oil light comes on at idle

[firemanshort]

My idiot oil light comes on at idle.

It goes off when the engine revs just a little.

Is my engine about to blow up or do I need to increase the idle speed a little?

-Firemanshort

[foggydave]

There should be enough pressure on idle to extinguish the light , on my motor even if I stall the engine it is a few seconds before the green light comes on.

It could be a few things

Pressure sensor not reading correctly or faulty connection ie bad earth
Very low oil levels
Oil pump loosing efficiency

Disregard this at your peril the V8 needs a lot of oil and at the right pressure as it has a long way to go, and servicing the oil pump could be a lot cheaper than replacing big ends etc as soon as you crack the engine up the oil should be circulating any delay in this means the engine is wearing faster so just by increasing the idle revs is sort of burying your head in the sand

[jonnyboy]

IIRC this can be a sign of worn main crankshaft bearings.

A few things worth checking, try to replace the presure switch. I would hope they are resonably cheap even over the water.

Remove the bottom of the oil pump and see its its badly scored. If its not to deep you can rub it down with some wet & dry stuck to a flat surface.

Remove the sump and pull one of the main or big end bearings to see if the shells are worn. If they are scored or the white metal is worn away it will allow more oil to flow through thus dropping the presure when the pump isnt turn very fast.

On a side note I have just been having a look at your website and it looks like the engine that was attached the gearbox you got the overdrive off now resides in my garage. I have had a few bits of Mike in the past.

[firemanshort]

Too funny that you know the gearbox's mated engine....

I will look into those things - starting with the easier of them. I might switch from 30wt oil to 50wt. I am told that may be some of my problem.

-Firemanshort

[Bumpkin]

Dont worry about it.Ive had my Stage 1for 2 years now.(Longest ive ever had a Land Rover)Mine comes on at a low idle with my oil pressure reading about 25 Pounds when warm.Lucky to get 40 Pounds when cold.Ive just done 650 mile without missing a beat.Johnnyboy did mention cleaning up the end oil pump shaft though.
Terry