Oil warning light - odd circumstances.

[SalvadorP]

Originally Posted by Forrest

Sorry, meant to mention in my previous post that if your car came with a new, loose oil filter and fresh oil but the existing filter looks artificially spruced-up then there is a good chance it is stuck on. Best use a good quality strap wrench or similar non-destructive method to try and loosen it before you drain the oil in case you cannot shift it.

That is some good quality deduction right there. i wanted to reply to your comment saying that really losing oil is not an issue, but sometimes taking the filter out, it caan be. But it never occured to me that that might exactly be the reason why it features a "fully rebuilt" filter.

I've seen several types of strap wrenches, i have one similar to the pic and it is great. I think it's better than the ones with the sideways handle. It is a bit tedious to remove the filter but it always works.

[Offgrid]

I'm glad I started this thread, because I have learnt a lot from the replies. However, I think I need to apologise to you guys. I've had another look under the bonnet in sunlight ( what a treat thet was ). I think the oil filter is a new one with an unusual ( to me ) colour. I can just see a makers brand transfer on it. The oil is now slightly discoloured, and is a light biscuit colour. I gather this is not unusual with fully sysnthetic oils. It is starting to look as if the oil was changed just before I bought the vehicle, and I have only driven it for about 5 miles. As I mentioned, I have run it at idle for about 5 hours though.

The flickering oil light is another issue, and probably not telated to the oil, filter or oil level. I'll reread this thread, and check for the problems mentioned. I think that I'll replace the leads, and look at the timing first, and I'll probbaly take the idle up to about 900 rpm.

[john.wigley]

Originally Posted by Offgrid

I'm glad I started this thread, because I have learnt a lot from the replies. However, I think I need to apologise to you guys. I've had another look under the bonnet in sunlight ( what a treat thet was ). I think the oil filter is a new one with an unusual ( to me ) colour. I can just see a makers brand transfer on it. The oil is now slightly discoloured, and is a light biscuit colour. I gather this is not unusual with fully sysnthetic oils. It is starting to look as if the oil was changed just before I bought the vehicle, and I have only driven it for about 5 miles. As I mentioned, I have run it at idle for about 5 hours though.

The flickering oil light is another issue, and probably not telated to the oil, filter or oil level. I'll reread this thread, and check for the problems mentioned. I think that I'll replace the leads, and look at the timing first, and I'll probably take the idle up to about 900 rpm.

It would be worthwhile checking if your filter incorporates a NRV, 'Offgrid'. Not all makes, especially cheaper ones, do. The absence of one allows the oil to drain back when the engine is off, especially for long periods. This.then leads to oil starvation when the engine is restarted and increased wer as a result.

The genuine Volvo ones are not that expensive and I used to buy mine in bulk at the 'National'. Even if your present filter is a newish one but acks an NRV, I would be minded to change it for one that has to protect the engine. If you can identify the maker's name of the one fitted, a quick Google search should remove any doubt regarding the NRV.

Regards, John.

[Offgrid]

Righty now, I just want to get an MOT on the estate. It's now insured for road use, and once I can use it as a daily driver, I'll focus on the saloon car. It's got a n/a B230E engine that came out of a 240. I want to experiment with that, and learn about redblock engines, so expect to see some threads about cam upgrades and the like in the future.

[Forrest]

Genuine Volvo oil filters are definitely the ones to go for, but if buying cheap ones from an unverified source watch for fakes. If you don't believe they exist got to alibaba.com and look at the options to buy wholesale at $0.82 per unit!

I tend to keep stocked-up on genuine ones from Skandix by adding a few every time I order. Not worth paying their delivery charges just for filters, but their unit prices tend to be keen.

Good non-OEM brands are Mann, Mahle and Bosch, especially if made in Germany. Anything other than these and I'd probably replace as a matter of course.

10W-40 semi-synthetic is usually regarded as the "right" oil for these engines in the UK. If it's got fully synthetic in it may well be a (more common) thinner grade. Synthetic oils used to contain esters that could cause problems with the seals in older engines but mostly don't nowadays.

[griston64]

If you go to your nearest main dealer they can order them for you at no postage cost. I asked mine for a discount based on being a Volvo forum member and they duly obliged ( don't ask and you don't get ! )
That was only last year and they worked out around £6.00 each.

