fwig1988

check oil light just came on but the oil is fine just had oil change done about month ago. The valves are rattling and knocking when I ran it. this is a new issue car has not been driven much in about a month. QUESTION IS THE OIL PUMP DIFFICULT TO GET TO? CAN IT BE SOMETHING ELSE?

Z07

If the oil level reads ok via dipstick when cold but you can't get a reading when the engine is running then the oil pump is fine. The problem is that oil isn't returning to the crank case. IF and only IF this describes what you are seeing then find out why the oil is stuck at the top of the motor. Check for sludge, blocked return ports etc.

kalali

Was the car driven AFTER the oil change and did it run fine? Was it parked outside at extremely low temperatures for the month? What weight oil was used? The answer to these questions can partially explain the symptoms.

fwig1988

yea drove for over a month after change asassuming 10-30 oil because I didnt change it myself, car was parked in gargage but we recently had low temps in the single digits

fwig1988

ok I checked oil before starting car dipstick was fine. I started the car checked the dipstick twice had more oil on it when car was running. Does this mean fouled up oil pump because not getting out of oil pan??

fwig1988

I am trying some engine flush to see if I can clear the sludge in the system no luck yet. What do you guys think? ? Also I want to say thanks for the help!

salimshah

The rattle at the top indicates that the oil is not coming up there.

You can drop the oil pan/sump and see if the pickup is clogged. You can always disconnect the pressure sensor and connect a pressure gauge.

Salim

kalali

It sounds like oil is not getting t the lifters. How many miles on the car and what is the service history? Does the rattle get worse as you rev up the engine?

By the way, if it were me, I would do another oil and filter change using a reputable place (or do it yourself if you can) using good quality oil and filter just to rule out a defective filter.

carguy07

These cars have solid lifters. I would pull the pan and see what the pick up looks like.

fwig1988

Ok thanks guys I will check the things you all mentioned and see what happens

fwig1988

this is a brand new issue not getting any flow. When I first start car light goes out but returns within a minute and rattling gets louder as car idles. I think cold weather car sitting for a month and slude in system is root cause

kalali

By solid I assume you mean self-adjusting hydrolic lifters. These type of lifters need oil pressure to "pump up" in order to maintain the proper gap. But I'm sure you knew all this....

carguy07

These cars have a bucket and shim set up that you manually adjust with shims between the lifter and the cam.

salimshah

Approach it logically and start by simplest thing ..

Drain and drop the oil-pan.
Remove Filter.
Check the snorkel. Disassemble and clean if you can.
Try air blow up the pickup tube and see what comes out of the filter opening.
Once clean air blows through it, install a cheap/dry filter.
---
After the filter the oil flow gets distributed in branches and hopefully by now your clog is gone. You can open the easier valve cover and see if you get air up there.
If there was no clog/blockages then your oil pump is toast (most-likely)

If it was not for the rattle, I would have suspected the oil pressure switch.

Salim

kalali

I never heard anyone mention valve adjustment and may be I missed it but I don't recall seeing valve adjustment mentioned in the maintenance schedule. Are you saying the valves need to be adjusted periodically? I'm sure mine haven't been touched for 172K miles and the valvetrain is awfully quiet.