Hi everyone!

So, a little background on what is going on. I bought a rebuilt engine and figured I could add some bolt ons at the same time. I have a 2009 R56 S. High flow air intake, larger fmic, IC piping resonator/noise maker delete, catless downpipe, and solid flywheel -5lbs from stock.

After getting everything put back together, and on the first test drive my low oil pressure light came on. Hooked up pressure gauge, 0 psi. Long story short, oil pump that was sent with engine was broken, replaced that. Oil light still on after warm up at idle only. Oil filter housing replaced. No change. Replaced valve cover due to crack. Runs smoother, but idles at 500 rpm and oil light still comes on once warmed up. OEM filter and full synthetic oil being used.

I'm going to use the pressure gauge again this weekend, but could my low idle be causing the OPS to set off the light?

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I've flushed the engine, and changed oil several times since this issue. I'm getting plenty of oil where it needs to be. The only original parts from the old engine are the turbo/exhaust manifold, the intake manifold/TB, and most of the sensors.

 

When that happened on my 2012 R56S, my friend told me to remove the valve cover and sort of dump the oil all over the head back and forth and side to side. I hand cranked the car so not to cause any wear on the engine. If you dont want to do that, remove the engine relay next to the ECU, then crank it.

 

What was the reason for that? Hand cranking won't create enough pressure/volume at the pump to make any difference.

 

I always do it this way after each rebuild. Sure it takes tome to build the pressure, but at least I'm not wearing anything out. Also, I can do it while the cover is off and i can see what's going on. Cranking it with the starter will creat too much pressure and shoot the oil out the engine bay..

It is your call either method is ok but the point is with how you "dump" the oil. Give it a try!

 

I always crank it over before actually starting it. It's been broken in. It's had everything involved with oil pressure removed and replaced. The one thing I'm noticing is the idle is low. Or I have something blocking the oil passage to the OPS. Engine doesn't knock, plenty of oil getting to the valvetrain. Just at my wit's end with this car, it's been a nightmare from day one. Everything that could go wrong with an R56 N14, has gone wrong.

Also, my oil filter housing looks like it has two ports for gauges, not sure which car this came from? They aren't tapped, but part of the casting.

 

 

​​​​​​Valve cover was changed last weekend, and everything looked fine in there. Plenty of oil getting to the valvetrain. No weird discoloration. No overheating. Plenty of vacuum. I was planning on trying the oil pressure gauge again, haven't got to that yet. There's only one wire that goes to the oil pressure sensor and that is fine. The light only comes on during idle after sufficiently warmed up.

Resetting the ECU, are you talking just disconnect the battery? Or give it some kind of hard reset?

 

 

I'm picking up my tools and oil pressure tester tomorrow morning. I'll try this as well. Won't hurt at this point.

 

 

Yes, gauge is plugged into OPS port. The oil pump was changed after only reading 0 psi and inspection of the pump proved it was broken. There was zero oil getting to the oil filter, valvetrain, etc. After changing the pump, oil is now reaching all components, minus the OPS, as I haven't checked that since installing new oil pump. I know, I need to get on that.

BTW, thanks for your help.

 

 

It's possible, a new sensor is never a guarantee.

Would be nice if they had a proper oil pressure gauge, especially for an engine that's picky with oil.

 

 

 

Yes!

 

Just got done trying the mechanical gauge. I'm only getting 12-16 psi. 12 at idle and 16 at 5k rpm. Going to try and feel for any blockage at the sensor port. If that doesn't work, dropping the oil pan again.

 

**Late update**

Alright, I'm still having the same problem. Oil pressure drops to zero after it warms up (gauge hooked up now). Valvetrain is still being oiled. No oil starvation noise. No knocking to indicate main bearings bad.

Could I have a crack in the cylinder head where the oil pressure sensor goes? Or worn bearings and engine builder never replaced?

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It doesn't take long to score journal when OP goes to zero, as you said it did.

You may want to pull the pan & bearing caps to inspect. You could check bearing clearance while you're there.

 

 

No weird noises. Doesn't knock, sounds the same as my wife's R56S. Have had the oil pan pulled twice, but never looked at the bearings/journals. No big metal chunks or flakes, and just changed the oil over the weekend.

Rpm Mini in Irving, TX rebuilt it, or supposedly. It's the third engine from them. First one had rod knock immediately, second catastrophic engine failure after 100 miles. This new one runs great besides it saying it has no oil pressure, which makes no sense if it isn't making noise or leaving metal pieces in the oil.

 

Did you check the oil pump screen. sometimes when timing chain guides get chewed, they end up up in there.