Oil Light Flickering Mk II

[242DL]

So I've taken care of my oil leak problem and the oil light persists flickering in my '81 242. Sometimes it flickers faintly and other times it flickers obviously. It didn't used to flicker when the engine was cold but now it does. I bought a new oil pressure sensor thinking this is the problem.

But I have noticed recently the car seems to be acting more sluggishly than usual and the gas mileage isn't so great (can't tell exactly since the odometer works intermittently and not at all in warm weather). I'm wondering if my oil pressure is lower than it should be and this flickering is telling me my oil pump is about to crap out.

Any ideas?

 

[dalek]

I was thinking the same thing. If you are not leaking oil, is there an easy way to check its pressure?

 

[242DL]

The sensor was changed and we checked the oil pressure -- about 40 psi (probably a little higher than actual) so the oil pump is working. The light still flickers even after the sensor was changed...I wonder now if it's actually the wire and the insulation has melted...

 

[Three Fat Tigers]

Does it flicker above idle? If so I'd suspect the wiring. If not, I'd suspect the oil pump transfer tube seals.

Run a new wire into the car from the sensor, just run it over the cowl and around the windshield pillar and in through a door jamb, connect this to a small lamp, the other side of the lamp to 12V+, if this test light flickers, then you either have a sensor or pressure issue.

 

[242DL]

It definitely flickers above idle...I would drive at 40 mph and it would flicker...I'm guessing it's the wiring (just like when my OD light flickered -- only that was way more bothersome).