Oil light came on. Added oil. Now car will not start

MSPAAP

MEMBER
1999 LEXUS RX 300
200,000 MILES

Lexus fixed sludge issue in my 1999 Lexus 4 yrs ago. I was driving the other day. Oil light ame on. It was low almost 2 quarts. Added 2. Drove down the street. Oil light came back on. Car was losing pressure. Had it towed to mechanic who cannot work on it due to back problems. It was making light noise by oil pan area and had a small leak but I kept only synthetic oil in it every 3 mos. The mechanic said all I needed to do was watch the oil level and to come drive it home but next morning he called and said my car will not start.

Any idea whether it's oil pump locked or if I need new engin

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,871 POSTS

No way to tell without seeing it but if the oil light came back on right after adding two quarts, there is obviously a major leak that just developed. Either that or damage was already done to the engine bearings leading to low oil pressure. Testing the actual oil pressure with a mechanical gauge will show exactly how much pressure is being produced.

On some cars the electric fuel pump is turned on by a switch that turns on from oil pressure. That's a safety feature that turns the pump off in the event of a crash but it also saves the engine when oil pressure gets too low. Your mechanic would know if that pertains to your model. If it does, he will have to bypass that switch to start the engine.

If the oil pressure really is low it's usually due to worn engine bearings. They can usually be replaced without having to replace the entire engine but it's important to inspect the crankshaft. Usually the crankshaft is damaged too and must be replaced. That involves removing the engine.