Oh well, as you know I've had issue with oil pressure light. It was temporarily fixed by 5qts of fresh oil and a bottle of seafoam, it came back again.

Now the symptoms same.
1) Accelerate moderately, flashes briefly when gear shifts.
2) Foot off the gas, rpm drop slowly and light flashes.

If oil pump itself was indeed source of this issue, it shouldn't be doing it's job in any time, right? In idle, on the road makes light flash all the time with no pattern, etc..

I bought a oil pressure test kit and did some test, apparently I didn't do it properly..Thing was getting 20-25psi, drops below 20 when the engine revs up. Got to take it to the shop.

Also the rattling noise was coming directly from somewhere around the crankshaft pulley.


Based on all these symptoms,,light flashes in certain pattern, rattling noise...I'm guessing it's the relief valve(#6) and spring goes to valve could be snapped(#7)?

As far as I know, I need to remove whole timing belt system in order to remove oil pump..But is it possible to remove relief valve only by removing oil pan?
Seems like #8 bolt is located right underneath of oil pump, I should be able to access to it..




Give me an idea, I can't just start tearing it apart without any information..
Thanks in advance

 

and your oil pan is fully intact too; along with the oil screen pickup not being clogged (can we at least get a picture of inside the oil fill cap, for some reference to how dirty the motor maybe inside)


and as far as the oil pump being bad, i am also woundering if you got another issue too; like a spun bearing or something


but considering you tested with a gauge, i am also wondering if your oil pressure switch is just bad and needs replacing (part #16 by the looks of it)(but then again those pressure are kinda low though; not really for idle though but definitely revving though)

 

^Yes I've thought of that too..Rattling noise=main bearing? driving me nuts adsjfpodsaf
I've used M1 5w30, meets all the spec of OEM motor oil, but could it be source of oil pressure issue? Highly unlikely though.

Inside of oil cap was covered with thin black layer of oil residue or something..I've cleaned up cap/hole with shop towel few weeks ago.

Gauge...yup I think I did not perform the test properly. Maybe I didn't tight the hoses properly, maybe the hose goes to oil pressure switch should be vacuumed or sth..I'm just gonna take it to the shop and let them do the test properly....

Anyway, OP switch and Vtech sensor is new, this is definitely internal issue

 

it could be the pump. If it is i would replace the whole thing. Also need to drop the pan to make sure the pickup is clean

 

for testing normally you pull out the pressure switch, attach the gauge to said port, and start the engine (and being warmed up fully is the prefered method) and as long as it does not leak at the fittings not a whole lot can go wrong with the pressure test, unless of course maybe the gauge being f@cked up already

but considering that it was reading resonable at idle, i don't think the gauge is fully the issue though




and that thin black layer inside the cap is normal yo an extent, and the picture i did not mean of the cap itself, but looking down the fill hole to inside the valve cover (not the best "test", but by far the easiest though)(and still take a picture just for reference)

 

when you did the seafoam in oil--how did you do that--new filter and drive 100 miles?
with half can seafoam in oil

from the last we knew of this story-- I had suggested doing seafoam oil twice,, if it helped the first time
Logic being there is more sludge possibly on the oil pickup screen

this would allow for 20 psi, but rpm demand for more oil cant be met-(sludge blockage of metal screen filter- think trans torque convertor failure)
so pressure doesnt go up like normal to 40-50? (engine gurus insert correct psi)
whats the vtec oil pressure point?

also doing some vtec time while seafoaming-- assuming sludge has built up in there as well and sends crud back into system

the bad noise--is it really the water pump? how many miles do you have- done the water pump-timing belt yet?

 

I have read of 1 oil pump failure on azine for a gen2, not clear on why but guessing oil sludge had a lot to do with it
you can replace the oil every 7500 miles but do 5-10 minute drives all the time
= sludge-o-matic buildup inside, because it needs to get good and hot to burn off moisture in system

wiki hygroscopic

 

might not happen depending on if the pressure is low enough, don't ask how i know , with burning too much oil, and getting an low oil level




and as far as actual pressure i think it is in the 70-80 range or more, but yes it should be more then the 25 psi OP is currently getting though

partly why i am skeptical of also just a bad oil pump with something else major going on, causing the issues with low oil pressure being the symptom

 

oh right- vtec wont operate below a specific oil pressure- which may not be obtained with low fluid level--I forgot~

but he has new vtec selenoid and op switch right?--what started with those being suspect?

 

Usually sensors throw faulty code/dummy light, yes? That is why I've replaced oil pressure sensor, and..vtec..Well it just broke, guess I've tighten it too much.



Well I couldn't get the hose fitted properly due to the tight space, very little oil was leaking through the gap between hose and adapter. That's why it wan't getting proper pressure, hence the reason I just wanted to take it to the shop.
Manual in this kit says it should be 58psi, although it's for 97 accord...Again, I did f@ck it up lol.


Anyway, oil pump shouldn't fail that easily since it doesn't actually generate pressure, thus there's no mechanical parts at all...Just the volume of oil and gap through the main bearing and pin make the pressure since liquids cannot be compressed, if my knowledge is correct.

So, lets just say those two dots are connected together (oil light and rattling noise).
Main bearing got loosen, not sitting on its place and makes rattling noise. If it's not in correct place, it shouldn't be able to do its job, generating pressure, at all.

