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Oil light, Loss of Power


feyded
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I was driving home tonight from work, the truck I noticed was acting a little funny(figured I was just imagining things as I hadnt driven her in a bit) with very little power going up a hill I never struggle on. Anyways, Im 4 miles from home(30 mile drive home) and my Oil light comes on while Im losing power, I instantly turn the engine off as soon as I saw the light, and coast to the side.

 

I have not attempted to start her again and decided its safest to just tow her home, as Im afraid of permanent damage from the lack of oil pressure..

 

I have plenty oil on the dipstick after reading it a good 15 times while waiting for the tow, and Im not leaking anything either. The engine bay smelled like burning oil as soon as I pulled over though.. I also did not see any signs of oil anywhere on the manifolds or throughout the engine bay.

 

What Im wondering now though, what would be a good way to check if this was a sign, and something is ABOUT to go out for good.. Rather, where should I start looking for the cause of this.

 

Any help would be amazing =)

 

Thanks again.

 

1987 Nissan Pathfinder, V6 5SP 4x4

Edited by feyded
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Probably what your are going to need to do is get a oil pressure checker and install at your oil pressure switch. This will tell you if you have a oil pump going out. You can probably rent one at a local parts house. You could also drain your oil out in a clean pan and inspect for contamination.

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ground the switch out and see if the light goes out if it does then the sensor is good, and you most likely need a oil pump

 

The light goes on when the switch is grounded...

 

Anyway, normally I would have guessed that if your oil pump was dying, that you would have noticed the oil light when you were idling at some stop light somewhere, before any engine damage occurred.... but I guess if it died and you never actually slowed the engine down for whatever reason then you could have been driving around under load for a while with enough pressure to keep the light off, but not enough to properly lubricate the engine, which would be lame. Good reason for an oil pressure gauge!

 

Checking with a gauge seems like a good bet... specs in FSM...

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checking with a gauge wount tell him if the sensor is bad which is why you test the switch first.

To my knowledge there are three types of oil pressure sending unit.

 

The first is the oldest, and is nothing more than a port in the output side of the oil pump/engine oil gallery [passages] system, to which a tube is attached connecting the output to a mechanical guage on the instrument panel.

 

The next type is a screw-in device which has a diaphram or a transducer which is attached to an electromechanical switch and by wire is connected to a light in the instrument panel. This is commonly refered to as an "Idiot Light." The sending unit is calabrated to turn the switch/electrical current/light on when the oil pressure is below a safe level for continued operation. As the oil pressure is generally directly proportional the engine RPM [revolutions per minute], the light tends to come on at very low idle speeds, and go out as RPM increases.

 

The third type is similar to the second type, except that it's electrical voltage output is directly proportional to the actual oil pressure, and when fed to an instrument panel electrical guage, will indicate the relative oil pressure [low, medium, high, and pressures in between.

 

 

 

Like I said test the sending unit, if its good then you most likely need a oil pump or your pickup tube may be clogged, remember k.i.s.s, easier to test and replace oil sending unit then to pull the oil pan or the pump

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Well I woke up this morning and figured Id check everything. The oil is fine, seems kind of high, the coolant is fine as well.

 

I started her up, she ran fine till she started warming up, then she started putting I guess would be a way to describe it, but the oil light never managed to come on again.

 

Im thinking that the coolant I changed out had Bar's Head Gasket stuff in it which was what I figured but denying at the same time, as she has never done this till I changed the coolant. Im going to replace the fluid with some head gasket filler again(anyone have any preferences?) and see if that fixes her.

 

Other than that shes a champ, just love the fact that the engine is a fresh install(from Japan) and the guys mechanic before me didnt replace any gasket or check the heads before installing the engine, and just used some Bar's instead.

 

Oil Pressure is good on the truck, sitting high until she starts to warm up then the engine starts actin up..

 

Thank you all so far for the input, if this 'simple' fix doesnt show any results then Ill head into the suggestions provided.

Edited by feyded
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Like I said test the sending unit, if its good then you most likely need a oil pump or your pickup tube may be clogged, remember k.i.s.s, easier to test and replace oil sending unit then to pull the oil pan or the pump

 

Yeah, I was just pointing out that when the switch is grounded, meaning that current can flow from the wire through to the engine block, the light is on. When the pressure is high enough it breaks the circuit and the light goes out. So you can't really test the switch without applying pressure and seeing if the switch "opens" and cuts off the current flow.

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Well I woke up this morning and figured Id check everything. The oil is fine, seems kind of high, the coolant is fine as well.

 

I started her up, she ran fine till she started warming up, then she started putting I guess would be a way to describe it, but the oil light never managed to come on again.

 

Im thinking that the coolant I changed out had Bar's Head Gasket stuff in it which was what I figured but denying at the same time, as she has never done this till I changed the coolant. Im going to replace the fluid with some head gasket filler again(anyone have any preferences?) and see if that fixes her.

 

Other than that shes a champ, just love the fact that the engine is a fresh install(from Japan) and the guys mechanic before me didnt replace any gasket or check the heads before installing the engine, and just used some Bar's instead.

 

Oil Pressure is good on the truck, sitting high until she starts to warm up then the engine starts actin up..

 

Thank you all so far for the input, if this 'simple' fix doesnt show any results then Ill head into the suggestions provided.

