Careful, Uncle Turbo!
When I said more or less the same thing (albeit with a bit more detail) in an attempt to educate him/her, I was told that I was criticizing him/her.
This thread is like so many others in three ways:
Missing detail in the original post/question
Destruction of an engine as a result of continuing to drive while the oil pressure warning light is glowing
Refusal to accept any opinions other than what the OP wants to hear
I could tell the OP that he did nothing wrong, and that he has recourse–despite lack of any apparent warranty coverage–but that would be untrue. But, if it makes the OP feel any better, I will lie.
As was already stated, the only possible recourse might be against a particular shop if the oil was changed very recently, or against a filter manufacturer if the oil filter was defective. However, the OP has not provided those details.
I like the old days when many cars were equipped with oil pressure gauges. A person could note that something was amiss if the oil pressure read lower than normal. I remember when I was in 6th grade and we were taking a family vacation in a 1949 Dodge. I was sitting on the left side in the back seat and noticed that the oil pressure gauge was reading lower than it normally did. I said something to my dad and he immediately pulled off the road. The oil was down more than 2 quarts even though it was on the full line when we began the trip. We walked to a filling station and bought a couple of quarts of oil. I had an extra bonus in my weekly allowance–I got 75 cents instead of the normal 50 cents. I think had the car had an oil pressure light instead of a gauge as some cars did even back then, the light may not have come on before damage was done to the engine.
I wonder what its like to treat a car like an appliance… I mean when I am near a car I KNOW its a machine…with moving parts…doing A LOT of work for me… I care for it…I respect it…I know whats happening inside while it moves me down the road…
People don’t want to know this…or learn this… They have NO CONCEPT of what is occurring in the car…while its working HARD for them… THIS IS THE ISSUE…
How was low oil pressure determined on a splash lubricated engine? I know that the splash lubricated Chevrolet “stovebolt” 6 engine had an oil pressure gauge (I had a 1950 Chevrolet pickup truck with this engine), but there was an oil pump that pumped oil to the rocker arm shaft. However, there were splash lubricated engines that had the valves in the block. The Hudson straight 8 is one example. Did these cars have any oil pressure from any kind of pump?
A while ago (the “Old Days” for the purpose of this post - I was 17) my Dad replaced the idiot light with a gauge on our old Fiat (cause he didn’t trust the light). It really was a fun little car…weighed almost nothing. Anywho…he never bothered to tell my Mother what the gauge meant, and/or how to read it.
She was cruising home on the highway after work one day, and of course my Dad’s installation wasn’t quite up to par. The line to the gauge leaked, oil spewed everywhere, gauge went to zero, and my Mom just kept cruising…for a bit.
That was my first engine swap…lol…and first witness to a lot of screaming about a machine, gauges, idiot lights and lack of training. I guess I led a sheltered life.
Here is my 2 cents worth on idiot lights. It should be against the law to install idiot lights on any vehicle. They only light up when there is a total loss of oil pressure so it’s useless in my opinion. The damage has already been done by the time you are alerted. The amount of damage is directly proportional to your amount of luck. Oil pressure gauges are the only way to go.
True true…I didn’t know that about those stovebolts…splash lubricated? Maybe the bottom end…but certainly not the rocker arm area…that needs pressurized oil to be pumped up there…No?
Oh wait I can see this on a Flathead type of engine…which is basically a big lawn mower engine…sure they can have splash lube as all the parts needing oil are in one location sort of…sure that’d work
YES…I am a gauge man all the way…tells you the ENTIRE story if you know what you’re lookin at
HondaBB…I never said instant. Read again. I said “mere seconds”.
I’m OK with gauges, but not everyone can read them, nor do they want to. A light is often the best indicator of a problem, since it will alert even the most un-educated person that there’s a problem. Now, once alerted…that’s where it gets mucky. Even with an engine with nothing but lights, you can always actually use a gauge and test things out.
Ah yes…you DID say mere seconds…good man…LOL…I should actually READ sometimes !.. You are also right…gauges are great but NO ONE CARES… They dont get it… The oil light is not a “suggestion light” Which is why I keep saying that there should be some CRAZY Siren, buzzer…flashing Strobe light and a Disco Ball ? Would that do it? SOMETHING to draw attention to a DIRE issue…SHUT ME OFF ISSUE…
I still say that oil light should be a Skull and Crossbones inside an Engine Symbol…Maybe…maybe it might get more respect…Maybe… Even that wouldnt do it…which is why I say to have an auto shutdown…But that’s dangerous for sure
I like the layout of the dash of my 92 Mercedes 300E–lots of gauges (but not as complex as the new MB’s). It has both an oil pressure gauge and an oil warning light. I like this approach because even though I try to scan the control panel regularly while driving the warning light can get my attention instantly if there’s a problem. I also like the fact that, even though it’s an automatic, there is an RPM gauge.
