oil light on after timing belt change
10-20-13, 12:15 PM
#17
Rookie
Thread Starter
Oh god no! I have an 80 mile commute back and fourth to work and other than that is road trips with no less than 400 miles one way for the trip. There is nothing around me here that is less than 3 miles other than pine trees and other houses lol
Last edited by Ravencrave; 10-20-13 at 12:20 PM.
<- This is me after seeing your pictures and reading the above quote.
10-20-13, 01:01 PM
#20
Lexus Champion
10-21-13, 08:48 AM
#21
Rookie
Thread Starter
No. It will certainly be on the list of things to be replaced if I can get the engine free. Probably going to need a valve job. All the pistons are still rotating so I'm guessing a stuck valve and if that is the case, I'll have to have it flatbedded to a private tech to have it rebuilt or replaced. If its cheaper than buying a new car then I'll have it done.
10-21-13, 08:52 AM
#22
Rookie
Thread Starter
No particular reason. I've religiously used castrol 10-30 on all my cars prior to this one. My question was synthetic or regular which has been answered in many different ways. Which is why I've stuck to what I've been using. Never had an issue before. Always thought 5w-30 was too light especially during the intense summer days here in the south.
10-21-13, 01:19 PM
#24
Lexus Champion
http://www.car-part.com/
If you do find something, at minimum, remove the front valive cover and look for sludge. Also check the quantity and condition of the engine oil. (Color and smell)
Phil
Last edited by PFB; 10-21-13 at 01:25 PM.
10-21-13, 04:10 PM
#25
Rookie
Thread Starter
Try this site. You may get lucky, and find a used engine close you you.
http://www.car-part.com/
If you do find something, at minimum, remove the front valive cover and look for sludge. Also check the quantity and condition of the engine oil. (Color and smell)
Phil
http://www.car-part.com/
If you do find something, at minimum, remove the front valive cover and look for sludge. Also check the quantity and condition of the engine oil. (Color and smell)
Phil
11-02-13, 08:29 PM
#26
Rookie
Thread Starter
Ok so heres an update on what has been going on. I wish I had taken pictures but greasy hands would ruin my phone and I wasnt even thinking of it at the time. I have gone non-stop once I get working on it.
As I was putting everything up and in its place to prepare have towed to a mechanic, I went to proceed with undoing the bolt to the harmonic balancer so I can remove the the timing belt and water pump which I had just put on brand new. I knew the crankshaft was sticking so I did not have it stopped to hold in place. At this point, I didnt care if anything broke or not. I was about to have another engine dropped in it anyway. So I start cranking counterclockwise til I get the the point where it would stop dead on. With more force to try and loosen the bolt, the crankshaft broke free past the frozen point when I couldnt crank past before. WOW! ok....so I crank clockwise to the previous frozen point again. It hestitated then broke past that point. Now I'm thinking, either I broke something or I fixed something. I went up to the cam shafts, squirted some marvels mystery oil over the valves and sprayed a bit of WD-40 in the plug holes over the pistons. I went to turn the crankshaft again, on a few rotations I can feel the sticky spots as if a valve was stuck. Now I'm thinking, at least its turning. Then I go to scrape off as much sludge as I can under both valve covers and all around the crankshaft as well as the upper oil pan. All the loose stuff is gone and vacuumed out. Cam shafts re-lubricated with marvels mystery oil and now this time the crankshaft turns and rotates all the way flawlessly.
Now I'm thinking I may have saved myself from having to get a new engine dropped in and saving $1,900. I have nothing to lose other than time at this point so I'm going to put everything back together and see if its a go and hope the oil pump is still good. I cleaned out the oil pickup tube and screen, cleaned the upper oil pan, reinstalled the pan the pickup tube and lower pan. Reinstalled the valve covers with new gaskets, reinstalled the exhaust pipe with new gaskets and put everything else back together. Added engine oil and started it up. Took a minute to get it going but once it got going, it ran like nothing ever happened. Still quiet and still running smooth. I pulled off the oil filter and oil came out unlike before when it was bone dry. A clogged oil pick up tube screen was the issue.
I know I need to change out this oil because it still has the mystery oil in it but I want this all to circulate and flush. Went to take it for a spin down the street then the damn oil light comes on. This time it doesnt stay on like it did before all this went down, it goes on and then off or flicker.....depends on what incline I'm at. It has done this before when the oil is low. Ok...I go back to park it, check the oil level, still hard to tell so I'm going to let it sit overnight and check the level tomorrow before I drain the pan. If the level is still high enough to where the light shouldnt come on then what would be the issue? The oil pump cant just intermittently give good oil pressure than not and times can it? I mean if the oil pump is shot then it wouldnt pump at all would it? Hell, I'll take a bad oil pump over a dead engine any day if thats the case. I have a new oil pump in the garage ready for it but also want to send it back to get credit back too. lol
Any insight anyone?
