1994 Accord EX
292k miles
Oil and filter just changed about 3 weeks ago with 5W-30 and Fram filter. Brand new oil pan plug as well.


Last night I got about 10 min from my house and the dreaded oil light came on while at a stop light. I immediately pulled over and checked the oil which was fine. Got back in and it did not come on when I drove away and stopped. Then 1 light down it came on and then began blinking as I drove so I made it 15 min to a friends house.

It runs great and does not make any knocking or other strange noises.

I read it could be:

1.) Oil pressure sensor/sending unit

2.) Bad filter (because Fram isn't popular I've seen)

3.) Oil pump is done

3.) Old engine so it may need thicker fuel like 10W-30

I took a few photos under the car in case anyone notices anything which may be a long shot. The filter doesn't look to be leaking however I did tighten it a tiny bit since I read if it's loose it could cause oil pressure to be off. Tried to see the oil sensor but couldn't so I took a photo but it doesn't seem it's leaking there unless it's very tiny but enough to throw off. As you can see I've got a leak somewhere or it's a combo of road grime too.

A friend also recommended this:
- get about 1 quart of diesel fuel. 1 quart of atf.....
- drain just a little bit of your oil.like 2 quarts
- then put that in instead of oil.... let the car run with it in there for about 15 miutes
then do an oil change
- diesel and ATF are highly solvent and might be able to clean that **** out
- however... it could also just as likely free up more sludge to get trapped in there
you can probably find a diagram online of how the oil pickup works
you will see how it goes down into the oil pan and has a little scree on it.


Any other ideas?

Thanks!



Wish I coulda gotten a better photo of the base...

 

How much oil are you using? The filter may not be leaking but it looks like something is. I would change the pressure sensor.

 

The fact your block is completely coated in what looks like oil isn't too pleasing.

Did you bother checking your oil level when the light came on?

 

putting diesel fuel in your engine oil and then running it is a huge no no. Thats crazy. I would add 1 qt atf run engine at 2000 for 2 minutes after the tstat opens and immediately drain the oil. Change the oil filter and sending unit. Fill with 10-40 and see what happens. You could shim the oil pump spring for a slight increase in oil pressure. Oh yeah clean the engine and fix those leaks. Start from the top. If the problem continues since your car has 290k I would think long before I invested money into an oil pump installation only to find a worn out motor.

 

I would Seafoam it before I ever put ATF in an engine, and I wouldn't change the fluid weight.

Cleaning it should be #1 priority, you can't see where **** is coming from with all that oil there. Could be filter, could be pressue, could be pcv, could be valve cover seal horribly deteriorated, you just dunno.

Check your oil
Clean the motor off
Drive around for a bit and recheck for where the leak is coming from


My H22 had an issue where the PCV valve was clogged and needed replacing which resulted in a loss of oil.

 

I wouldnt even seafoam it with the sheer number of miles that are on it. If you were leaking from the oil filter you would see it, and if it were the pressure sender you would definitely see it becuase oil would be sprayed everywhere. The blinking light doesn't necessarily mean low oil. It just means that cavitation (sp) is occuring. Has the oil pump ever been changed? because it sounds like that joker is on its way out.

EDIT *** i cant see the pictures from a government computer (i'm deployed) so i can only imagine what it looks like.

 

Thanks. I changed the oil pressure sensor, along with oil filter, 2 days ago and the light hasn't come on since. There was a definite decrease in the oil spot size under the car after this. Still leaking a tiny bit so I'm cleaning the block to try and trace where it's coming from.

When the light came on I checked the oil level and it was fine. I had just changed the oil myself, as I always do, about 3 weeks before. Changed it with 5qts of 5w-30 but I was told I may want to try a thicker oil which I most likely will do.

I bought the car for $500 from a close friend last year as a commuting car due to the price of gas at that time. He always took it to Honda for all scheduled maintenance and I have the receipts. Definitely not going to spend for an oil pump but it's been extremely dependable and I don't mind trying to keep it going for reasonable repair price.