Your only recourse (IMO) is to locate a decent mechanic that you trust . . . and have him/her locate a used engine from a salvage yard and install it. You don’t sound like you have a great deal of experience with engines and automobiles and that’s OK . . . but maybe you might want to take a basic course at a local Vo-tech on basic auto mechanics or auto care. I think that you can now appreciate how expensive things are and how a little bit of knowledge might have saved you thousands. My wife is completely auto-illiterate and doesn’t want to know. She just wants the vehicle to start, drive and stop. If her car was a horse it would bite her and run away from home! And she’ll never change, and it makes my life interesting at times when it comes to her daily driver. I also think that you can appreciate now how crazy we folks here are about cars . . . saying that you drove a car with the oil light on is like scratching your fingernails on a chalkboard to us. But you’re welcome here anytime . . . and my advice is to find a mechanic you trust, locate a decent used engine, and have it installed. Maybe take an auto shop course too. Good luck and Happy New Year! Rocketman
Chaissos is correct about damage being done in seconds when the red oil pressure light comes on. The same thing applies to an automatic transmission; when it starts slipping it’s already damaged goods. The only question is the degree of damage.
There could be a another reason for the oil light coming on even if the OP is correct about the oil level being at the full mark. They’re the second owner. Maybe the first owner was someone who was leasing the vehicle and did not do one iota of maintenance to it including oil changes. Maybe sludge and/or coked oil has caked the oil pump pickup screen and that’s certainly not unheard of.
Where are the oil guages? In 1974 when I ordered my Olds, I had to add the guage package to get them. They tried to talk me out of it but I wanted the gauges. In 1981 I had to special order the guages for my Olds. In 1986 when I ordered my Park Ave, the only way to get the guages was to include the $1000 digital dash. I declined but added after-market guages. I really can’t remember anymore if my Rivieras has pressure guages but I think they didn’t. With the guage though you lose the light which is not a good thing. And you are not likely to be looking at the guage the instant you have a problem. Although I would prefer the guages, it just isn’t a big deal to me anymore. The one time in 40 years I had a light come on, it was the sender.
I suspect as you have suggested, that we possibly have a case of extended oil changes from either the first or second owner resulting in sludge, worn oil, or a damaged pump.
Really? You lose the oil light when you get a factory gauge? I didn’t know that…I thought the idiot light was still there as well.
I have been present when many an idiot light illuminated for oil… No damage…because of near immediate engine shutdown… That’s the key.
The destruction here as we all agree occurred in those 3 little miles… Without question those 3 miles were 3 too far…
OK44 and Bing are also correct…could’ve been sludged up badly…I’d hate to think that…but I also hate to think about driving 3 miles with the oil light on also… Sure, certainly possible.
Maybe we didn’t get any oil change history because this is the original Motor Oil? LOL… I’ve heard stranger tales
When gages were replaced with lights they were soon called “idiot lights”. Red means BAD, orange means WARNING, green means GOOD. On our 1965 Dodge Dart the red oil light went on when my wife was driving it. She immediately pulled over to a safe stop and called from the nearest phone (no cells in those days). I met her at the scene carrying 4 extra quarts of oil and some tools.
It turned out the crankacse was full, there were no visible leaks, and everything was normal, except the red light. At that time we made a calculated risk decision to gently drive the car to the closest garage with mechanics. It turned out the red light was shortcuited and just stayed on. An inexpensive fix was all that was needed.
The lesson learned here was that you do stop ASAP when a red light comes on even if it turns out to be a false alarm. My wife’s medical training makes her alert to any atypical sight, sound or noise.
Seems to me some intelligence could be built into the oil light.
It could trigger at just a few psi at idle to prevent false alarms, but trigger at a higher pressure when the engine is running at speed.
An annoying buzzer would also be helpful.
I think most of the newer Jeeps also have a warning tone that sounds when the oil light or other significant warning illuminates. But the problem wasn’t that the light wasn’t noticed, but that it wasn’t responded to.
An expensive lesson. Only a post mortem will tell why the engine failed. Possibly the oil pump, possibly a defective filter or clogged pickup screen if the engine was very neglected.
I also think a boneyard engine is probably the best bet to save the Jeep as this point.
