What is the first sign of engine oil pressure failure ?

[Birkin S3 ZA.]

This was a question in our 2nd year City & Guilds exam, who thinks they Know the answer

 

Chris.

[Bob L]

The needle drops to zero?

[revilla]

The bank account drops to zero? Oh no, that's the second sign, if you don't notice the first

[Klunk]

Probably something vague like the engine warning light comes on! 😔

 

At a guess, the first thing is probably the coolant temp rising followed by cam/lifter rattle, bottom end knock and then your engine leaving the car in pieces via the block/sump

 

 

[andy_h]

I'd go for gauge or warning light.

Then temp rising

Possible oil slick at same time.

 

 

[Guest]

Drop in performance from your soon to be seized engine?

 

Tom

[Birkin S3 ZA.]

Non of the answers are right yet

Keep trying

[charlie_pank]

Well apart from the obvious gauge reading low; tappet noise?

[Stationary M25 Traveller]

Rattle .... smoke .... bang

[revilla]

"engine oil pressure failure" sounds like unusual wording ... are you sure you didn't mean to put "engine oil pressure GAUGE failure" ... in which case people might go for rather different answers?

[Roger King]

What a stupid question!

 

The answer could be any number of things from rising water temperature to loss of power depending on the circumstances and the cause of the fault.

[John Vine]

Quoting Roger King: 

What a stupid question!

 

The answer could be any number of things from rising water temperature to loss of power depending on the circumstances and the cause of the fault.

Indeed. Maybe the answer will prove to be as stupid.

 

I'm always suspicious when an examiner poses a question containing a phrase like "engine oil pressure failure", where three out of the four nouns are modifiers. That's a recipe for ambiguity. In the technical authoring world, that usage is often described as "noun modifier pile-up syndrome".

 

JV

[Guest]

I'll say low oil level on the dipstick, noisy oil pump or difficulty starting engine/appearance of flat battery.

 

Bob

[Stijn LUYCK 1]

It suddenly stops leaking oil onto the garage floor ....

[Mick Day]

Engine is reluctant to idle &/or idle speed is lower than usual.

[Piers Rendell]

By analyising the oil , you will see increases in bearing materials and other wear metals.

 

 

Piers

R30oKWK

[malcolm1sim]

At the first corner following failure you hit the wall very hard, backwards.

[Birkin S3 ZA.]

Well SM25 is the closest 😶‍🌫️

The answer was bearing failure/ engine knock, out of 25 students none of us got it right.

There reasoning was the white metal coating is designed to melt with oil starvation leading to engine knock, then the crank can be saved and the bearings replaced.

 

I think the person who wrote the question spent his days casting and scraping white metal bearings, the question and answer would then be relevant then but not in 1977.

Chris

[Stationary M25 Traveller]

[John Vine]

Quoting Birkin S3 ZA.: 

I think the person who wrote the question spent his days casting and scraping white metal bearings, the question and answer would then be relevant then but not in 1977

Was the question set in 1977, then? Is that when you sat the exam?

 

JV

[Birkin S3 ZA.]

Yes John I sat my exams in 1977 and 1979 at Moston Collage.

Chris.

[Z3MCJez]

Quoting Birkin S3 ZA.: 

Well SM25 is the closest 😶‍🌫️

The answer was bearing failure/ engine knock, out of 25 students none of us got it right.

There reasoning was the white metal coating is designed to melt with oil starvation leading to engine knock, then the crank can be saved and the bearings replaced.

 

I think the person who wrote the question spent his days casting and scraping white metal bearings, the question and answer would then be relevant then but not in 1977.

Chris

 

The first sign is bearing failure. Brilliant - that's useful. Full engine rebuild / replacement required. I would have thought low oil level or leaking oil would have been a better *FIRST* sign.

 

Jez