When starting engine ; first 4 seconds no oilpressure !!!!!

[cantus]

Gentlemen,

When I (cold)start my 420SEAC engine I notice that the first 4 seconds the red oilpressure lamp stays on !! Also the oilmeter stays down. I leave the car in idle and after 4 seconds red warninglight goes out and the oilmeter jumps to halfway !!!! Oil pressure stays OK during ride .

When I switch the car off and start a half hour later, oil pressure is back in a second. When I start the engine after a couple of hours it takes another 4 seconds when the red warninglight goes out and the meter jumps halfway.

What can this be ????

regards
William "Cantus" Waardenburg

[rev-erend]

William

No car should be allowed to idle when started..

It's best to rev to 2000 rpm to get the oil flowing as quick as possible..

[That Daddy]

Does your engine have the correct oil filter fitted? some filters have an anti-drain back valve fitted to stop this very problem.

[Holst]

That Daddy said:

Does your engine have the correct oil filter fitted? some filters have an anti-drain back valve fitted to stop this very problem.

On cheap filters the valve can get jammed and all the oil will drain into the sump as a result.

[rev-erend]

Use the Fram - ph2821a ..

[cantus]

That Daddy said:

Does your engine have the correct oil filter fitted? some filters have an anti-drain back valve fitted to stop this very problem.

Yes !! Correct oilfilter from Landrover !! Before I had a Fram filter and had the same problem !

[That Daddy]

cantus said:

That Daddy said:

Does your engine have the correct oil filter fitted? some filters have an anti-drain back valve fitted to stop this very problem.

Yes !! Correct oilfilter from Landrover !! Before I had a Fram filter and had the same problem !

Then the only thing that springs to mind is worn oil pump gears or a partially blocked oil strainer(not unheard of with the RV8)worth checking out

[andymadmak]

This is normal (ish) - though 4 seconds is about a second too long in my experience, but that could be for any number of reasons. It can be made worse by the use of very thin oil - Team Central TVR used to put Mobil one in my wedge and it hated it - not least because everything drained back to the sump very effectively. I sort of got the feeling that a slightly thicker oil tends to "stick around" a bit at all those important little places for a cold start up. I moved to Motul 15 / 50 and the problem was definately lessened.
After a very long lay up I used to crank the engine for a short while with the imobiliser engaged. This moved the oil to the right places before allowing the engine to start properly.

HTH

Andy

[JR]

cantus said:

That Daddy said:

Does your engine have the correct oil filter fitted? some filters have an anti-drain back valve fitted to stop this very problem.

Yes !! Correct oilfilter from Landrover !!

I wasn't aware that Landrover ever used the larger oil filter that the wedges use.

[rev-erend]

andymadmak said:

This is normal (ish) - though 4 seconds is about a second too long in my experience, but that could be for any number of reasons. It can be made worse by the use of very thin oil - Team Central TVR used to put Mobil one in my wedge and it hated it - not least because everything drained back to the sump very effectively. I sort of got the feeling that a slightly thicker oil tends to "stick around" a bit at all those important little places for a cold start up. I moved to Motul 15 / 50 and the problem was definately lessened.
After a very long lay up I used to crank the engine for a short while with the imobiliser engaged. This moved the oil to the right places before allowing the engine to start properly.

HTH

Andy

Or maybe he just counts quicker than us

4 seconds does not sound too bad.. mine always takes a few seconds to come up to pressure..

[cantus]

[quote]4 seconds does not sound too bad.. mine always takes a few seconds to come up to pressure..
[/quote]

Does is take the same time that your red warninglight goes out ? Or is the red light going out imediately and the oilgauge responding three second later ?

[andymadmak]

on mine the guage and light responded at about the same time.

[rev-erend]

William,

All RV8's take a little time to pump the oil round.

The pump design is not great - the best idea is not leave it too long without starting - giving the oil more chance to drain off..

Say - one week.

What is more important in the actual oil pressure .. what we all really want is 10 lbs / thousand rpm .. it's a good old measure - sadly the RV8 does not really manage this.

[ed_crouch]

Mine does about 10 psi per thousand revs. 390SE (cant remember if the pump/relief spring is different to the 3.5 or not...)

I also have the three second blood curdling wait for the pressure to jump up. Only when cold.

I thought it was due to air getting into the top of the filter and it acting like a pressure accumulator. Cant say whether it does or does not.

Ive given up worrying about it now.

Ed.

[Boosted LS1]

Don't forget that there will be oil flowing to the shells before you see a pressure reading on the guage which may be calibrated at 10 psi or somewhere in that region.

[Slow M]

William,
You can install an "accusump" (I don't like these) or, better yet, an external electric oil pump (be sure to fit a one-way valve) to bring the oil pressure up before starting.
Bernard

[BadRedWedge]

Or is it a slow / faulty sender unit ?

[TVR 3X]

Is your filter upside down?

Startup pressure can be quicker if you change the orientation of the filter - oil changes less messy too.

Russ