Hi all,
I looked at a nice 89 740ti today. On the test drive, the oil pressure light came on shortly after I started, maybe 2 minutes. I pull over shut it off and check the oil level, 1/2 quart down.Start up, no light for maybe 1 minute. worried now, I wonder about just getting it back to the lot and leaving it. I was right near an AutoZone so I buy a pint of STP to thicken up the oil just to see what happens. Same deal, light on almost immediately now the car is warmed up. After driving back to the parking place, I turn it off and restart. The light comes on after a few seconds. Tap the accelerator, light off temporarily. Looks like a bad oil pump. Engine supposed to have under 100K miles and regular oil changes. The guy will take $850 for this pretty clean wagon (185K Miles) that drives much better than the 87 740ti I am driving now. Is it worth the hassle to fix it or is there an easier way out. The old guy that is selling it has had it for a year and had tape over the row of idiot lights, so the oil light could have been on for a long time. Any insights, I'd like to buy and drive this car without doing any major surgury. Thanks,

Palmer
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1994 944na,1987 745ti, 1989 244, 1995 960, 1980 265 V8 sold

You'll probably have to either replace the pressure sensor or connect up a gauge just to verify if the pressure is really low or not. If it is low you'll need to drop the pan and probably hopefully just replace an o-ring in the oil pump line. Major surgery ??? Taped over indicator lights though are usually not a good thing to see when shopping for cars. Low oil pressure over time can definitely accelerate engine and turbo wear. You may be looking at some future hefty repair bills.

on a whim I replaced the sending unit on the for sale car. The indicator light now acts normally. I took it on a spirited test drive, inflated the soft tires and sealed the deal to buy the car. It has a new heater core, battery, and very nice 16" wheels, but needs tires soon. The front end is much tighter than my 87. I'll do an oil change, timing belt, coolant flush, and transmission fluid purge before I put her into daily service. The owner was asking $1595 and had dropped it to $1095 firm. We got along pretty well and he is giving it to me for $850. It is in better shape and 35k less miles than the 87 I bought 2 years ago that I thought was a deal for $1000.

Thanks,
Palmer
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1994 944na,1987 745ti, 1989 244, 1995 960, 1980 265 V8 sold

Good luck.... looks like you got a great deal!