I have a question about the effects of driving on low oil. I recently aquired a 92 Crown Vic from a familiy member. The car runs (and looks) great, considering that it has 210,000 miles. (Heck, it's still on its first tranny!) The engine is a bit newer than the car, as it was swapped out under warranty at around 50,000 as the original was burning oil.
Anyhow, I recently noticed that when the car is suddenly stopped (this has happened twice), the oil light would come on very briefly (it would stay on for 1/2 sec to 1 sec then go back off). I dismissed it as an errant sensor; the entire electronics cluster is a bit screwy on this car -- even the gas gauge is known to jump around a bit.
I had the oil changed today, and the report noted that the oil level was "off stick". Not good! I've driven the car around a good couple of thousand miles since I aquired it, and I doubt that the low oil level is a new occurance (it doesn't leak). I guess the oil light was from the low oil level; whenever I braked, the little bit of oil that was in there probably pooled away from the pump intake, dropping the pressure for a moment and tripping the light. The car usually takes 5
1/2 quarts or so.I haven't noticed any change in the way the engine sounds or performs. (I knew how it performed before I aquired it). What's the likelyhood that I've done some damage?
Thanks!
-Ryan remove "NO" and "SPAM" for email replies