As I was putting everything up and in its place to prepare have towed to a mechanic, I went to proceed with undoing the bolt to the harmonic balancer so I can remove the the timing belt and water pump which I had just put on brand new. I knew the crankshaft was sticking so I did not have it stopped to hold in place. At this point, I didnt care if anything broke or not. I was about to have another engine dropped in it anyway. So I start cranking counterclockwise til I get the the point where it would stop dead on. With more force to try and loosen the bolt, the crankshaft broke free past the frozen point when I couldnt crank past before. WOW! ok....so I crank clockwise to the previous frozen point again. It hestitated then broke past that point. Now I'm thinking, either I broke something or I fixed something. I went up to the cam shafts, squirted some marvels mystery oil over the valves and sprayed a bit of WD-40 in the plug holes over the pistons. I went to turn the crankshaft again, on a few rotations I can feel the sticky spots as if a valve was stuck. Now I'm thinking, at least its turning. Then I go to scrape off as much sludge as I can under both valve covers and all around the crankshaft as well as the upper oil pan. All the loose stuff is gone and vacuumed out. Cam shafts re-lubricated with marvels mystery oil and now this time the crankshaft turns and rotates all the way flawlessly.
Now I'm thinking I may have saved myself from having to get a new engine dropped in and saving $1,900. I have nothing to lose other than time at this point so I'm going to put everything back together and see if its a go and hope the oil pump is still good. I cleaned out the oil pickup tube and screen, cleaned the upper oil pan, reinstalled the pan the pickup tube and lower pan. Reinstalled the valve covers with new gaskets, reinstalled the exhaust pipe with new gaskets and put everything else back together. Added engine oil and started it up. Took a minute to get it going but once it got going, it ran like nothing ever happened. Still quiet and still running smooth. I pulled off the oil filter and oil came out unlike before when it was bone dry. A clogged oil pick up tube screen was the issue.
I know I need to change out this oil because it still has the mystery oil in it but I want this all to circulate and flush. Went to take it for a spin down the street then the damn oil light comes on. This time it doesnt stay on like it did before all this went down, it goes on and then off or flicker.....depends on what incline I'm at. It has done this before when the oil is low. Ok...I go back to park it, check the oil level, still hard to tell so I'm going to let it sit overnight and check the level tomorrow before I drain the pan. If the level is still high enough to where the light shouldnt come on then what would be the issue? The oil pump cant just intermittently give good oil pressure than not and times can it? I mean if the oil pump is shot then it wouldnt pump at all would it? Hell, I'll take a bad oil pump over a dead engine any day if thats the case. I have a new oil pump in the garage ready for it but also want to send it back to get credit back too. lol
Any insight anyone?
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CamelKool (10-31-20)
11-02-13, 09:18 PM
#27
Lexus Champion
Wow, you are determined to try and fix this engine, don't give up. Good for you.
Its not your oil pump. The most probable reason why your oil light is flickering, (I assume it's the oil level light that's flickering) is that your oil passages are still partially blocked by sludge.
What happeneds is that oil gets pumped to the top of the engine, but than does not drain back down to the oil pan fast enough, leaving the pan short of oil, and causing the oil light to flicker.
So you have more work to do clearing the oil passages as much as you can.
Don't give up yet.
Phil
Its not your oil pump. The most probable reason why your oil light is flickering, (I assume it's the oil level light that's flickering) is that your oil passages are still partially blocked by sludge.
What happeneds is that oil gets pumped to the top of the engine, but than does not drain back down to the oil pan fast enough, leaving the pan short of oil, and causing the oil light to flicker.
So you have more work to do clearing the oil passages as much as you can.
Don't give up yet.
Phil
Last edited by PFB; 11-02-13 at 09:25 PM.
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CamelKool (10-31-20)
11-03-13, 05:45 AM
#29
Rookie
Thread Starter
I was thinking the same thing when I was putting everything back together. I was thinking there may have been a broken valve and by turning the crankshaft...well...forcing it, that I may have broken something. It runs the same as it did before all this went down. Dont even hear any knocking noise, no valve taps. Even has better pickup than before. So if there was internal damage, wouldnt I hear these noises are some other weird noise and wouldnt I have bad road performance besides the oil issue?
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CamelKool (10-31-20)
11-03-13, 08:40 AM
#30
I was thinking something along the lines of excessive oil burning from scorned piston sleeves or overheating. Then again, the engine can always be replaced.
When did you pickup the car? What mileage did it have and how well was it taken care of? The sludge is fairly severe considering that your maintenance schedule was spot on. Aside from oil, did you maintain your cooling system?
When did you pickup the car? What mileage did it have and how well was it taken care of? The sludge is fairly severe considering that your maintenance schedule was spot on. Aside from oil, did you maintain your cooling system?
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CamelKool (10-31-20)