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cd110

Member Since: 21 Aug 2023
Location: Surrey
Posts: 27

2013 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 USW Corris Grey

2.2 Oil Pressure Warning Light

Ok so this is a bit of a long one, but I want to include as much information and logic as possible for those much wiser than myself relating to oil services and the oil pressure switch.

October last year (2024 for anyone trawling through the archives in many years to come), I was out one day and upon starting the engine the oil pressure light stayed on for about 3-4 seconds. Usually it goes off almost immediately and before the battery light goes out, which I believe is normal. This of course caused immediate panic so I switched it off, checked the oil which was full. Started it back up and it did the same thing, 3-4 seconds to go out. So I drove it home watching that light like a hawk and it never flashed up once. After getting home I turned it off, let it sit for a bit and tried it again which resulted in the same thing.

So next up I hit the forums which lead me down several paths:
1) Thinning oil due to diesel dilution caused by the DPF regens
2) Oil pressure switch with a sticky diaphragm
3) Engine very bad, this is going to get expensive

Forum research lasted about a week during which time the Defender remained parked up on the drive not moving so all the oil had a lovely amount of time to drip into the sump.

I decided to start with option 1 and did an oil service and filter. No shiny bits in the oil which was a relief and the filter looked good as well. For info it had done around 4k miles since the last oil service.

Now I think I definitely had a touch over 7 litres come out based on what I poured back into the empty bottles so I was crossing everything it was due to diesel dilution.

Before starting it up I did the oil reset function where you turn the ignition round to 2 (on - not started), hold the brake and accelerator for 15 seconds until the oil pressure light starts to flash then turn it all off, and wait 2 mins.

I started it up, and boom, oil pressure light was back to going out almost instantly and wave of relief washed over me.

I made a note on my oil/filter receipt of the date and mileage. Date was 05/10/2024 (this bit is crucial).

I chalked this up to diesel dilution and carried on with life.

For an entire year I've had trouble free motoring until we get to 04/10/205, exactly 365 days (and 3996 miles) after I did the oil change and reset. On this day I'd driven out somewhere and on starting the engine back up the oil pressure light stayed on for 3-4 seconds exactly like it had done a year ago.

After a quick check of the oil to make sure it's full and confirming it was, I went back home to park it up and do another oil service on it as I'd done exactly 1 year before.

I dug out the receipt and proceeded to buy the exact same oil and filter confirming identical part numbers so there would be zero difference or variables.

Oil filter change complete (I did NOT do the procedure to reset the oil service indicator). Started it up and the oil pressure light remained on for 3-4 seconds and was not extinguishing quickly as usual.

Back to more googling and forums I decided to order a pressure switch. While waiting for the switch I have been in the situation I've needed to use the defender and haven't been in the position of being able to wait to see if the switch was the issue. So I made the decision that it had fresh oil and filter, I'd check the level every time I used it and I'd watch the pressure light like a hawk. Also lots of posts from people who say this is their normal and "they all do it". (They don't)

So for the past week and a half every single time I've started it the light remained on for about 3 seconds and then went out. Not once did it even flicker during normal driving, and that includes commutes in traffic and long motorway runs.

I will point out I've not changed the pressure switch.

Now cut to 2 days ago, my 'oil service due' message appeared under the odometer, so after getting home from work I parked up, switched the engine off and proceeded to follow the reset procedure again. Ignition, pedals, 15 seconds, off, wait 2 mins.

I started the engine again, and boom, oil pressure light went straight out like normal. Switched it off and back on and same. I've now driven it for 2 days and it's back to going out almost instantly every time.

So if you've made it this far, you can probably see where I'm headed with my question. Is the oil pressure light somehow connected to the oil service indicator reset?

I know everyone on here is going to tell me they're not. One is a simple switch that measures pressure and sends a signal to a light on the dash and the other is a simple 12 months or 12000 miles display that pops up, but surely this is too much of a coincidence on timing? A week and a half of it happening and the second I do the reset procedure it goes back to normal.

Thoughts for anyone who has knowledge on this?

17th Oct 2025 4:05pm

Martin
Site Admin

Member Since: 02 Apr 2007
Location: Hook Norton
Posts: 6723

2015 Defender 90 Puma 2.2 XS CSW Montalcino Red

If the cluster displays the service message, it also holds the oil pressure warning light on whilst the message is displayed.

When the cluster changes back to showing the mileage, the oil pressure light will go out (if it should go out!)

1988 90 Td5 NAS soft top

2015 D90 XS SW

17th Oct 2025 4:22pm

cd110

Member Since: 21 Aug 2023
Location: Surrey
Posts: 27

ok that makes sense, but weirdly I wasn't getting the oil service message until this week. But I'm guessing it probably should have been displaying as the light was staying on, which ties in with it happening exactly 1 year after the last reset.

I think I can sleep a bit easier knowing that's the case!

17th Oct 2025 4:25pm

macfrank

Member Since: 05 Nov 2015
Location: somewhere in the north
Posts: 1138

2015 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 SW Keswick Green

Martin wrote:
If the cluster displays the service message, it also holds the oil pressure warning light on whilst the message is displayed.

When the cluster changes back to showing the mileage, the oil pressure light will go out (if it should go out!)

Frankly I read the OP's long post only after Martin's reply. And I don't mean the following to be unkind in any way, but professionally I sometimes have to deal with overthinking both when testers report errors and also with myself when I think about technical solutions

This post is a great example for what I see with many engineering fellows (including myself), and, again, I mean this in a positive way. These kind of stories keep us 'grounded' as often we forget that sometimes, only sometimes, the solution is actually very simple indeed - if you ask the right guy

So thank you both.

17th Oct 2025 4:59pm

Dinnu

Member Since: 24 Dec 2019
Location: Lija
Posts: 3642

2012 Defender 90 Puma 2.2 CSW Santorini Black

This is interesting as I created one thread cause of similar issue but never knew that it was connected to the service message. I never bothered to reset that as usually just service on time rather than milage. 1988 90 Hard Top, 19J Diesel Turbo, Shire Blue - Restoration ongoing
2012 90 CSW, 2.2TDCI, Santorini Black

17th Oct 2025 5:03pm

cd110

Member Since: 21 Aug 2023
Location: Surrey
Posts: 27

macfrank wrote:
Martin wrote:
If the cluster displays the service message, it also holds the oil pressure warning light on whilst the message is displayed.

When the cluster changes back to showing the mileage, the oil pressure light will go out (if it should go out!)

Frankly I read the OP's long post only after Martin's reply. And I don't mean the following to be unkind in any way, but professionally I sometimes have to deal with overthinking both when testers report errors and also with myself when I think about technical solutions
This post is a great example for what I see with many engineering fellows (including myself), and, again, I mean this in a positive way. These kind of stories keep us 'grounded' as often we forget that sometimes, only sometimes, the solution is actually very simple indeed - if you ask the right guy
So thank you both.

I did debate trying to write a more condensed version but there's nothing worse than someone posting something and then people spend ages trying to tease information out to get to the answer!

Thankfully I got there first go thanks to Martin!

17th Oct 2025 5:29pm

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