Re: Low oil pressure warning light in a car
Ok here's a great reason to change the way you do this...as you are running he engine dry of essential lubrication, waiting for the "idiot light" (yes...that is what mechanics call them) to come on and tell you that you need to shut the engine down NOW...you realize it is taking a bit longer than normal for this to happen. You start to hear a slight ticking noise, which very quickly turns to a loud tapping, and than a knock before you can get to the switch to kill the engine(pun). It is then you realize the "idiot light" bulb has burned out. "but I checked the bulbs when I turned on the ignition" you say...ok, then you realize the sending unit for that bulb has gone bad. And you, sir, have just significantly shortened the longevity of that engine. Maybe it won't sieze right then, but you DID just score the rod and main bearings. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. I dont care if you were using full synthetic, Lucas treatment, PTFE, or rat **** as an additive. You just did damage to that engine for no reason other than your own negligence. As far as you saying that your dad did it for years.....what was your dad working on? A very close tolerance micro-engineered aluminum four cylinder? Not likely. Older engines...especially domestic ones...have very loose tolerances (comparitively). Therefore they tend to have a little residual oil in the spaces created by those loose tolerances, and can take a little more abuse with less (not none, but less) damage. I bet those engines of your dad's made a little noise on cold morning start ups too. Maybe a little "octane knock" when put under hard load. Maybe puffed a tad of blue smoke here and there. What you were was exceedingly LUCKY all those times, and it finally caught up with you. I am sorry, but I have a hard time believing your half-million mile ranger. That would have to be some sort of record. Especially if it was an aluminum headed engine. The cast iron 2.3L four banger...maybe, but not likely. Not without issues. Now, all that being said, you CAN pump the oil out of an engine relatively safely by disabling the ignition, and bumping the starter a few times (without allowing it to start and run, since the ignition is disabled). But the small amount of oil captured this way is so insignificant that it is not worth the effort.
Why would you want to pump the oil out of the filter anyway? If the filter is open side up, it will all stay in there and can come out with the filter. If the filter is in any other tilted direction, all or most of the oil is going to be drained already. One more note. 75% of damage to engines is done on start up. The top of the engine has little or no oil in it after sitting even for just a few minutes. When you run it and pump the residual oil out, you are simply increasing the amount of time it takes for that new oil to get all the way trough the system, and up to your top end. That is what most of the additives on the market are for...to leave a film on the top end (valve stems, cam, cam bearings, rockers, lifters, shims, lash adjusters, cam followers, or whatever the engine has) so that at start up there is some protection. Even if you had an additive in there, you just pumped it out. Anyway, nuff said. Live n learn...hopefully.
@bruceb58...Didnt mean to reiterate exactly what you just said...I typed this up, had to leave the computer for a bit, came back, hit send, then read your post! Great minds and all that!
