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As title says my oil light flickers under harsh breaking more so when pointing down a hill,
I know my oil level is running a bit low, but just order new filter plugs etc so plan to service this weekend,
Engine sounds a little more tappy also,
I presume this is all due to low oil level, so if i put a litre in do you think it will survive till the weekend, i dont want to put a new oil change in to then drain to put fresh oil again come the weekend,
Also smokes a little on cold start up at first ignition then fine once running,
You've already answered your question i think, they are tappety initially, mine settles within a second of start up. Get a bit in until your change, it will also run hotter if you've not got enough in.
What colour is the smoke? Blue is oil, white is water/steam.
What sort of mileage is it and does it burn oil?
Not sure on what those are like tbh. It could be perfectly normal and just be condensation on start up.
If its burning oil iirc thats rings but usually accompanied by a bit of blue smoke, again i'm not sure if that engine's prone to problems with the rings. One of the more experienced mechanic types will be along shortly!
It's valve stem seals that have gone bad if it puffs some blueish smoke on start up. Mine does that too, and I'm about to replace those seals when I find some time. My Jim has some 150k on the clock, which is quite a lot, so no wonder the valve stem seals are a little bit on the dead side! No other problems with the engine though, runs good, and doesn't burn oil when running.
If the oil light is flashing the oil must be really low, top it up before you do any damage even if its just cheap crap. Almost anything is better than nothing (particularly if you are changing the oil soon anyway)
