Rep Power: 0

Hi, I just bought a 94 Civic LX and it's got a few problems but I got it for a great price. It's at 103k miles, automatic tranny.

When I first saw and bought the car it was already warmed up; however, when I took it home and let it sit I found out that from a cold start the oil light turns on, stays solid for about 2-5 minutes, flashes for a minute or two, and then turns off entirely until the engine is cold again.

The car has sufficient oil, and it looks decently clean. The tag on the dash says it's not due for a change for another 2k miles and they used 5w-30.

When the car has been off for a bit but not long enough to cool down entirely the light only stays solid for 10 seconds to maybe a minute or two.

I am not sure what exactly could cause this, I'm thinking maybe some sensor is going bad.

Other problems that might be connected:

The engine makes a ticking noise when idling just after starting. I'm not sure if it is only when it's cold and/or idling, I need to check when it's hot but I haven't yet. Inside the car the ticking makes it sound like I'm driving a diesel truck but outside with the hood open it's much quieter. (I *think* it gets quieter after it's warm but I need to verify that.)

The transmission desperately needed a fluid change when I bought it, which I did and it doesn't seem to have changed this at all—although it shifts smoother now but I need to do another one in a month I'm told because it still shifts hard and at a higher than usual RPM unless I am very gentle on the gas.

The A/C compressor doesn't engage when I turn the AC on. I doubt this is connected at all but there you go.

Other information

I just changed the air filter and I'm told that the spark plugs are new, although the plug wires look a bit old.


I can't really think of any other pertinent information...
Thanks for any help!

 
Rep Power: 0

your oil pump might be getting old or you need to check the sensor in the back of the engine .

 
Rep Power: 0

Well I just found out the previous owner (I only bought it a week ago) changed the oil sending unit and it stopped for a bit, but started again. So I don't think it's the sensor because that wouldn't effect the light if the sensor was bad.

I've heard that the pumps almost never go bad, and that it's more likely a clogged screen, I'll look at that next.

Anyone know if there's a good way to clean the screen without dropping the pan? Or do I really need to get in there and do it by hand? If I do need to do it by hand, how does one do that?

 
Rep Power: 255

You just remove the oil pan bolts, but you will need to replace the gasket as well. Before you do that check you oil pressure sensor and make sure that is working properly. Also dont drive the car until you figure out whats wrong or you could ruin the motor.

 
Rep Power: 813

its possible the oil is too thick? hopefully he didnt put 10w30 or something crazy in there. civics take 5w30. then ofcourse at a low temp when the car is cold, the oil will not be able to flow properly if its such a heavy weight, and oil light comes on. only other thing i can think of, since the motor hasnt completely died after driving 5 minutes with low oil pressure, maybe nothing is wrong in the engine and you are just getting false readings from the sender or the sensor.

 
Rep Power: 0

Thanks for your input. The last oil change was by a Honda dealer and the tag says 5w30, so I would imagine that's accurate.

I have driven the car much over 5 minutes (the first time it came on I didn't fully understand how critical the oil light was), probably close to 150 miles since I first noticed it; and the previous owner probably put a few hundred on it since they had the oil pressure sender replaced. I figure if the oil pressure sender was replaced by Honda, it's either the sensor or some bad wire. Any ideas on what to check next and how? I'm pretty new to the oil pressure system.

 
Rep Power: 813

check the pressure sensor, if its cheap enough just replace it. could actually be a mechanical issue like the oil pump slowly going out, but still making barely enough pressure to keep the engine working. it obviously has to work harder when oil is cold, so maybe thats the problem. try the cheap stuff first, then look into replacing the pump or cleaning the screen.