4 SYMPTOMS OF A BAD OIL PUMP
purpose
The purpose of the oil pump is to circulate engine oil from the oil pan throughout the engine to help lubricate moving parts. This helps to keep the heat down and prevent corrosion.
location
The location of the oil pump will usually be behind the timing chain cover towards the bottom or under the oil pan.
symptoms
check engine light
The first symptom of a bad oil pump is having the check engine light on your dashboard. You could get a P0524 code, indicating low oil pressure.
Ensure you can access your car's diagnostic codes by acquiring an OBD2 scanner here.
You can still have a failing oil pump with no check engine light, so let's move on to the next symptom.
Low oil pressure
The second symptom of a bad oil pump is noticing the oil gauge on low oil pressure. The purpose of the oil pump is to circulate oil throughout the engine. If it fails, it won’t be able to pressurize the system, resulting in low oil pressure.
Engine noise
The third symptom of a bad oil pump is hearing an engine noise. This could happen due to a lack of lubrication. As a result, it will create metal-on-metal contact between moving parts, which is why you can hear an engine noise.
no start
The fourth symptom of a bad oil pump is a no-start. You’ll crank the engine but nothing happens. This doesn't occur in all cars, but some newer models can have this issue. If the engine senses low oil pressure, the engine control module (ECM) will create a no-start until the issue is fixed. This is a safety feature to prevent increased engine damage.
A quick tip is to make sure the engine oil level in your car is where it needs to be. Low oil levels can replicate the symptoms discussed above, and most of the time all you need is to simply add oil.
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