Oil Pressure Light on E30 S52

[MaxBell]

Hey, I was right! ;)

Thanks again for the help! :)

[e30rapidic]

were the oil squirters removed but not replaced?

SOLVED

The engine block was disassembled and the S52 oil squirters were not in the bottom end. They're little misters that spray oil up under the pistons.

I took the crank out, but them in and buttoned the motor up again.

Hey, I was right! ;)

[MaxBell]

Eeek. Who did the rebuild?

A place in Toronto, Ontario. Refused to warranty their work as well. V frustrating.

[Sh3rpak!ng]

WOW, glad you found it. That's scary

[328ijunkie]

Eeek. Who did the rebuild?

[MaxBell]

SOLVED

The engine block was disassembled and the S52 oil squirters were not in the bottom end. They're little misters that spray oil up under the pistons.

I took the crank out, but them in and buttoned the motor up again.

[sweet3]

There is not set limit or programmed value for oil pressure in e30 itself. The sensor in oil filter housing is just a switch, that activates at certain oil pressure and lights up the oil pressure warning. It's not oil pressure sensor that can sense different pressures. So if you guys use the oil pressure sensor that came with the engine, and not one from m20. It will trigger at correct oil pressure. If your oil pressure light is flickering, you have too low oil pressure (or the sensor itself is broken).

Yes I still use the s52 sensor. The light never came on in the e36 while it was running (the light was a functional light lol)

[Sh3rpak!ng]

Running it for a few mins won't get the oil up to temp enough to really be able to bleed off the lifters. I recently cleaned my lifters (pain in the ass btw) and bled them before installing. The car was all clickty clack until I drove it around and let the oil get hot. By the time I got home, probably a 20 min drive, it was normal.

Also, I thought that while 5psi idle is low, it's not world ending. I always thought as long as you have some pressure at idle it's ok. It's far more important to have the right pressure increase with rpm.

Did you up the oil viscosity and test again?

We run Liqui Moly 10w60 in them (comparable to the later OE Catrol).

Glad to hear that, I just went up to the 10w60 liqui moly as well since I still get a bit of lifter tick after thrashing the car at autox.

[pazi88]

When you say that your oil light is on, is it on even if you rev it up a little bit passed idle? Even mine flickers when the engine is warm at idle. I believe thats just because the original m20 and the s52 operate at different pressure when at idle.

There is not set limit or programmed value for oil pressure in e30 itself. The sensor in oil filter housing is just a switch, that activates at certain oil pressure and lights up the oil pressure warning. It's not oil pressure sensor that can sense different pressures. So if you guys use the oil pressure sensor that came with the engine, and not one from m20. It will trigger at correct oil pressure. If your oil pressure light is flickering, you have too low oil pressure (or the sensor itself is broken).

[ForcedFirebird]

The ticking lifters may clear up after some hard running of the engine if it sat for extended periods of time.

You need 1psi per 100rpm. If you have thin oil and a manual, it's a good chance a 24v will trip the e30 light at 6-700rpm.

5psi is on the low side, but not by much - specially if you have 65psi at oil relief.

[MaxBell]

ForcedFireBird is on the right track. If both engines are still in their original chassis, then the lights should never come on while the engine is running. However, the m20 gauge cluster is programmed for ~7psi. That's why your light tends to come on after a while of warm idling. If you compare your current readings to an E36 with the same engine, you will notice that the pressures are about the same, but the light isn't coming on.

So is 5 psi ok for an S52? So I understand, are we staying that I should just ignore the light?

[sweet3]

I wonder how low?

FINDINGS

FIRST
The head wasn't torqued down properly and there was coolant in the oil. Changed the oil out, didn't fix the oil pressure problem tho.

THEN
I got an oil pressure gauge on it and it went like this:

IDLE COLD: 20 psi
IDLE WARM: 5 psi
3500 RPM: ~40 psi
REDLINE: 65 psi

The light comes on at idle after a few minutes of idle/warming up. The lifter tick is pretty loud, though that could be coolant in the lifters? How would one flush those?

We're using an M50 oil pump here, would that matter? The S52 and M50 oil pump seem to have the same part number?

Anyways, any help would be appreciated.

ForcedFireBird is on the right track. If both engines are still in their original chassis, then the lights should never come on while the engine is running. However, the m20 gauge cluster is programmed for ~7psi. That's why your light tends to come on after a while of warm idling. If you compare your current readings to an E36 with the same engine, you will notice that the pressures are about the same, but the light isn't coming on.

To fix your ticking, you will probably end up needing to remove your lifters and clean them. You need to remove the little piston inside the lifter and clean the old oil out. Otherwise, you are looking at replacing your lifters. It not easy to find out which ones are ticking (maybe all of them). If you clean/replace any of them, it's best done as a set.

The pumps won't make much of a difference (unless the one is worn out inside)

[MaxBell]

15w40 mineral is what BMW recommended. We run Liqui Moly 10w60 in them (comparable to the later OE Catrol).

The 24v engines seem to have a lower oil pressure at idle than the m20, but the dash light shouldn't come on with either engine.

I wonder how low?

FINDINGS

FIRST
The head wasn't torqued down properly and there was coolant in the oil. Changed the oil out, didn't fix the oil pressure problem tho.

THEN
I got an oil pressure gauge on it and it went like this:

IDLE COLD: 20 psi
IDLE WARM: 5 psi
3500 RPM: ~40 psi
REDLINE: 65 psi

The light comes on at idle after a few minutes of idle/warming up. The lifter tick is pretty loud, though that could be coolant in the lifters? How would one flush those?

We're using an M50 oil pump here, would that matter? The S52 and M50 oil pump seem to have the same part number?

Anyways, any help would be appreciated.

[e30rapidic]

An old mechanics trick is to run quart of ATF in with your oil before you change it. let it idle for 15 minutes or so before you drain it. That has worked for me.

If you have more time and have the aptitude to pull your cams out and put back together, you can use this as a guide. I rebuilt the lifters in my S50 and they are identical to these.

And yes, it's from a Geo Metro forum but it has good pics for reference.

http://geometroforum.com/topic/3937058/1/

[SnowB0und]

Did you prime your oil pump. Mine didn't get pressure when cranking with the plugs removed right away. I poured a ton of oil in through the oil filter housing to be safe, pressure came right up after that.