A co-grandparent of mine, an antique trader who does a lot of miles, has an ex-fleet 1998 Focus diesel with about 100k miles on it. While she was away recently her son would go and start the car once a week or so, and on one occasion used it to come to London (from East Anglia) and back.
On the last of these occasions he noticed that the oil light had come on, although the dipstick level was apparently not low. He drove the car and it drove normally, about 10 miles. On her return from holiday she too noticed the oil warning light (pressure I would think) and also drove the car, then without checking the oil level added more oil and overfilled it. She then took it to her local garage, a village outfit she has used for years, and they drained some of the oil out again. She asked them to find out why the light was on. They kept the car for a month or so, changing the oil pump and having, they said, to wait for a special Ford tool to do some part of the job. The bill was £800 and they said the work was 'guaranteed'.
Since then the car has broken down twice. First time they replaced the battery. Now it has 'stopped working' again. She has stopped the £800 cheque and asked them to fix the car again, but is now apparently in dispute with the garage.
Can't say I'm surprised actually. Could all this hassle merely result from a stuck or malfunctioning pressure switch? Seems quite likely to me. But what can the poor lady do? She's not rich.
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i have heard of oil pump failures on these twice now , one of them the ford dealer had the car 2 weeks, a battery can go at anytime, and the 2nd none start, well, how can we say?
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Replacing the oil pressure sensor is the cheapest and easiest option to try first. Have had the same problem, and a new sensor was all that was required.
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When an oil light comes on and the level is OK the first port of call is the pressure switch however a car should not be driven 10 yards, yet alone 10 miles and more with the light on in case the light is on due to a pump or related oil supply failure.
It is surely rather like ignoring the fuel light and wondering why the car cuts out though with rather more serious consequences for the wallet.
Mods: I suggest the thread title is amended to "Consequeneces of ignoring a warning light" or similar and perhaps the thread should be moved to technical.
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I hope you don't think I need to be told these things cheddar!
I was told the story in the hope that I would have something useful to say. Naturally I was appalled by the casual way they had behaved, but then I've done some fairly awful things myself in my time. ..
It is possible of course that the oil pump job was done properly, although I have to say the bill sounded pretty damn steep for a Ford oil pump. The lady in question as I said covers a lot of miles, but I don't think she understands cars at all. Since my own information is second or third hand, the whole thing is too vague to go in technical queries. We may be talking bad garage and we may be talking uncomprehending punter. Or both.
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I hope you don't think I need to be told these things cheddar!
No reflection on you m'Lud, I am not shooting the messenger, rather that changing the thread title to "Consequeneces of ignoring a warning light" or similar would help it be a warning to all.
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So battery gone - nothing to do with original problem
now its stopped working - anything to do with orginal problem?
more to the point any ground for withholding the cheque? I cant see any
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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