Nissan Almera oil pressure light stays on until car is revved?

I have a 1995 Nissan Almera N15. Its got a GA14DE and its done 96,000 miles.

I just had a new sump fitted (due to an overtightened sump nut by previous owner) plus oil changed and a new filter.

When I start up, my engine is noisy/rattling and the oil pressure light is on. However, when I give the engine some gentle revving, the noise stops and the oil pressure light goes out.

The car then drives fine and the light doesn't come back on until I next start the car from cold.

Could this be a bad oil filter restricting flow? Or maybe they didn't put something back properly when fitting the new sump?

Any ideas would be appreciated, thanks!
 
OP
OP
john347
Well, now the oil light doesn't go out with any amount of revving and the top end sounds horrible, so its stuck around 10 miles from home now until I can get it recovered tomorrow and I'm now not sure what to do!

Worn bearings or a bad oil pump on a 96,000 mile engine with full service history? It just doesn't sound right to me.

I'm suspicious now that they have somehow disturbed the oil pick up while re-fitting the sump, or maybe its a bad / incorrectly fitted oil filter? I've heard of cases where the gasket from the old filter stays stuck to the engine, and the new one is fitted over it... could this have happened and would this have caused my problem?

Thanks for your replies.
 

Belly93

to turbo or new lump :/ hmmm
It could be restricting the flow through the filter if the holes are slightly in the wrong place
 

Enuo

Glorified Electrician
Well, now the oil light doesn't go out with any amount of revving and the top end sounds horrible, so its stuck around 10 miles from home now until I can get it recovered tomorrow and I'm now not sure what to do!

Worn bearings or a bad oil pump on a 96,000 mile engine with full service history? It just doesn't sound right to me.

I'm suspicious now that they have somehow disturbed the oil pick up while re-fitting the sump, or maybe its a bad / incorrectly fitted oil filter? I've heard of cases where the gasket from the old filter stays stuck to the engine, and the new one is fitted over it... could this have happened and would this have caused my problem?

Thanks for your replies.
Might be worth asking the Almera Owners Club for advice, although it seems fairly dead over there unless you're a member...
 

frank

Club Member
sounds like a pickup pipe issue to me, praps they forced it upwards to get the sump over the downpipe or cross member ? and stretched the 2 bolt mount point
 

h701micra

Deactivated Account
Can only be the pick up pipe :/
Fine until sump & oil change
An oil filter swap is hardly likely to cause this much of a problem in this short space of time.
And if they've bodged your sump the only thing exposed to damage is the pick up pipe. Its not exactly the strongest component
 
OP
OP
john347
Right, so I suppose the best thing to do is to take it back to them and ask them to drop the sump again... If the pick up pipe has been damaged, is that an easy swap out job?

Thanks for your help!
 

pollyp

Club Member
oil light means insufficient pressure for the furthest journal to float on its bearing shell leading to metal contact.

a good condition oil system should normally extinguish the oil light within 3sec under idle.

if the light stays on beyond 3s during idle you should turn off immediately and investigate the lack of pressure.

while running the engine with the oil light on for more than 3sec, especially revving it, damage & rapid excessive wear may already be done to the bearings by the time the higher rpm built enough pressure, increasing clearances, reducing pressure and make it worse.
 
OP
OP
john347
Well, its in a different garage now, a much trusted one, the one I would have took it to if I'd had the chance when the problem with the sump nut originally happened. They're going to drop the pan and check it out either today or tomorrow. Fingers crossed that there's not been too much damage to the bearings.
 
OP
OP
john347
So, looks like a knackered oil pump AND pick up, but its looking almost impossible to find a second hand oil pump, as all the breaker's yards I've called (must be 30+ now) are very reluctant to break the GA engines as they're all such good runners and are mostly coming out of rusty or crashed almeras. The best offer I've had is a 70,000 mile engine for £100 which I could strip the pump from I suppose, its just the inconvenience of picking up an entire engine...

Does any one know if the oil pump on these GA engines is interchangable between the QG engines (MK2 Almeras and Primeras) or even the Micra CG engines? I've found a breakers yard with one of each which they are willing to break...
 

h701micra

Deactivated Account
Unfortunately not. GAs are a bit of a pain for that. I'd get a spare engine. Best way :)
I'll have a few bits of it if it helps ;)
 
OP
OP
john347
Well, I've given my mechanic mate till the end of the day to come up with a plan for resurrecting it... as I can't be without a car much longer...

If he doesn't succeed, looks like I've got an Almera with 4 practically new tyres, a brand new clutch, almost new exhaust, 96,000 trouble-free miles, and a knackered oil pump. What should I do with that? Scrappy and breaker's yard will only give me £150 tops for it :/
 
OP
OP
john347
That would be beautiful, just missing time and money :p I do miss my little go-kart Micra, but playing in a band, I need the Almera's cavernous mini-estate boot :(

My mechanic friend seems to have had a break through and is heading to a scrappy this afternoon to pick me up a new oil-pump and pick up. I know I've probably caused some wear to my bearings but he's had a look and seems to think that it definitely has some life left in it, he's doing the work for next to nothing for me so I trust his experience and that he wouldn't be putting the graft in on a car that has already bitten the dust.

I understand that heavier oil can help if the bearings are worn?

Thanks so much to everyone for their help and suggestions, and for not scoffing at my non-Micra related problems. At least its not a Ford or a Vauxhall :p
 
OP
OP
john347
Yeah, must say I'm shocked myself. But its still doing 35mpg around town / 40mpg on 60mph dual carriage way / motorway driving and sounds and pulls happy as anything so touch wood, I'm safe! I will check the oil in a couple of days to check if its burning any but the exhaust isn't smoking so hopefully safe.​
 

frank

Club Member
it wont have affected the oil consumption john, if you have done any damage, the oil light will take a few seconds to go out in the morning, and it,ll growl at about 4k rpm when you blip the throttle :)
 
I'm having the same problem with my Micra K10 with MA10 1.0 engine
I bought the car with engine oil light - seller assumed it had run low on oil and light had come on - found out exhaust was knocking on engine and switch was possibly faulty.
I changed the oil first time with standard mineral oil - and the switch light never came on - then a couple of weekends I change it with multigrade 10/w40 and light comes on after about 4 miles.I'm thinking of changing the switch first - if that doesn't cure it, I'll change the pump and pick up pipe. I have done about 1,000 miles in this condition and it's been fine (taking it careful at first of course).
Does anyone know which ones fit these, I assume they're all the same.
 
Top