Zero oil pressure

[el-saturn]

.........................................anybody I know would never drive NO-WHERES without oilpressure - the dash (26R even more so) offers the vital information: NO PRESSURE or RED LIGHT ----- turn yr f.. engine OFF!!!!!!..... no stupid questions to be asked UNLESS $$$$$$$ doesn't matter: yr mechanic luvs the turnover!!! 36/4982 since 1981 sandy -- oil pressure is 99% everything!! i'm tellin' ya ------ brake pads 10x less important

[Chancer]

I disagree, even in the day the o?l pressure switches, senders and guages would often play up, in this day of poor quality repro parts its even more likely too.

It has happened to me several times but as I always have a sympathetic mechanical ear open at all times even I was pretty initially suspicious of the warning light, a few seconds at idle or after start up were all that was necessary to know that it wasnt the truth, not the whole truth, maybe partial truth, and gingerly increasing the revs a little at a time would tell me whether to cut the engine immediately or that it was safe to drive carefully with an even more acute ear on the proceedings.

Modern OHC engines with hydraulic tappets give you a much earlier indication of o?l pressure loss by what sounds like a death rattle but is in fact the hydraulic lifters compressing before the real death rattle of the crank bearings.

Again back in the day many Ford engines would Knock on start up and many unwise people did carry on driving for a long while after but it was very unwise as the damage was already done and would accelerate, I used to drive my cars like I had stolen them and it would not take long between a Knock on start up and terminal bearing wear, even then I would know when to stop and not go as far as a thrown rod but Elan owners were spirited drivers of hard revving engines, then and now it was a very expensive mistake to continue using the car if it knocked on start up or at high revs.