 

 

Did any other lights come on when this issue first happened? If so, I wonder if you have a alternator going out. I know this sounds wierd, but at higher revs/speed, the alternator may not be charging, discharging the battery and causing a low voltage situation for the rest of the vehicle. No juice - no power. At low revs/idle, the alternator may be able to charge for a short time. Just a thought....

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No the only lights to come on were the oil light. Today the light isnt coming on now, its just sounding like the engine wants to die/has random idle.

 

Thanks though, as I have experienced this first hand in my friends Mustang.

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How do you know if the oil pressure is high until it starts to warm up... do you have a gauge? I'm not so sure that putting that head gasket junk in your coolant is actually a good idea. Especially not for solving an oil pressure problem.

 

Anyway, the oil light can't really tell you if you have problems with oil pressure at higher RPMs... as soon as you go above 5 PSI or so the light goes out. You need to have 50 PSI at 3000 rpm (about that anyway). If you have only 25PSI, the light will never tell you.

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You do have a point, yes I do have a gauge though on the cluster(I realize its not the most accurate, and its slow to respond to changes)..

 

Im actually questioning myself now if I should actually put some of that stuff in it, but as of right now, I guess what I should do is get a real pressure gauge for the oil pump and see what its actually putting out..

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It is possible. Lack of lubrication can cause friction. Friction will slow some things down. Plus, the lifters need oil to perform correctly. I would still hook up a tester guage and verify proper engine pressure. Call it peice of mind.

 

I also argree that "Mechanic-in-a-can" is not the best solution. It is temporary at best.

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Generally speaking, I'd say that once you notice a loss of power due to lack of lubrication, it is too late and you have some major engine work to do.

 

Something like a blown head gasket could cause lack of power and loss of oil pressure at the same time, but then I'd expect to find oil in the coolant or leaking somewhere. I guess you could have a leak between a cylinder and an oil passage...

 

You could check engine compression as well, pretty easy.

Edited by sewebster
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Im just going to do what everyone is suggesting, get a gauge and check oil pressure, and then check my compression on each cylinder.

 

I called the people the engine came from, and they are willing to help me figure out what it is and might replace it depending on what it is.

 

Thanks again everyone, I just really hope that my reactions were quick enough to prevent any internal damage when I saw the light, Im dreading droppin the pan and seeing glittery oil.

 

Heres to hoping its fixed and good to go when the Mr.Jim run comes around.

Edited by feyded
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Oh, it should be noted that JDM motors are not as great as some make them. For the most part, Japanese cars do not get the kind of maintenence that we do here in the U.S.. IIRC, they have a law that the motor must be replaced after so many years or miles. Why maintain something you are made to replace? Anytime a JDM motor is going to be installed, it is best to do a quick inspection to make sure you are getting what you pay for.

 

 

Have you tried checked for codes at all? Does the engine sound funny at all?

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The engine does not make any excess noise, literally it sounds perfect, aside from the fact it has trouble idling now.. and Im sure the lack of power as well is still there.

 

I was going to check the ECU for codes but I had to leave for work(love nights) and wont be able to till tomorrow. Ive never tried pulling any codes, is there a step by step here somewhere on the forums(sorry Im not searching, just at work right now and had a few mins to look at the post)?

 

I also am starting to see what youre saying 5523Pathfinder, JDM to me now means, change all the gaskets and seals that commonly wear, and youve got yourself a solid engine.

 

Once again thanks everyone bunches for all the suggestions, love this community.

Edited by feyded
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Does anyone have a preference on head gasket brands, aside from the stock ones(I dont think Factorynissanparts.com can get them to me before friday), any input would be greatly appreciated.

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I used Rock brand when I did my 4runners headgaskets, basically repackaged Fel-Pros (what my machine guy suggested for that specific application at least). Watch out for cheap generic brands though as I have seen "upside-down" sets so to say

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Thats what I keep reading, and hearing from people, so I guess that is the winner for the head gaskets.

 

Thats why I was asking Nunya, was afraid of getting burned by a 'no-name' brand.

 

Thanks WarehouseRat and Nunya.

Edited by feyded
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This guy has info on head gaskets and recommends Nissan OEM. RedZ31

The head gasket info is near the bottom of the page.

Gaskets:

 

Nissan OEM head gaskets have been used on engines making over 700HP and will run you ~$40 each from a dealer, or ~$30 each from nissanparts.cc.

Victor Reinz head gaskets (at in the non-w series VG30ET complete set) are a stainless steel center with composite lining on either side. These gaskets, in my opinion, are probably the best you can buy without going for a true MLS (multi-layer stainless) head gasket, which are not available anymore anyway.

HKS and GReddy MLS head gaskets are extremely rare and hard to come by. Expect to pay easily $400+ for a pair if you can find them.

Regular Fel-Pro head gaskets seem to be inferior to the other brands. I have heard of and replaced more blown Fel-Pro head gaskets than any other brand.

Factory head bolts can be re-used and are proven reliable on modified engines. This may have something to do with the VG having 13 head bolts per side :-) Whichever head gaskets you use, be sure to follow the factory service manual's procedure for head bolt tightening EXACTLY, using a quality torque wrench.

 

With this being said, I used felpro gaskets on a 3.3 in my wife's quest van and they have been holding up fine for 30k. I always spray head gaskets with copper coat though. I used the felpro because I did the job before I started researching VG motors.

James

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I am skeptial about the oil pump being bad.

I just dont see this part going out very much at all, like never really.....expecially on a 3.0L.

The only times I have ever sold one that I can recall it is because someone messed one up on their own doing some other repair, not because it failed.

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