Unfortunately my low oil pressure warning light came on after I finished replacing the steering column reach motor. (No relation, just coincidence I guess)

The oil was low, so I topped off the oil yet the light is still on. I replaced the oil pressure sensor along with the oil and oil filter and the warning is still present. I tried to use a multi tester on the sensor to see if I had continuity with the engine running (The sensor is normally open, and closes with pressure) yet it was hard to tell if I was actually touching the pin on the sensor due to it being recessed in the plastic electrical connector. Tomorrow I'm planning on acquiring a oil pressure testing gauge to definitively know if I have oil pressure or not.

Does any one know if the oil pressure warning light needs to be "reset"? Is this something that the dealer has to do? Or will it go out if there is indeed oil pressure?

Thank you!

 

I've been doing some research and I'm thinking that the oil pump may have lost its prime due to the fact that I was severely low on oil. Tomorrow I'll pull the oil filter and squirt some clean oil up in to the center tube which will feed the high pressure side of the pump and hopefully prime it.

I'll keep everyone updated....

 

Dang that don't sound good. Why was it so low on oil? Ya don't have to prime the pump after an oil change so will be interesting to see what's what. Don't run that baby to much till your sure ya got oil pressure!

 

It was low on oil due to a lack checking it on my behalf and a dose of self induced apathy....

I should've know better, for some odd reason I never did check the oil after I took custody of the car...

Regardless, I'm thinking the pump may have sucked air and is in need of priming. That's tomorrows project so I'll let you know how it goes.

Mike

 

after I finished replacing the steering column reach motor. (No relation, just coincidence I guess)

or maybe not ............ the pressure sensor is (as you probably know) just an on/off switch. It goes into the main instrument pack (where the warning light is) and then feeds the "on/off gauge" in the centre.
When you were doing the steering column, could you have disturbed or trapped or otherwise damaged a wire going into the instrument module ?

 

Don't waste your time. The pump self primes. Find out for sure what the actual pressure is and act accordingly. If the oil level was low enough to starve the pump there's the possibility of a damaged engine.

How much oil did you have to add?

 

It's also possible that the oil pump pickup screen is clogged with debris, either from disintegrating chain tensioners, or from the sump not being properly cleaned if and when the tensioners were replaced. Hopefully, it's an electrical, not a mechanical, problem.

 

+1 on possible debris in sump - had this occur recently - although my tensioners were replaced before I acquired the car 5 years ago, they failed to clean out the sump. Following replacement of front timing cover gasket and several others, kept getting intermittent low oil pressure and found pieces of the old tensioner in sump and pickup screen

 

I spoke to a tech person at SNG Barratt and he informed me that the oil pump is indeed self priming. I was able to borrow an engine oil pressure test kit from a friend and I'm happy to say that I have 70 psi at idle. The test kit had a number of adapters for the gauges
hose which had a ⅛" NPT thread fitting. The kit had a 8mm adapter and a 10 mm adapter and the sensor has 9mm threads so I was stuck. I was doubtful that I could find or piece together fittings to act as an adapter so I took the old sensor and I cut the plastic electrical connector off even with the top of the sensors nut. I then found a drill bit that fit the small oil hole on the backside of the sensor and using a drill press I drilled thru that hole to the other side where the plastic had been cut off. I turned the sensor over and I now had a pilot hole so I then used a 11/32" drill to drill down in to the sensor about .3" deep. A ⅛" NPT tap was used to make the threads and we tapped in to some plastic and some metal. The hose fitting held just fine when under pressure and in the end it was a cool solution to the problem. If you try this, make sure you clean out any and all cuttings from the drilling and tapping otherwise this may do damage to the gauge and or the engine.


Oil pressure sensor with plastic electrical connector removed, drilled and tapped for ⅛" NPT



Oil pressure gauge hose installed in to sensor

The low oil pressure light warning is still on as is the oil pressure gauge which is pegged at zero and displaying a red light. I've done a google search for how to reset the service light and there is one for newer Jaguars that have a start button, yet I could not find anything for my 97 XK8. I'd imagine there is a sequence of dashboard buttons to push in order to reset it, I just have to figure out what it is.

 

Mike.
There is no "service light" on your car and the oil pressure gauge / warning light can't be reset. It's a pretty simple circuit - oil pressure switch sends signal to warning light in the instrument pack, and the instrument pack sends signal to on/off gauge in the centre console.
My money is still on a wiring issue going into the instrument pack disturbed when you did the steering column.

 

+1.

The reset light on modern cars has nothing to do with oil pressure. It simply resets the oil change interval to zero.

 

This sounds very plausible as it did occur when I was working on the steering column reach motor. I'll double check the connectors. Thank you!