Panda oil pressure??

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Sat 27 Sep 2003 21:28
Panda oil pressure?? - Pete
Has anyone seen this before please?

Panda, 999cc, FIRE type engine, 127.000 miles. Starts as normal, after a few miles of normal running, oil warning light comes up. Pull over, switch off and wiat for a minute or so. Re-start, everything as normal, drive on a few miles, light comes up again.

Engine well flushed, new 15w40 oil, new filter, new sender unit fitted, off for test drive. Goes further before oil light comes up but the problem is still there.

Has anyone had this happen before and was the cause anything other than a failing oil pump?
thank you, Pete.

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Sun 28 Sep 2003 08:26
Panda oil pressure?? - james_60
Hi

Is that the correct oil to use,

did you flush the engine with engine flusher that could cause a worn engine to lose the carbon build up inside and then it becomes rattly and has low oil pressure

Regards
James Stephenson
Fiesta MK3 popular plus owner/driver/cleaner/polisher/doctor.
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Sun 28 Sep 2003 10:22
Panda oil pressure?? - M.M
Pete,

Could it be something being sucked up to block the oil drawing up from the sump...you know the harder it tries to suck the more the XXX seals whatever* and loses pressure.

*Perhaps a restriction in an oilway, a bit of debris moving in an oilway, very dirty screen on the pump pickup...or what about a faulty oil filter?

M.M
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Sun 28 Sep 2003 18:57
Panda oil pressure?? - Pete
Thanks MM but I think there is more to it than that.
Rgds, Pete.
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Sun 28 Sep 2003 18:56
Panda oil pressure?? - Pete
Thanks James, but the problem was there before i flushed the engine. As to the grade of oil, I will have to look into that.
Thanks Pete.
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Sun 28 Sep 2003 20:38
Panda oil pressure?? - CMark {P}
Pete,
years ago, I had _exactly_ this problem with my Spitfire. It turned out to be that the spring was sticking open in the oil pressure relief valve which IIRC was downstream of the oil pump [1]. 27p later and all was well.

Now, I have absolutely no idea if the oil system is similar in your Panda engine but it is worth finding out.

[1] Nothing to do with the relief valve in a spin-off oil filter.
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Sun 28 Sep 2003 22:07
Panda oil pressure?? - Pete
Thank you CMark, now we are getting somewhere.
Anyone seen this happen on a Fiat FIRE type engine please?
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Sun 28 Sep 2003 22:28
Panda oil pressure?? - M.M
Ahh now if you fancy Mark's answer this is nice and simple on your fire engine Pete.

Unbolt sump and wiggle past exhaust downpipe. You should see the relief valve on the bottom of the oil pump*, I think it dumps straight back to the sump. Undo the retaining clip, pop out the spring assy and replace.

Funny pump on these, around the nose of the crank and a timing belt off job to change the whole thing.

M.M
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Sun 28 Sep 2003 22:33
Panda oil pressure?? - Pete
Thanks MM. Now were cooking.
Rgds, Pete.
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