Meaning it's not worth buying cheap or faffing around with postage when you can get from a main dealer for that price

[classicswede]

Originally Posted by Offgrid

The flickering oil light is another issue, and probably not telated to the oil, filter or oil level. I'll reread this thread, and check for the problems mentioned. I think that I'll replace the leads, and look at the timing first, and I'll probbaly take the idle up to about 900 rpm.

The issue is almost certainly as already said down to either the wrong filter or wrong oil. I would try the filter first and if that does not work change the oil

For low oil level to cause it there would have to be almost no oil in the engine so low oil level would never be the issue just to clear that up

[Rversteeg]

Oil is circulated through the internals of the engine, espcially bearings. The oil pump is of the Positive Displacement type, so unlike a centrifugal pump it has to get rid of any oil pumped through. If blocked, the discharge pressure will increase excessively until something breaks. The oil pressure in an engine is therefore not determined by the oil pump, but by the effort it has to do to pump the oil through the various bearings etc.
If the bearings are worn, internal play will be larger and the pump has an easier time pumping the oil through, with a lower oil pressure as a result. Lower viscosity oil will also result in a lower oil pressure. As the flow of a PD pump is in direct relation with the speed, the flow will be minimum at idle speed. Lower oil flow means less pressure needed to push the smaller amount through the engine internals. With the increase of engine speed the oil flow increases proportionally, so also the pressure. A spring loaded bypass valve limits the maximum pressure by dumping part of the oil flow.
A flickering/burning low oil pressure warning light at idle can therefore be caused by excessive wear in the engine bearings, too low viscosity oil (too "thin"), high oil temperature, failing oil pressure sensor / wiring or a failing bypass valve (stuck).
Minimum oil pressure will be critical at idle. Volvo will have made sure the oil flow is high enough at idle to create a enough counter pressure. A non-standard oil filter could let the oil pass more easily, resulting in a lower total oil pressure just below the minimum oil pressure threshold, making the warning light come on. Low viscosity oil icm an partly worn engine will only add to a lower total oil pressure. The presence of an NRV in the oil filter will not have any influence on the low oil pressure warning itself, other than a slight delay in oil pressure build-up right after starting.
Now you have these issues I would say the best way to go forward would be to make sure you have an oil filter is of the correct type as well as the right oil viscosity (I use 5W40 in a 730K km engine without any issues). If the warning light goes out at higher speeds I would not immediatly suspect the sensor of wiring. Only measuring the pressure with a gauge can tell.
I am not sure how to reach the bypass/dump valve in a redblock, but cleaning could help as well. If the ball/spring are just dirty, the cleaning agents in a good quality oil will also improve matters over time.

[Offgrid]

I'm going to run with the current oil and filter for a couple of thousand miles, and then I'll replace them with known products.

I purchased some cheap Asda fully synthetic 5/40 oil which I intended to use to flush the engine. I'll save that for another vehicle. I decided on 5/40 when the recommendation is 10/40 because of the way the vehicle is stored and used. The 40 is obviously the same for normal running, but the 5 refers to the start up viscosity. Because the vehicle will be parked on the street or in nature reserves, I thought that wind chill may cool it down over night. A lower viscosity oil would seem to get the engine protection started sooner than with 10/40 oil. I decided on fully synthetic oil because it prolongs the life of the molecular chains in the oil. I gather engines tend to chop them up during the life of the oil. It's marginally more expensive, and I'll change it at the recommended intervals, but I think it is worth it to preserve the life of what I believe to be well designed engines.

I'm not a chemist or a motor engineer, but I'm a retired computer systems programmer. This has led me to question many items of received wisdom, especially when they are based on 1980s and earlier technology. Please let me know if I have misunderstood modern automotive products.

[Rversteeg]

Wind chill is only applicable for the human body, not for engines. As your skin is wamer than the surrounding air, there will always be a thin transition layer of air around you. If a strong wind continuously blows this layer off it gives a sensation of being much much colder than it really is. It also works the other way around in a turkish steam bath! An engine has no feeling and will never get colder than the outside temperature.
I think 5W40 is a good choice. I use Shell Ultra 5W40 synthetic oil in my high mileage B230FK, perfectly clean engine, no issues. Oil consumption less than 1 ltr/10K km.