Hi,
I have just bought a 1999 spacestar at auction. It is a 1.8 GDI with 74000 miles and a full mitsubishi service history.

The oil pressure light has been flashing on and off intermittently, however the oil level is fine and there seems to be oil circulating around the whole engine. I changed the oil and filter yesterday and the level has remained constant.

It runs really smoothly and quietly with no smoke or steam, and the temperature does not rise above the middle of the gauge.

The next stage is to check the pressure switch, I have bought a replacement from my local parts supplier, it is an intermotor IN50811, however it looks different to the part shown on the Japarts website:

Intermotor:
(IMG:http://www.intermotor.co.uk/SALES/Pictures/Intermotor-Pics/50000/50811.jpg)

Japarts:
(IMG:http://www.japarts.co.uk/shop/a/J5617000.jpg)

Do I have the correct part? Also, where is the switch located on the engine, I would also like to know if there is a haynes type manual available for the car.

Thanks

the only real difference may be the working pressures of the sending units.they may be the same although looking different due to them being made by different manufacturers.they are quick to change at least.easiest way to find it is check iether right by the oil filter housing or centrally in the engine block.they are usually located early in the lubrication system for accuracy.due to the ease of changing them I would remove yours and inspect the thread pitch is identical and if so screw it on.good luck

Thanks for the reply, I'm gonna have a good look at it today. Hopefully I'll be able to find it and if I have the right partg it may sort the problem. I'll report back afterwards

Well, when I took a good look at it the switch on the car looked pretty new. I changed it anyway but it made no difference. The light does not light when the car is jacked up at the front, but stays lit when the car is level. I have ordered a pump which will be here on tuesday and hopefully that will fix it.

another thought occurred to me is that the strainer could be damaged or blocked partially.as your ordering a pump anyway you may wish to remove the sump(oil pan) and inspect the strainer for signs of damage or blockage.the vehicle level should not make much difference to oil pressure.it is possable that this is why the car was in auction to start with as someone else could not sort the fault.Also look to make sure that any baffles inside the pan are not loose or have had any removed.good luck

Thanks for the advice conan,
The strainer was one thing I was going to check on my way through fitting the pump. I think the main reason that it wasn't fixed was the price of a pump from mitsubishi, I was quoted around £600 just to supply the pump. I got one from a breaker for £65 delivered with a 30 day warranty.

I think I may need a manual to do this, I saw the ones posted by Gandy in another thread but I couldn't find teh correct manual. Does anyone know where I can get a manual online without paying £15 for a download?

I took the lower oil pan off yesterday, I thought may as well as my oil pump is yet to be delivered thanks to TNT's half arsed courier service.

Firstly I ran some oil system cleaner through. The oil that I took out was definately used as it was quite black, the strainer was clear of any debris, as was the lower oil pan, I changed the oil for comma semi synthetic and put on a new filter. I have been able to drive the car for long distances without the light coming on but it still comes on intermittently at times. There seems to be no pattern to it lighting and the engine still runs smoothly and quietly.

When the pump arrives I will probably have it fitted by a local garage as I will be too busy with work. Is there anything else I should ask them to look for or check? Also there is another switch or sensor on the right hand (When facing the car) side of the oil pan, it faces the front of the car and has a push on terminal with two connectors attached. What is this?

if they fit it for you they can remove your electric sending unit and attach a manual oil pressure gauge.at the very least it will give you an accurate reading of what your oil pressure is both at idle and at higher rpm regardless of what the dash light does.i would personnally get them to do this first before changing the pump as it may be an electrical fault rather than a mechanical fault.it could wind up saving you a lot of cash by not replacing something that is not needed.a