Oil Pressure Problem - and a story..... (not a fun story...)
Hi folks-
Thought I'd share a story that is just finishing up on my 1987 420SEL (w/170k on it)
My wife was getting into her car and had just started to turn it over. I heard nice, wonderful sounds of crunching and crashing metal.
I had the car towed to the shop and they identified the problem. A timing chain rail piece broke off. They also showed me that several valves were bent. Note for later... The timing chain tensioner runs off oil pressure.... remember that..... My mechanic figures that the chain slapped the rail and broke a chunk off when the car was turning over - then all hell broke loose so to speak.
OK... valve job..... Heads come off and the full meal deal (top end wise). We are going to keep the car so it wasn't really a 'decision' as to repairing it.
--------------------------------------------------
Now the rest of the story.....
Over the last few weeks, I noticed the oil pressure at idle when the engine was warm (and trans in gear with brakes on) was falling towards 1 bar ( and sometimes dropping a bit below that level).
I was going to get to it (replace the oil pump or whatever) but my wife and I were moving into a new house and were doing major work on our old house before we sold it. I just didn't have time. That and it is my wife's car so I don't drive it that often to remind myself that I needed to do something...... I should have.
So we get the car back (after the top end was finished) and I notice that the oil pressure is even lower now. That really alarms me. The oil pump is failing.
I get the new oil pump installed and now it holds 1.5 bar (warm, in gear, stopped) where before it was ~1/3 bar. Yikes.
This is what my mechanic and I figure happened....
The chain was not tensioned tight enough because the oil pressure was too low. The tensioner is 'supposed' to hold it's previous position/tension, but that evidently doesn't work too well.
Especially at start up, the chain is getting slammed around (and little pressure) so the rail broke off accordingly....
Moral of the story:
If you have low oil pressure, but everything seems OK, get it checked out....
Trust me...
[;)]
Linear Mode
