Did the engine make a sound or bog down when the light was on? I've had the light come on a few times. It was mostly on a single 90 degree left uphill to flat corner i took at 20-30mph before I was aware of my oil burn. But every time a sound. It was many years ago so don't remember much.

Corner makes sense for the light coming on regardless. G force pulling oil away from the pickup. Not that I know how our pickup works. I'd guess crack/clog on the pickup screen in the system first. There are a couple DTCs that might show up with a scan.

 

No DTCs when I checked. I didn't notice any sound with the light but although my exhaust drones quite a bit so I might have not heard it.

Anything I should be checking or working about even if my oil level is good?

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Was driving again this morning and the light came on when turning around in a parking lot, didn’t go off until I had turned the car off. Let it sit for a few minutes and started back up fine, no oil light on.

What should I do? No DTCs set at all. Is this likely an issue with the PCV or could this be something relating to the oil sending unit or sensor? My PCV hose and housing are around 2-3 years old.


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Also to add, two months ago I had dropped my oil pan and cleared out all the sludge around the pickup tube, etc, and replaced all seals and gaskets relating to the oil pan/oil cooler. So I doubt the pickup tube is clogged, as I also changed the oil then as well.


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I had dropped my oil pan and cleared out all the sludge around the pickup tube. So I doubt the pickup tube is clogged.

Did you have the new style pickup tube? Plastic and looks like a tulip flower before it blooms? Whenever I would remove a pan (usually because the low oil pressure light flashes) to clean the sludge out - I would always replace the pick up tube - well the first one I didn't replace the tube and got to pull the pan again because the light still flashed - to put a new tube in.

The pressure will drop if the idle speed drops too low, or from oil starvation around corners and braking if the oil level is low - or perhaps if the pickup tube is partially clogged. I've never had to replace an oil pressure sending unit because it would ground (and turn the light on) at too high a pressure.

How many quarts do you put in when you change the oil?

 

I think you need to drop the pan and take a very close look.

 

As mentioned I had dropped the pan about two months ago and completely changed all seals, etc. in this process I completely cleared out all sludge from the pan and the bottom of the motor.

Is this likely a mechanical issue, as in oil is not physically getting to the sending unit, or more likely something electrical?

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does the oil pressure light also come on while braking?

 

It did come on one time when I came to a hard stop because someone in front of me slammed on their brakes yesterday. But it was a pretty hard stop. Doesn't do it when just approaching a light or stop sign like normal.

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Sounds like you'll have to do what tmtalpey said.

There are several threads about people having problems with oil pressure after they removed and replaced the oil pan for servicing/cleaning, or whatever reason.
The main problem seems to be the o-rings getting out of position during the installation of the oil pan.

If I were on your situation. I would connect an oil pressure gauge temporarily and take the car for a short drive and check the pressure while driving.

If your pressure goes way too low, then bad news, You'll have to drop the oil pan again and reseat the o-rings

I know it sucks having to do that again. But keep in mind, an engine with low or no oil pressure is NOT GOOD at all.

 

Sounds like you'll have to do what tmtalpey said.

There are several threads about people having problems with oil pressure after they removed and replaced the oil pan for servicing/cleaning, or whatever reason.
The main problem seems to be the o-rings getting out of position during the installation of the oil pan.

If I were on your situation. I would connect an oil pressure gauge temporarily and take the car for a short drive and check the pressure while driving.

If your pressure goes way too low, then bad news, You'll have to drop the oil pan again and reseat the o-rings

I know it sucks having to do that again. But keep in mind, an engine with low or no oil pressure is NOT GOOD at all.

If the o rings got out of position, wouldn't my issue have occurred almost immediately after I installed the new pan seals, etc? That was around 3 months ago. I feel like that issue would have come up almost immediately if the o rings were not seated properly, I even triple checked to make sure they were staying in place before fully seating the pan.

I'll definitely monitor the pressure. I'll probably do this with VIDA to see what it is seeing.

Are there two different oil pickup tubes? Mine is an 06 so would it be an older style pickup tube?

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I think if it ran fine for 3 months, then it's rare for the o-rings to fail.

But. if you can't find what's wrong, then I guess you'll have to drop the pan again to check in there.

The way I see this is: Either Replace the oil pressure sensor and hopefully is just that. Or connect a oil pressure gauge and check it while driving.

