Damon Dimick
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Portland, OR
So my girlfriend asks me to drive her XJ home the other night. 20 seconds into the drive, I notice that the oil pressure gauge is reading a big fat zero, with no idiot light on. Pull over, oil everywhere on the passenger side of the motor. Now it's back in our garage. Dipstick was obviously dry, but there was some sludge on the very tip of it...unusual. This was late last night, so I haven't had a chance to put some oil in it, start it up for a second, and find out where it's coming from. By the way, it ran fine before I noticed the oil gauge...no noises. Didn't look like it was leaking from the pan, and definitely not from the valve cover area, and it didn't look like it was coming from the front of the motor by the timing set. I think it's coming from where the oil filter connects to that piece mounted on the block. 200k on the 4.0 HO. Question 1.: Is there some sort of valve between the oil pump and oil filter that can get stuck shut and build up pressure from the pump, thereby spraying oil out from the seals? 2. Will the idiot light only come on when there is less than 1 qt of oil in the case, or will it come on when there is low oil pressure too? I ask because I hope there is still some oil left in there, and that my woman hasn't been driving around like that for some time...cross my fingers. Anyway, any help you guys could send would be appreciated. When I come home from work, it would be nice to have some leads.