Low oil pressure

Bassmansam

Bassmansam

Bassmansam

Soldato
Joined
22 Nov 2007
Posts
4,209
Car: Citroen C1

On Sunday, the low oil pressure light came on while i was on a dual carriageway doing 50mph, immediate thought was to divert to a garage that was about 2 miles away and was near to the supermarket i was going to anyway. After two mins the light goes off and i'm thinking ok thats weird but it must be a good thing right? I drive it home 10 miles all good no problem. Yesterday i dropped my wife at the station (3 miles eachway), pulling into my road is a tight turn and after that the light comes back on( not sure if any significance?).

Parked it up (my space is on a slight slant) checked the dipstick which is dry. Spoke to a mechanic as its due for MOT next week he said put some oil in which i will try today. I don't recall hearing any loud knocking noises but i'm already thinking what if the engines knackered. Why would the light come on and then go off and be fine for about 12 miles until coming on again??

For context, i've had the car since last August after 15 years of not having one so my maintenance knowledge isn't good. I do know to check tyre pressure but beyond that..
I did have it serviced in January so i thought i was good for the year but the manual says to check oil every 3000 miles , doh!
 
Nasher said:
Usually an oil light means stop immediately or you'll destroy the engine. If there isn't an oil leak it must be burning it off for some reason. Always carry some spare oil.

These engines are usually pretty reliable. They are Toyota designed, chain driven etc.
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Na not this one, its got the Puretech 1.2 with the dodgy cambelt.
 
Nasher said:
Yea it's a Peugeot engine with a wet belt. Like the Ecoboost Fords they can start to fall apart and clogg oil passageways. If it hasn't been changed on schedule that needs doing asap and only use OEM oil.
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No idea, as i say i bought it last August and there was no service history with it( yes i know! lesson learned now) I bought some oil from Halfords , had to put in the reg number so assume its the right oil.
 
tom_e said:
How much is a slight slant? Ideally get it on level ground and check the oil before you end up overfilling it. Worst case the belt is toast and it's clogging up the oil pickup which is why you're getting the low pressure warning. Best case you've just got a very thirsty engine, not sure what the manufacturer spec on oil consumption on these is but some engines 1l per 1k miles is not unexpected.
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If it is okay i'm thinking of selling it to webuyanycar for 4k. The potential with the timing belt is enough to make me want rid of it. Its a shame becuase its a good little car, nice to drive. I wfh so just use it for driving round town and 1-2 motorway trips a month. Maybe the 1.0 version or Toyota Aygo will be more reliable.
 
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jpaul said:
so the oil was changed in January - who by, with what ?
I'd be checking it was right and potentially getting it changed anyway

eg https://frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=80847 "wet belt c1 best oil inurl:forum"
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My local branch of In n out Auto centres, the invoice says they used 5W30 C2. The oil i bought from halfords yesterday(reccomended when i put reg in) is
Castrol Magnatec Stop-Start 0W-30 C2 Oil 1L
 
Topped it up with some oil yesterday and the light was still coming on so called out a mechanic who said it needs an Oil sump/gasket replacement which he is working on now.
Thats cost me £500, i've only had it a year, already had the front brakes done(£300) , service (£200), front tyres replaced (£260). Its a right little money pit so i'm going to sell it on motorway/webuyany car.

Lesson learned, do not buy a car with a wet belt.
 
Armageus said:
Eh?
Seems pointless to get rid of it if you're bothering to fix it. If there aren't any obvious issues with the wet belt (i.e. blocked strainer) then I don't see the point in spending money and then changing.


All of which are consumables that you could pay out for on any used car. Even a brand new car is still likely going to need an annual service.

A one off £500 unexpected bill hardly screams money pit :D
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If i don't fix it ill get 2k for it according to quotes i have, if i do then I will get 4k. Seems worth it to me.
Mechanic did say the belt is starting to crack, don't fancy another big bill to fix that down the line. I wfh and only use it for small trips and the occasional motorway trip.

I'm not experienced with cars but for a car thats not essential having to spend over 1k in my first year ( not incl service) on maintenance isn't worth it for me.
 
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Raymond Lin said:
I carry 1L of oil in my boot at all times. My car burns through oil slowly over a year, I normally get the light usually after about 8 months after service. I just top it up as necessary until next service.
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I wish it was just a low oil problem as it would have been a lot cheaper to sort out! Will definitely carry oil once i get a different car.
 
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