What are the symptoms of a faulty oil pump in a vehicle?
2 Answers
Symptoms of a faulty oil pump in a vehicle include: 1. The engine emits a sharp noise; 2. The engine warning light turns on; 3. The exhaust pipe emits a large amount of black smoke; 4. The oil pressure gauge shows excessively low pressure; 5. Severe engine vibration; 6. Difficulty starting the car, requiring prolonged turning of the key. The function of the oil pump is to pressurize the oil from the oil pan and deliver it to the oil filter and various lubrication channels to lubricate the main moving components of the engine. Causes of oil pump damage are: 1. Use of inferior or incorrect type of oil; 2. Long-term failure to replace the oil filter; 3. Insufficient oil quantity leading to reduced cooling efficiency of the oil pump, causing severe overheating and damage to the internal circuits.
A broken oil pump is serious trouble – I've been through it myself. It started with the oil warning light on the dashboard staying on constantly, flashing red to indicate low pressure. Then the engine noise became extremely loud, like a metallic grinding sound, and the car lost power, struggling especially on hills. The temperature also spiked, with the high-temperature warning light likely coming on due to increased friction heat from insufficient lubrication. If you keep driving, at best fuel consumption will increase, and at worst the engine could seize up and be ruined. That repair cost me a lot of money. I recommend stopping immediately to check the oil level, and leave pump replacement to professionals – don't ignore these warning signs.