 

Where am I able to connect an oil pressure gauge at? I didn't think there was a good location on our cars, but I might be wrong

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you can connect it to where the oil pressure sensor connects to. you may have to use a Tee fitting. I've never done this. maybe you can find more info in the C30 section since they are a more performance focused group

 

VIDA says to connect the oil pressure gauge where the oil sensor connects to.

If you have VIDA it's in the "Information" tab -> Repair -> "Cleaning, Inspection and Adjustment" -> Function group 220 -> Oil pressure test

 

Can I leave the oil pressure sensor disconnected or do I need a T to connect both?

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It says to leave the sensor disconnected, The Tee fitting was an idea to connect both at the same time.

Here's the VIDA procedure: VIDA Oil pressure test

 

IMO it's not the sender. Switch doesn't care about corners and slosh. VIDA doesn't either.

Again. Drop the pan. And, before a bearing runs dry.

 

What would cause an issue like that to show up though? Especially after I dropped the pan several months ago and cleared everything out? Wouldn't this have come up pretty soon thereafter if something was wrong then?

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Mine was coming on especially if I labored the engine (6-speed manual) and was getting worse over time. The engine otherwise ran great and the oil level was good (5W30 and 10W30). I changed the oil pressure sensor and the problem has been gone for a few years now.

 

It does seem to come on when I'm going harder on the motor, but it's almost always happened when I'm using the "manual" mode in the Geartronic.

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If stumped, try replacing the sensor. The sensors are about $25 for a genuine Volvo or about $5 for aftermarket. They are easy to replace once you get the air filter box out of the way. Mine happened to be bad and it saved me much worry and grief.

 

I think this is what I'll do first. Against many recommendations I've still been driving the car and haven't had any issues with the light coming back on even in similar situations. No DTCs yet either. I'll probably still replace it as preventative measures.

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If you lose oil pressure, the only “DTC” you’ll be able to see, will be stored in your oil pan in form of metal flakes.


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If you lose oil pressure, the only "DTC" you'll be able to see, will be stored in your oil pan in form of metal flakes.

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I get that. I'm just saying I don't think it's something with the pan. I'm going to keep an eye on it as well as my oil (going to drain a bit and check it out). I'd really rather not have to drop the pan again but if I have to then I will. I appreciate everyone's input though as this problem is strange

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Sorry for being a little bit rude, but I think it’s not worth risking a good running car until you figure out the cause of this problem.


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Sorry for being a little bit rude, but I think it's not worth risking a good running car until you figure out the cause of this problem.

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Yeah I agree. I don't have to drive the car for the next week or so so it's going to sit but when I'm back I plan on looking further into this. It's just hard because the light is so intermittent that I can't exactly narrow down the cause of it without dropping the pan.

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If you follow the exact VIDA procedure, yes.

If you add a T fitting then no.

I would try the VIDA procedure first. You'll need somebody on the car to move the accelerator pedal. And since you're already there get a new oil pressure sensor.

If the oil pressure on the gauge is normal, and you still have the intermittent light, that could be an electrical problem.

If you want to drive the car, i guess you would need an extension hose for the gauge.

Or a very brave friend:

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Got it.

Also- that picture?!? If you guys see an article on the news that looks just like that... it's probably me [emoji51][emoji23]

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I would not suggest a T- fitting, it can potentially change the reading, and it should be temporary!

If you insist, then put the gauge on a straight through leg, and the sensor on the 90. Don't run any extra tubing.

 

Question, if nobody here knows I can try to find it in VIDA, But what would a "normal" oil pressure reading be on the 2.4i motor? Again I can try to dig it up in Vida if nobody knows. I know it's above 7psi for the light to not be on (per a post in this thread).

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Air, debris, you name it. It might be accurate, but you don't want guessing.

I'm not sure if there's a factory spec, but IMO on a Volvo engine (exceptionally well-made) you want to see 20+ psi at idle and double that at higher rpm. If you see 7psi on a cold engine, you are in trouble. Heck, if you see it on a hot engine, you have an issue.

