98 lumina

[pellypat]

I need some help. I just got a 98 Lumina from family member. Low oil pressure light comes on when you start car. It only lasts about 15 to 20 seconds. What should I do?

[Tony Silva]

Lucas oil additive. thickens op the oil and helps keep the oil where it's supposed to be.

[pellypat]

Originally Posted by Tony Silva

Lucas oil additive. thickens op the oil and helps keep the oil where it's supposed to be.

just add that to oil and should stop that light??

[oldblu65]

Check the oil level and see if it's low ? If it is , adding oil will help ! The oil thickener may help raise the oil pressure but if the level is too low , the light will likely continue to come on for that short amount of time that it takes for the engine to pick the oil up and start circulating it through the engine thereby turning the light off . Every second that light is on , your engine is potentially being damaged until the pressure comes up to the normal range ! That damage accumulates over time and one day your engine may damaged enough to be trashed ! Also , adding " oil thickener " to your oil may be okay in the summer weather but a definite no-no in the winter time in Pennsylvania . Just my $0.02 - " It's worth what you paid for it "

[Schurkey]

Originally Posted by Tony Silva

Lucas oil additive. thickens op the oil and helps keep the oil where it's supposed to be.

Now THAT'S funny.




How about actually testing the oil pressure?

What is the idle RPM when first started?

How old is the oil in the vehicle? Overdue for an oil change? Partially-plugged filter?

[maxwedge]

Originally Posted by Schurkey

Now THAT'S funny.




How about actually testing the oil pressure?

What is the idle RPM when first started?

How old is the oil in the vehicle? Overdue for an oil change? Partially-plugged filter?

Agreed, good advice.

[jeffcoslacker]

Change the oil and filter first, I'd go with 10w30, then see where you are. Make sure the old oil doesn't look like it's coolant contaminated or anything...if so you've got bigger problems.

If all looks good, and the light still persists, I'd change the sender just to rule it out....if it still does it, chances are you're dealing with a badly worn oil pump or main bearings, or a partially clogged oil pickup screen...all costly to replace. But generally if this were the case, you'd hear a lotta racket too while it's running cold with the light on...are you?

If that was the problem, I'd consider Lucas or something like that if I didn't want to shell out for a big bottom end repair...

Edit to add a thought....I have had some luck on cars with clogged oil pickups running a mild solvent like Marvel Mystery Oil or in extreme cases, kerosene, through them. Kerosene is pretty dicey, I only do it to engines that are terminal if that doesn't fix it...Add a 1 quart of it to the oil that's in it, run it for about 15 minutes, then drain the crankcase completely, fill with new oil, and drive no more than a couple hundred miles and change the oil again to get any remnants out...but it does open up a clog, most times...