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[terry paget]

This morning I delivered my spare car, the 3.2 ex-plod Omega, to my daughter at Enfield, who needs it for her work.
I had hoped to return home in the Astra, and had begged Lavender Hill Garage to change the oil pressure warning light switch, change the oil filter and replace the 5W30 oil with 10W40 or thicker. They would hear none of it. Their cure for my problems was to flush the oil system, change the filter, replace the oil with new 5W30, and test it. When I arrived they believed they had cured the faults.
I set off for home nervously at 0940. I caught the M25 off guard and there was no congestion and no speed restrictions. Car was running well. I switched to the M4, kept going, in fact barely stopped all the way home. In spite of 20mph speed limits in Bath, Timsbury and Paulton, I arrived home at 1201, not bad for a 143 mile journey. The oil light never came on. After lunch I checked all fluid levels, all were OK.
What do you make of that?

[BazaJT]

Is it possible that a bit of crud had got stuck in the pressure relief valve-or somewhere else-and that the flush/oil change has now shifted that?

[dave the builder]

Please Terry , just dump the P155 out and put TC semi 10w40 in it pretty please 
more in-depth , your P155 oil flushed out more crap, probably blocking the filter partly, doing a flush and re-filling with P155 has flushed it again .
putting in TC semi or full fat mineral (with more frequent changes )will be less hassle in the long run ,like mot time when P155 oil will make smoke

also please check the engine rad fans work when the car is hot ,and check the coolant tempreture sensor reading is accurately

JM2PW 

[78bex]

Sounds like a result  but is it just me; I only use Vaux original oil filters   
I did the same for my Astra`s & I`ve got a few VOF93 filters still in stock

[terry paget]

Please Terry , just dump the P155 out and put TC semi 10w40 in it pretty please 
more in-depth , your P155 oil flushed out more crap, probably blocking the filter partly, doing a flush and re-filling with P155 has flushed it again .
putting in TC semi or full fat mineral (with more frequent changes )will be less hassle in the long run ,like mot time when P155 oil will make smoke

also please check the engine rad fans work when the car is hot ,and check the coolant tempreture sensor reading is accurately

JM2PW 

Eh?
Ran car up to 94 degrees coolant temperature. fan had still not kicked in, I wonder why. Failed fan, another sensor, failed relay, somthing else?
Diagnostic also stated oil level normal, oil pressure underpressured. I changed the oil to 10W40, also changed the filter. It's running up to temp now, but still saying underpressured. Please advise.

[Nick W]

Terry, you must stop guessing and start measuring.
What is the oil pressure compared to what it should be?


You'll need a gauge, and the appropriate adapter - the set  I bought didn't come with one appropriate for the Omega, so I had to make one. Gauge kit like THIS, although I don't remember where I got mine.


Other stuff to consider: following on from your seized engine, a look in the sump and crankcase would be sensible . This is a good use for a cheap inspection camera(£40ish or £5 for one that plugs into a phone)

[terry paget]

This afternoon I repeated the morning's exercise, with 10W40 in the sump, same result. This time I got the temperature up to 99 degrees, but still the fan had not engaged. I wonder how it knows the oil pressure is low, is there another sensor somewhere?

I still reckon the fan should have kicked in. When daughter-in-law's Streetwise failed similarly during MOT emission test, boiling coolant making quite a mess in the MOT bay, a change of coolant sensor cured matters and the car passed MOT later the same day.

Both the RAC man and the garage mentioned a worrying noise. Today I heard it too. It is an intermittent rattling at the top of the cylinder head.

Thanks for your advice, Nick. I am surprised how cheap oil pressure measuring kits are. The one you depict contains a number of adapters. Can anyone recommend a set which contains the right adapter?

I have had the sump off this car twice. I could drop it a third time if I knew what I was looking for.

[Doctor Gollum]

Does it have variable valve timing?

There's an electrical valve on both cams at the belt end. Accessible either side of the head without removing anything else.

If yes, remove both valves and remove the gauze from them. Refit without.

[dave the builder]

What is reporting low oil pressure ? the oil light on the dash ,or your code reader ?

[Kevin Wood]

I think you need to measure the oil pressure properly with a gauge.

I won't get hot enough to lose oil pressure without the coolant boiling over, at least with the modern synthetic oil it used to have in it. Who knows with dead dinosaurs?

I wouldn't be surprised if the fan doesn't kick in until 100 degrees C or more, and who knows how accurate the gauge is?

It's telling you the oil pressure is low so that's what you need to check.

[terry paget]

What is reporting low oil pressure ? the oil light on the dash ,or your code reader ?

Code reader

[terry paget]

Does it have variable valve timing?

There's an electrical valve on both cams at the belt end. Accessible either side of the head without removing anything else.

If yes, remove both valves and remove the gauze from them. Refit without.

Haynes says it has variable valve timing. Will investigate.

[dave the builder]

What is reporting low oil pressure ? the oil light on the dash ,or your code reader ?

Code reader

I'm not aware of an oil sender switch that measures oil pressure on the 1.6 16v engine ,other than the simple on/off switch that turns off the red oil light on the dash.
therefore ,i fail to see how a code reader could know the oil pressure ,other than to report "low oil pressure teltale lamp illuminated" or a similar message which would bring on the red light on the dash

find an oil pressure gauge that will screw into the oil warning sender  hole on the head as advised 
sounds like your code reader info may be duff and that needs confirming properly .

do a full code read on all modules if you have that code reader that can't be talked about  you can also test actuate the fans etc

is this the poverty spec LIFE model ?  in which case,the cd30 does not have the full compliment of wiring for steering controls OR the extra connections required for trip computer etc . though you can read reported engine temp ,but that is better done with live data .

[Nick W]

Thanks for your advice, Nick. I am surprised how cheap oil pressure measuring kits are. The one you depict contains a number of adapters. Can anyone recommend a set which contains the right adapter?

I bought the set, and then spent some time looking for a suitable adapter(male M14x1,5 and female 1/8BSP). I couldn't find any metric, which is why I made one.

[terry paget]

What is reporting low oil pressure ? the oil light on the dash ,or your code reader ?

Code reader

I'm not aware of an oil sender switch that measures oil pressure on the 1.6 16v engine ,other than the simple on/off switch that turns off the red oil light on the dash.
therefore ,i fail to see how a code reader could know the oil pressure ,other than to report "low oil pressure teltale lamp illuminated" or a similar message which would bring on the red light on the dash

find an oil pressure gauge that will screw into the oil warning sender  hole on the head as advised 
sounds like your code reader info may be duff and that needs confirming properly .

do a full code read on all modules if you have that code reader that can't be talked about  you can also test actuate the fans etc

is this the poverty spec LIFE model ?  in which case,the cd30 does not have the full compliment of wiring for steering controls OR the extra connections required for trip computer etc . though you can read reported engine temp ,but that is better done with live data .

Yes, it's the poverty spec LIFE model. I read the engine temp with live data. The oil light goes out on starting engine. I did not know I could test switch the fans with the cheapo data reader. I will try in the morning.