If this theory is correct, what I should be looking at is main bearing? If so, rebuild or swap would be best choice...yes?
This is worst case scenario, I would want to leave it as last option..sdajpofjdsaopfds


On second thought, I'm not sure about oil pressure test.
I mean, I can see the pattern, dashboard shows it. Light comes on whenever rpm moderately drops after acceleration, also when gear shifts.
Oil pressure test should show certain pattern as well, dancing needle will show you the pattern with 'numbers'. But isn't it only going to confirm my thoughts about pattern?

Based on this pattern, I thought relief valve/spring might be causing both problems. And as I said above, main bearing could also be, since both relief valve/spring and main bearing could cause 'same' symptoms.

So, will oil pressure test actually confirm this? Or dancing needle is just going to give me numbers and leave no answer? What's the point of taking test if it won't give me any answer...


I don't know if I'm making any sense at all..I'm lost, you must be lost too. God dam* this car aosdpfjnpoetrnbpofdaijvpodjfpods

 

first of all a minor leak when doing the test, even a few drops is NOT going to kill your oil pressure that much, by that much pressure, maybe 2-3 psi if that

and btw completely different motor between the accord and tl, but yes that does give you a general idea though as to what the spec should be though



but also on that light vs gauge thing, it's also to confirm that the lights circuit is fully intact and not malfunctioning, with something such as a bad connection causing the flickering light, or the oil pressure switch with turning on at the wrong pressure either, so in fact the gauges numbers do have a reasoning behind them



and a spun bearing vs a bad relief valve; very close symptoms indeed, but one is a whole lot easier to fix though then the other one
either way something is either bledding off any pressure the pump is building, OR something is blocking the pump from being able to pump to it's full capacity

 

Remove oil pan & have a look?

 

thats a lot of work for a look! would require bearing cap removal and inspection- measuring--

I dont know the working of the TL oil pump... but I dont think its as described above

fluid pumps in general- lets compare to water pump- series of blades that look like alternator cooling fin set, in a small enclosed area- creates increased pressure by compressing the space and accellerating whatever fluid by spinning those blades.
Thats pressure sent thru the system, at a spec speed and volume based on rpm.

pressure is not made by the small spaces at bearings!
but sludge can block those same tiny oil ports causing starvation in a big hurry

have you put the car on ramps and looked at the water pump area for signs of bearing grease flung out in there? or water pump or tensioner noises?

and run it while you listen with a mechanics stethascope to the oil pan and wp areas
for the death rattle

 

Not that much trbl. to remove the pan is it? Frame member in the way? If metal debris in pan, or other obvious fubar- then decide how to proceed-

 

Well yeah I certainly hope that it's just relief valve, god no main bearing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm just getting tired of unnecessary spends, it's not even my car..

friesm, I haven't thought of wire connection and circuit..Excellent point. But wouldn't light be flashing all the time with no pattern if circuit was fried/tube that goes to OP switch got loosen?

I'm guessing the owner never took it to the shop when light started flashing. Bad oil switch caused bad oil pressure system, and it must've ruined something..

Ok so.
First, sludge theory. I'm gonna remove the head cover to confirm that massive sludge is built inside, blocking oil pickup screen and even choking some path to oil pump.

Should I just remove #2? or #3 as well? Of course I should replace gasket before putting it back on.



If there's no visible sluges built inside, scratch the sludge theory. I'm gonna go on a limb that both problems(pressure and rattling noise) are connected together, and start working on it based on this theory.

I could ask my mechanic to use stethascope, put it on oil pan(relief valve) and somewhere around oil pressure switch(main bearing)...

But effin hell, I'll just take out oil pan and see if I could replace relief valve and spring. If that doesn't work, then it would be most likely main bearing...dsgpodsjfpodsafpodsajfpo

 

a bad spring inside of the switch itself, or something along those lines (and the light could flicker with the pulsations of the pump itself)
but considering that the test showed 20 psi off at a higher rpm, something is not right inside of that motor, whatever it may be....

yeah i've rebuilt an Odyssey J35 cause the woman was like 20k miles over due by the oil change sticker, then all the oil got burn off, which means the engine ran dry......
yeah it needed a new bottom end (and let's say that sludge idea is out of the question, but could it have maybe been run dry before, due to running out of oil; kinda the same end result, engine gets fucked from oil starvation)


#2 and 3 would be a start to seeing how the inside of the motor looks....




stethoscope, it's not an end all, but yes you can kinda tell what end of the engine the noise is coming from though, and where to start looking for it


and more then likely you will end up pulling the oil pan

 

Alrighty, thank you so much for your input, all of you. I'll start working on my theories soon..Will update soon shortly

 

the subframe cross-member is in the way getting to the oil pan,,must be dropped
thats why I said its a lot of work

you can take a 3 ounce oil drain from the engine and send to blackstone labs,
for 25 bucks you will know if a bearing or other really bad news has occured-
it shows up metals in different amounts when there is a problem
ck the site www.blackstone-labs.com

 

the cross member does NOT have to be touched to remove the pan, now getting it back on and seal upped, it helps if it was out of the way but not mandatory though, just gotta be careful manuvering it up to not disturb the sealant just put on the pan, and cause a leak point (it hits on the tranny if not careful)

no the j-pipe to the exhaust does have to be dropped, but nowhere close to the same amount of work as the crossmember though (30 minutes maybe, as long as all the bolts/nuts come off easily)







but yes i think draining the oil might be a good start (and send it to black stone if you like), but i would say the biggest thing is use a paper towel or something (to filter the oil) when draining the oil, to try and catch any metal/chunks in the oil, so OP can see them