spitfires
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: [spitfire-enthusiast] oil pressure light

To: spitfires@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: [spitfire-enthusiast] oil pressure light
From: Michael Hargreave Mawson <OC@46thFoot.com>
Date: Wed, 13 Mar 2002 10:33:18 +0000
In article <20020313094248.24814.qmail@web9607.mail.yahoo.com>, John 
Hobson <goalie_john@yahoo.co.uk> writes
>I took Saskia for the commute into work today and for a drive lst night.
>She seemed to be fine except for the slightly annoying exhaust barking at
>3000rpm +, good for drawing attention to Saskia though!
>
>When I got back and she was sat on the drive and idling at 1200 I blipped
>the gas pedal and the revs dropped to 800rpm (the correct idle).  I'm
>sure that I have seen posts in the past that have had a similar problem
>to this, but can't remember how this was fixed, can anyone remind me?

Carly suffered from this for a long time, and nothing I did managed to 
solve the problem - indeed it just got gradually worse - until the whole 
engine was taken out, stripped, rebuilt and put back.   I had been 
convinced that it was a carburettor problem, but the carbs weren't 
touched (except for retuning) during the rebuild.
>
>Slightly more worrying was that at 1200rpm the oil warning light
>flickers, and at 1000rpm and below it stays on permanently.  This does
>not sound like a good thing to me.  Any thoughts on what this could be?
>Could a low oil viscosity cause this?  I am not sure what grade of oil
>the garage used.

It certainly didn't happen to Carly after her engine rebuild, and I 
would imagine that both your garage and mine would have used the 
recommended running-in oil.   I presume that you have checked the oil 
level and it is midway between "Low" and "High"?   If you are lucky, it 
will just be a duff sensor.   Try putting a new one in, and see if you 
experience the same symptoms.   If you do, then I would suggest that you 
take Saskia back to the garage that did your engine swap and ask them to 
investigate, as it may well be the result of something they did (or 
didn't do).

I didn't comment on your loud exhaust note at 3,000 rpm, because I 
didn't have a clue about it, but this was not a symptom I noticed after 
Carly's engine rebuild.   Mind you, she had had a new exhaust system and 
new manifold gaskets before the engine was stripped.   What I did (and 
still do) notice is that when you are running in with a maximum engine 
speed of 3,000 rpm, the engine clatters a little at that speed, but it 
gradually gets quieter over time.   When you move up to 3,500 rpm max., 
the same thing happens, and the same again at 4,000 rpm (which is where 
I am at the moment).   I presume (hope) that this is just a function of 
the running in process.

ATB

-- 
Mike
Michael Hargreave Mawson, author of "Eyewitness in the Crimea"
http://www.greenhillbooks.com/booksheets/eyewitness_in_the_crimea.html

///  spitfires@autox.team.net mailing list
///  or try  http://www.team.net/cgi-bin/majorcool


<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
  • Re: [spitfire-enthusiast] oil pressure light, Michael Hargreave Mawson <=