Oil pump

BETTYS

MEMBER
CHEVROLET CORSICA

I have a 1989 corsica, 2.8 liter 6 cylinder with 110,000 miles - have had the car several years and have alwauys noticed a lot of engine vibration - this morning there was a strange noise coming from the engine which got progressively worse - I only drove about a mile and when I checked the oiil there was none showing on the dipstick - I added two quarts of oil and the dipstick read full - I drove the car to a local mechanic - the car sounded like it wasnt running on all cylinders - who said the oil pump wasnt working when I brought the car in but then it started working and that I should start looking for a new car as the damage had already been done - I didnt tell them about just adding the oil - I drove the car home and it seems normal - it has an oil pressure gauge which reads 40 when idling and 60 when driving - is it possible that the oil pump just took a while to start working after I added the oil? And since all of this transpired over a few hours time and only a few miles of driving that the damage done isnt life-threatening?
thanks in advance for your input!

1 Reply

MHPAUTOS

MECHANIC
31,938 POSTS

Hi there,

where did the oil go in the first place? Thats the question I would be asking. If the engine is using huge amounts of oil ther is a problem brewing, running it so low on oil that it starts nocking is a real worry and a sure sign that things will get worse rather than better. Best to get it serviced and use an oil flush if the oil has not been changed for some time. Just topping up all the time is as bad as never doing a full service as the acids that build up and attack the bearings are never fulley removed. An oil pump wont stop working and then start again, that would be a faulty oil pressure relife valve causing that loss of oil pressure. Keep a close eye on the oil pressure and temp, but don't be supprised if things start to go down hill.

Mark (mhpautos)