Hi ALL!

I have a '97 GT Wgn,with the DOHC 2.5.

Last night I went out to my normal watering hole for a beer and some pool. Were I go the road is hilly. So I drove up this continuos grade that runs for about a half mile, then you have to stop, then I take a very short left here, then stop again. Well right in here my Oil Light comes ON! I've never seen an oil light come on in the 33 years of driving, I change my own oil for that many etc. I changed my oil about 3 months ago, which is about 2500 miles in this case. Well.... were I was going is only a few hundred feet more, and I DIDN"T hear that clicking, clacking of the valve train going dry!! So I parked, slight incline, checked oil.....NOTHING on stick. Of course I checked right after stopping, no time for oil really to settle! ANYHOW.... I carry oil with me, I only had a 1/4 of a quart, restarted car, oil light STILL on! I went into bar, asked around, some people carry oil in there vehicles, maybe I could "borrow" a quart! Nope, no luck there! Anyhow some wonderfull woman who I hardly know lent me here newish Hyndai Sonata so I could drive to the nearest market, were I got 3 quarts of oil! I returned shortly, put 1 quart in, oil on stick...now slightly over full!

So...what gives??? NO clicking, clacking, was it just an anomaly!? I drove home, it's about 12 miles no problems!!

 

Any ideas?

SubeeTed

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say your engine was low on oil. Probably about a quart.

Well that's not much of a limb!

I have been down a quart and MORE, still never seen that light go on!:-\

So is the oil light out now? Your original post doesn't say. It's been my experiece that if the oil isn't showing on the stick at all,it's quite a bit more than just a quart low.

 

I think it's nothing to worrie about,except keep an eye on your oil level. I check mine all the time. I mean like every day sometimes and my legacy runs perfect. I still check it all the time.

Light went off after that quart. I've been doing alot of running around lately, unfortunatly I didn't take that minute simply just to check my oil!

I've heard many people seen nothing on that stick, then come back in a while, and have found it full. I guess there is a Subee stick mistique!

Combination of being about a quart low as well as a slight incline could result in no oil on the stick.

 

Oil dipstick is a bit tricky. Line on the dipstick marked full indicates normal oil level just after turning the engine off (say a few minutes after while you're getting gas at the gas station). The notch in the dipstick just above the oil full line is where the oil level would normally show after letting the car sit overnight on a level driveway. I got this information from a Subaru mechanic with 25+ years of service on Subarus.

Don't forget, the oil lamp is triggered by oil PRESSURE not oil volume. If your oil pressure sensor was working properly, your engine may have been starved of oil. I would look into it a bit. Oil pump starting to go? Insufficient lubrication is an engine killer.

DRAIN the oil, and MEASURE the quantity.

I think that this is the ONLY way to tell how much oil you really have in the sump.

 

And then proceed from there....

SCARE is ON!

I just went out to visit friends, about ten miles away. No problems out. But on return,Oil Light went on, basically stayed on! It tries going off with RPM. I have planty of oil in car. It doesn't do any clicking and clacking as if out of oil or pressure! Does burn any out the tail pipe, no leaks!

Could a sensor go bad? Can you see our here if oil pump isn't working well?? How can you check oil pressure otherwise?

HELp !!

SubeeTed

It could very well be the oil pump going. Don't drive the car until you diagnose the problem. When you hear "clicking and clanking" it's too damn late, your engine has been damaged. Just a brief lapse in lubrication can cause irreversable piston ring wear.

 

Don't assume it's the oil pressure sensor. It probably isn't.

Not the answer I wanted to hear, but what I thought!

It also answers "can I drive it question" !?

Thanks, SubeeTed

Don't drive it, the 2.5's are susceptible to spinning rod bearings, and you're probably starving the bearings for oil. That pressure sender turns on the light at like 3-5 psi, normal at idle should be at least 15, and off idle it should be up around 30.

 

The most common reason for this is the phillips head screws that hold the plate onto the back of the oil pump backing out.

 

You need to pull the crank pully, timing belt, sprocket and oil pump out, then remove and clean the screws, and loctite them when you put it back together. I don't remember if you use fujibond between the plate and the pump, but you do use it between the pump and the block. Make sure to replace the o-rings that seal it to the oil gallaries.

 

The other possibilty is if your oil pan is crushed from bottoming out on things, that can block the pickup screen and starve the pump. The 0 ring between the pickup tube and the block rarely fails, so I wouldn't think that would be your problem.

Hi ALL and thanks!

It's time for my timing belt to be replaced. I also need a serpatine belt. So I have an SAE mechanic buddy that has Subee experience that'll do it all! What do you think of these parts guys,importexperts ? I've heard only good things about them here! I'de like to have them put a package together including EVERYTHING! Oil, water pumps, idlers, Belts, thermastat, Oil seal etc. Do I really need an idler?

Many thanks to ALL!!

SubeeTed

 

 

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Timing-Belt-Kit-Subaru-Legacy-2-5-1996-1997-Complete-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem53dc73d25bQQitemZ360180863579QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

Yes, you need the idler pullys. The bearings fail with remarkable regularity and if you're lucky the timing belt only jumps 1 tooth. If your not, well, pulling the heads to replace the valves is a little more expensive than replacing the 3 idlers and 1 tensioner.

 

You probably don't need a new oil pump, just the screws tightened on the one you have.

 

I've used the importexperts before, reuse the subaru bolts, the ones that come with their kit are garbage.

I have a friend that had a very similar situation with his 99 forester. We pulled the oil pum and resealed it and the problem has been gone. Easy fix. No need to buy a new pump.

Stupid question about the Oil Pump on my 2.5 DOHC ! It IS external correct? Not in the oil pan?

When you get down to the timing belt, it is behind the main crank pulley for the timing belt. It is external and held on by a few small bolts. Not a bad job really.