Confucious

hi, I'm a newbie to this forum so please be gentle with me!

I have a 1981 924 2.0 and the other day the front part of my echaust blew (I'd had therear part replaced last month) - not sure if that has anything to do with it but later in the same journey my oil presure went.

Now when I start up the pressure is fine but after about 5 miles it drops to the point where at idle the oil light comes on but if I rev the presure rises slightly.

I asume if the presure was that low It would have siezed or something by now so is it likely to be the sensor? is it the same sensor for gauge and lights? Why does it seem OK when the engine is cold?

I am not very good with mechanical things - could I replace it myself?

Any help would be gratefully received.

Thanks

924RACR

Welcome! Sorry it couldn't be under better circumstances.

I'm guessing you don't have an owner's manual... that is (to some extent) normal. However it should only drop that low when rather hot - think idling on an off-ramp after driving 20+ miles at highway speeds, once your oil's gotten nice and hot. Lack of an oil cooler doesn't help.

But sounds like you need a rebuild, in that you'll need at least bearings down bottom. But if you're not mechanically experienced, you'd either need a rebuilt engine or someone nearby who'se got the time and know-how to help you rebuild your own.

Re-ring kits are about $380 from EBS Racing (rings, bearings, gaskets and seals).

If you do not fix this, you can expect to spin a rod bearing soon.

Time to stop in at 924board.org, post with your location. It's possible someone may be not too far away and may have a rebuilt engine or good used one that can be swapped in, even rebuilt in process (lot easier to swap bearings when the engine's out!).

sharky47

Luckily - the 2.0 engine is cheaper to work on (most of the time) and also harder to hurt (non-interference).

Confucious

Like I say - I am 90% certain that the oil pressure isn't droping that much - the engine seems fine and I would have expected major probblems by now if it was. I believe it is just the sensor - Does it just have the one sensor for the lights and the gauge?

Thanks for your replies.

MM951

Do the early 924s have an oil cooler like the n/a 944? I had the same problem..just checked the oil cooler housing bolts and perfect oil pressure now

924RACR

As I said, no, they don't have an oil cooler.

The light is on the same sender, different circuit. It only comes on below 1bar - not enough to make your engine last too long. The behaviour you describe IS normal; if you really think that's not the problem, you'd better confirm it with a mechanical gauge.