Close escape, And perhaps a warning.

[haplesshacker]

Driving down to Devon last Wednesday for my father-in-laws funeral. The oil warning light flashed up on the dash and the message in the display read 'no oil pressure, stop safely asap'. Well we were less than 3 miles from the mother-in-laws so I figured that we'd just carry on. Though I did buy some oil on the way, as we were passing a garage.

The car is a Volvo V70 2.4 petrol fwiw.

Anyway. I topped it up with oil. It was quite low, but the warning was intermittent.

Next day is the funeral, so I can't not use the car. Start the car up and no warning light. Great. Or at least so I thought. After a few miles the same warning comes up again. But i drive on (about another 10 miles to the crematorium). I check the oil again, and there's plenty in it. Though the warning still says no oil pressure.

I phone up my garage in Southampton and ask what could be the problem. The answer. Well the engine would have blown up by now, preceeded by a lot of nasty noise. I asked if it's safe to drive, get it pressure tested was the answer.

So I drive back to Bovey Tracy and book the car into a local garage to have it pressure tested. Warning light and message are still on almost permanantly at this point.

It passed the pressure test fine and was told that it's probably the sensor or a switch that's faulty. I asked if it was safe to drive back to Southampton. To which the local garage said said, yep, it should be okay.

So with trepidation we drove back, with the warnings permanantly on. I really didn't feel great driving in that situation. The car still had plenty of oil in it, so it wasn't leaking anywhere.

Moral of the story.

Check the oil regularly like you're supposed to.
Don't drive the car when the warnings tell you to stop asap. Even if it is just a faulty sensor, but I didn't know that at the time.

I was very lucky. Apparently the engine would have just ceased, locked up and blown up. Or at least that's what I was told. But when you have to be somewhere, as I did. You just carry on.

Okay. The car did need oil which is entirely my fault. But the sensor effectively did it's job. But a coincedence that the sensor packs in at the same time?

Sorry to have rambled. But I just wanted to share my story as a warning to others.

 

[USER1999]

RickG needs to read this, his Mazda is going to use more oil than petrol. That light will be on permanently.

 

[brendy]

RickG needs to read this, his Mazda is going to use more oil than petrol. That light will be on permanently.

RX8's love the old texas tea it has to be said, a litre at least per 1000 miles. So every 3-4 fill ups he has to stick another shrimp on the barby!
Diesels especially VAG models need watching carefully too if they are driven like a petrol car (ie driven hard and revved).

 

[GB72]

Learned this lesson early in my driving life. My second ever car, a Ford Escort, had an intermitent oil pressure light on. Being an idiot I ignored it until the morning that the engine seized. Now I am more careful than anyone with oil levels.

 

[SimonS]

My RX-8 used to use less than 0.5L per 1000 miles (and it was checked at every tank fill).

 

[triple_bogey]

Most people mistake the light as a warning but most times its already too late.(even if the car is in warranty,you will most likely have to stump up your own cash for a new engine due to negligence). So be warned!

Track days were a past time of mine,since lost interest. But I have always checked my oil levels on a weekly basis out of old habit.

 

[rickg]

RickG needs to read this, his Mazda is going to use more oil than petrol. That light will be on permanently.

It's the petrol gauge that's worrying me! I swear I can see it moving down as I'm driving.

Checked the oil tonight after I filled the tank for the first time since getting the car.....so far so good and didn't need any oil, but will be keeping a close eye on it.

What a fun car to drive though!