Hi everyone, and thanks for reading this post by a newbie. I'll keep it as concise as I can, but I'm aware it may wander into the TL;DR category.
Some notes before I begin:
1. I DID read the "idle problems" posts stickied here, but they were either not describing my problem, or I simply didn't understand them (more on this later).
2. I'm not mechanically-oriented; in fact, I have a knack for making things worse. Further, I'm new to the scene and I don't understand many of the abbreviations used. Last but not least, my native tongue is Turkish and I will have to relate any recommendations here to my mechanic in a mechanically-intelligible Turkish, which makes things a bit harder.
3. Finally, I'm not that knowledgeable about the names of parts or Brit vs. US terminology, so I'll try being clear about them.
Here's the problem: I own a 1997 9000 CSE 2.0 LPT with approx. 165K miles on it. Starting last month, I noticed that the oil lamp comes on when the engine is at normal temp., and only at idle. We cleaned the oil pan (sump, whatever);it did have sludge and little parts belonging to the timing chain rails (they made noise before, when the engine was cold, but had grown silent since a while; I guess this is why). We replaced the oil press. sensor. Nothing has changed. The lamp begins to illuminate (blink) when the engine is growing warmer at idle, especially when the fan comes on, and after it has reached full operating temp. it stays permanently lit. Increasing the RPM to only slightly above idle (approx. 925-950 RPM) clears the issue. Do note that the oil pump was taken out and cleaned, but it has streaks and scratches on it. There is significant oil leakage from god knows where in the engine, although lack of oil is not an issue. The head gasket and cam cover gasket were replaced some time ago.
The second issue is with idle. This too happens when the engine is hot, but more so when the engine is switched off, and then back on after a short while (actual example: I drive 200 miles at 75 MPH, stop at a gas station. No problem when idling. I stop the engine to refuel, and when I restart it 5 mins later, the issue begins). The idle control valve has been swapped out with a new one, and the DI cassette was changed with a used (but presumably working) one. The problem cleared momentarily, but reappeared after a short while. We put the old ICV in with the new DIC, problem persisted. All old parts went back on, the problem disappeared, but resurfaced later. It sounds like one of the cylinders is misfiring or something, and is strong enough to make the car stutter up until 2000 RPM in first gear (auto); it clears after that. Do note that the mechanic adjusted something with a wrench and a scredriver to make the engine idle a little fast, hoping that this would clear the oil lamp issue (it didn't).
I'm simply looking for a solution that doesn't involve the replacement of the timing chain assy., the balance chain assy., the oil pump and the DIC. Only the parts cost when shopped online is running to a total of 700$, and I simply can't afford that.
So any help would be appreciated greatly. Just remember to keep it simple. :cheesy:
Some notes before I begin:
1. I DID read the "idle problems" posts stickied here, but they were either not describing my problem, or I simply didn't understand them (more on this later).
2. I'm not mechanically-oriented; in fact, I have a knack for making things worse. Further, I'm new to the scene and I don't understand many of the abbreviations used. Last but not least, my native tongue is Turkish and I will have to relate any recommendations here to my mechanic in a mechanically-intelligible Turkish, which makes things a bit harder.
3. Finally, I'm not that knowledgeable about the names of parts or Brit vs. US terminology, so I'll try being clear about them.
Here's the problem: I own a 1997 9000 CSE 2.0 LPT with approx. 165K miles on it. Starting last month, I noticed that the oil lamp comes on when the engine is at normal temp., and only at idle. We cleaned the oil pan (sump, whatever);it did have sludge and little parts belonging to the timing chain rails (they made noise before, when the engine was cold, but had grown silent since a while; I guess this is why). We replaced the oil press. sensor. Nothing has changed. The lamp begins to illuminate (blink) when the engine is growing warmer at idle, especially when the fan comes on, and after it has reached full operating temp. it stays permanently lit. Increasing the RPM to only slightly above idle (approx. 925-950 RPM) clears the issue. Do note that the oil pump was taken out and cleaned, but it has streaks and scratches on it. There is significant oil leakage from god knows where in the engine, although lack of oil is not an issue. The head gasket and cam cover gasket were replaced some time ago.
The second issue is with idle. This too happens when the engine is hot, but more so when the engine is switched off, and then back on after a short while (actual example: I drive 200 miles at 75 MPH, stop at a gas station. No problem when idling. I stop the engine to refuel, and when I restart it 5 mins later, the issue begins). The idle control valve has been swapped out with a new one, and the DI cassette was changed with a used (but presumably working) one. The problem cleared momentarily, but reappeared after a short while. We put the old ICV in with the new DIC, problem persisted. All old parts went back on, the problem disappeared, but resurfaced later. It sounds like one of the cylinders is misfiring or something, and is strong enough to make the car stutter up until 2000 RPM in first gear (auto); it clears after that. Do note that the mechanic adjusted something with a wrench and a scredriver to make the engine idle a little fast, hoping that this would clear the oil lamp issue (it didn't).
I'm simply looking for a solution that doesn't involve the replacement of the timing chain assy., the balance chain assy., the oil pump and the DIC. Only the parts cost when shopped online is running to a total of 700$, and I simply can't afford that.
So any help would be appreciated greatly. Just remember to keep it simple. :cheesy: