Suzuki Alto - Oil Pump Seized?

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
View Threaded
Sat 7 Mar 2015 21:12
Suzuki Alto - Oil Pump Seized? - Rufus12

Hi,

My 2005 Suzuki Alto has been standing unused for 3 months. I drove it today and the oil light came on (started flashing at first then stayed on constantly).

The oil level was correct so I changed the oil and filter as it was nearly due an oil change anyway. I took it for a drive but the oil light stayed on. There is also some slight hesitation/misfires. Could the oil pump have seized with the car standing for a few months? If so how would I check the oil pump? The engine doesn't seem any noisier than normal.

The engine was running ok before the car was left standing. I was thinking it could just be a fauulty oil pressure switch but the hesitation/misfires makes me think there might actually be low oil pressure. Is it worth changing the spark plugs to see if this cures the misfires? The spark plugs haven't been changed for at least 60,000 miles.

I don't have a workshop manual because they are very difficult to find for this car.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 7 Mar 2015 22:45
Suzuki Alto - Oil Pump Seized? - focussed

If you drove it and it the engine survived and doesn't sound noisier than it did before it is unlikely to be a seized oil pump-given fair treatment Suzuki engines are pretty much bullet proof.

Oil switches sometimes get blocked inside the small hole which is intended to damp the pressure fluctuations

Try:-

Replace the oil pressure switch - cheaper than buying a manual gauge to check the pressure with.

Stick a set of spark plugs in it FFS they aren't supposed to last 60 k miles!!

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 7 Mar 2015 23:27
Suzuki Alto - Oil Pump Seized? - Rufus12

Thanks for the advice, I will try changing the oil pressure switch and see if the oil light goes off.

I'll change the spark plugs as well - they are probably a little bit past their best!

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 7 Mar 2015 23:46
Suzuki Alto - Oil Pump Seized? - Wackyracer

Inspect the wiring to the oil pressure switch, I once bought a Vauxhall Astra for a very cheap price due to the oil pressure light being on all the time. It was just the wire going to the Oil pressure switch had been chafed through on a heatshield and was creating a ground for the light.

I doubt the oil pump would seize, Quite possible the oil pick up strainer might have got blocked by congealing old oil.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 9 Mar 2015 21:45
Suzuki Alto - Oil Pump Seized? - Rufus12

Inspect the wiring to the oil pressure switch, I once bought a Vauxhall Astra for a very cheap price due to the oil pressure light being on all the time. It was just the wire going to the Oil pressure switch had been chafed through on a heatshield and was creating a ground for the light.

I doubt the oil pump would seize, Quite possible the oil pick up strainer might have got blocked by congealing old oil.

Thanks for the advice, it was the wiring to the oil pressure switch. Since I repaired the wiring the oil light has stayed off.

I also changed the spark plugs but the hesitation/misfiring is still happening. I've also noticed the revs jumping up and down at idle (going between 1,000 and 2,000 revs). Could these 2 faults be linked (maybe a sensor?) I've tried cleaning the throttle body but it hasn't made any difference.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 9 Mar 2015 22:22
Suzuki Alto - Oil Pump Seized? - focussed

Try cleaning the idle control valve, bolted to the throttle body - it's usually a solenoid controlled gadget on a Suzi-clicks madly when it's working properly.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Looking for a garage you can trust? Honest John's Good Garage Guide has thousands of reader recommended garages, plus how-to guides and tips on servicing.

The Good Garage Guide