 

I am not sure why you found sludge in your oil pan. If there was sludge in the bottom of the pan, there could be sludge somewhere else in the engine, and that might be the cause of intermittent low oil pressure warning. My 2005 S60 gets an oil change at 3000 mile intervals, and I have no reason to think that there is sludge anywhere in the engine. However, the 10,000 mile oil change interval does have an environmental benefit, since there is less waste oil generated. It also reduces maintenance cost. If my car had the low oil pressure warning, and yet the dipstick indicated the oil level is OK, I would suspect some problem with the oil pickup mechanism.

 

I believe the PO might have gone longer without oil changes and without changing the PCV, so there was some crud buildup in the tubes where PCV gasses flow from the pan. That's all the sludge was, and I cleared it out and it looks good now. I now do oil changes between 5-7k miles and use full synthetic. The oil pickup mechanism and tube was completely fine when I checked it.

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I found the oil pressure specifications on VIDA, it seems this applies only for 2.4 and 2.4i engines (B5244S4 , B5244S5 & B5244S7)

Oil pressure (min.)

13.3 r/s (800 rpm) ........0.10 Mpa¹ (14.5 psi)
14.2 r/s (850 rpm) ........0.10 Mpa¹ (14.5 psi)
66.7 r/s (4000 rpm) .......0.35 Mpa¹ (50.8 psi)
Maximum oil pressure (the relief valve opens) ........0.48 Mpa¹ (69.6 psi)
¹The oil pressure given is for an oil temperature of 100 °C, which is reached after 10-15 minutes driving.

 

Awesome, thanks very much. I'll try to get out to harbor freight this weekend and pickup the gauge, damn airbox is gonna be a PITA to remove so maybe I'll just build a custom air intake while I'm at it so I don't have to put the damn thing back in. Thank you all for all the help, I'll keep you posted on my findings.

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You may not need to remove the air box, you can access the sensor from under the car



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You may not need to remove the air box, you can access the sensor from under the car

This.

 

Do you know if the prior owner ran conventional and never let the car cool off before shutting down?

Originally these cars were spec'd to run conventional...

 

I can check my maintenance records I got from them, I believe they were running whatever was recommended in the manual/by Volvo as a lot of the original maintenance was done by a Volvo dealership.

Wouldnt full synthetic be better at such a high mileage?

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Getting under the car will be hard for me currently as I’m away at school and don’t have any ramps/good jack etc. I’ve been looking at buying a set of rhino ramps though to keep at my apartment in case I ever need to do basic work like oil changes while I’m up here.

I’ll try to see what I can do because if I can avoid removing the airbox I’m all for it, it’s a pita to get out. I’ll also go ahead and order a new oil switch just to replace while I’m under there for good measure, especially if the pressures do seem normal.


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You can get a pair of 2-ton jack stands for ~$25 and a 2-ton trolley jack for -$30 at walmart.

That’s what I’ve been using for the last 3 years.

The jack stands work perfect and gave me no problems at all.

The trolley jack, well..... It leaks oil and after 2.5 years it wasn’t raising the car enough to fit the jackstand (it had very low oil), I refilled it with rotella 10w-40 heavy duty diesel oil and now works like a charm. It still leaks a little bit of oil though.





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You can get a pair of 2-ton jack stands for ~$25 and a 2-ton trolley jack for -$30 at walmart.

That's what I've been using for the last 3 years.

The jack stands work perfect and gave me no problems at all.

The trolley jack, well..... It leaks oil and after 2.5 years it wasn't raising the car enough to fit the jackstand (it had very low oil), I refilled it with rotella 10w-40 heavy duty diesel oil and now works like a charm. It still leaks a little bit of oil though.

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The biggest problem is storing them. Rhino ramps are really light and easy to carry into my apartment whereas a trolley jack well... that's another story! Next year though I'll have more of a proper way to store these types of things. My apartment is just small and I have no garage etc.

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I'm in the same situation.

And what you see there are 4 jackstands 1 trolley jack, 4 hockey pucks and 2 wheel chocks. They all fit in a small archive cabinet.

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Okay maybe I can do it.... lol. Being in college sucks as a car guy because I have a lot of time to work on my car, but no good place to do it unless I want to drive 2 hours back to my parents... the struggles!

If I do end up taking out the airbox, I assume it's a straight shot to the oil pressure sensor? If I remember correctly last time we changed it (4-5 years back) we went from the bottom, so I assume it's right behind it?

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