggests...

Pete

 

[944 man]

I would guess that the nut was loose first too, but is it not likely to be too tight to notice but too loose to turn the pump effectively?

I thought that the difference between not tight enough and properly tight could only be made by locking the flywheel?

 

[robwright]

The drive collar for the pump sits over the crank. Normally it would slip around the crank. The only thing driving the collar is the force applied by tightening the crank pulley onto it. It needs to be super tight. Has been known 8n many occasions. Happened to frenchy last year.

 

[PSH]

Hi Simon


Not sure if you remember but just before i took my car off the road my crank pulley actually fell off, loosing me all oil pressure and power steering. It hadn't been touched for years so still don't know how this could happen due to the thread be opposite to the engines rotation. However before this actually happened I had noticed a drop in oil pressure over a few weeks although still high enough for use, it would bounce around 3 and go up to 5 when under power but beforehand it had always been at 4.5-5 even with low rpm and hot. I had assumed that the pump was worn or the sender wasn't reading correctly ( had this before due to dirty contact) and it was on the list to look at but as stated above the crank fell of and the rest is history...

Pete

 

[edh]

Hmmm.

I hope it's not this

Quite a big job to get the sump off (not so bad with the engine out... [])

As Simon said, overfilling it brought the pressure back & we drove home from Belgium without further damage. I've checked the rod bearings & they are a bit worn (230k engine though) and the crank journals are spotless.. The tappets didn't recover though.

Water pump changed recently (or anything else that needs the rear belt cover off?)

 

[Eldavo]

Pressure has been a little low when starting it recently but always jumped up with a blip of throttle.

If I dropped a gear and increased the revs then the pressure built up a bit.

Currently sat nursing a pint awaiting recovery to my Indy's - spoken to them on the phone and they'll get on it tomorrow, they think it's the crank bolt too so everything crossed and crossed again!

 

[edh]

Sounds like it's the crank bolt. Hope you get it sorted nice & cheaply

 

[Frenchy]

Yes happened to me and fortunately no damage, the gods were smiling on me and it happened on my driveway after a 1600 mile German jaunt !
Flywheel lock is a must for 220Nm (Check for correct torque) hope it turns out to be nothing Dave.

 

[PSH]

ORIGINAL: Eldavo

Pressure has been a little low when starting it recently but always jumped up with a blip of throttle.

If I dropped a gear and increased the revs then the pressure built up a bit.

Currently sat nursing a pint awaiting recovery to my Indy's - spoken to them on the phone and they'll get on it tomorrow, they think it's the crank bolt too so everything crossed and crossed again!

Your description is exactly as i experienced.... certainly looks like the crank bolt is the culprit... if anyone with you had the correct socket and a large lever bar you'd soon find out..

Pete

 

[tref]

I've had a pulley bolt come off too - same symptoms as previous posters have found, and indeed, raising the revs would raise oil pressure... I presume as the oil pump sleeve would be forced to turn in the same way as a speedo or torque converter works... Whilst it needs to be done up to a bonkers force, you can get away with doing it up as tight as you can with whatever you have got to get you home... Just listen out for a "whirring noise" coming off throttle... Pretty sure that is the sound of a crankshaft bolt undoing itself!

 

[Eldavo]

What a night, big thanks to everyone on here eapecially 944man or answering his phone

Got recovered to the garage but the gates were locked to the yard so had to leave it in a well-lit factory car park next door under the CCTV cameras. Removed my battery disconnect and flicked my hidden immobiliser switch too just in case. Recovery driver couldn't take me home but dropped me at McDonald's to get a taxi.

In the taxi home I realised that my locking wheel nuts weren't on so I got dropped off at home and drove back to the car and put the locking nuts on.

On the way back there was a new A4 with it's hazards on on the slip road, I stopped and spoke to the driver through the window. Single woman on her way home from a night out, had run out of petrol. I gave her a lift to the petrol station and back and figured the good karma would hopefully keep my car safe and sound. She was very grateful and runs a garden centre with her parents, she's going to sort me out some new shrubs for my garden. (I've purposely steered away from any "bush" comments)!

So it's back to the garage in the morning and hopefully all will be well soon - still worried about "Felipe" all alone out there

 

[supersport]

Not the same care, but years ago my Rove 820 did the same thing, turned out to be a burned out valve.

 

[Frenchy]

Nice "Bush" fella []
Yeah good Kharma mate hope it pays off, not that you wouldn't have stopped anyways.

 

[Eldavo]

Garage have phoned and the crank bolt was in excess of 210nM already

They think having a look at the OPRV is the best bet for a next step before looking at trying to overfill it to diagnose a cracked pickup.

Thoughts?

 

[PSH]

seems the garage are going in the correct order... those were the two possibilities that I posted, of course it could be something else like a broken pick-up but let's try to ignore that for now... gives bad karma...

Pete