I have an '88 240 gl wagon, AT, with ~215k miles. Over the past few days, the oil light would flicker if I was in drive, going > 40 mph. If I drop into second, the light would go off. Tonight, driving home from work, the oil light was flickering. If I kept it below 25 mph, the oil light would generally stay off. I noted that when the light was on, the engine temp would rise. Since the temp would rise, does that indicate that the oil pump is shot and needs replacing? or would replacing the oil pan o-rings be sufficient? If I replace the oil pump, is that something that is best done by a mechanic? How difficult is to replace? Thank you for any advice that you can offer me.

 

You have LOW oil pressure. The rise in temperature may be the cause as heat thins the oil, rather than the result. I'd check the sensor first just in case, it's cheap. May want to hook up an oil pressure gauge... If the oil pressure is indeed low, it may be due to a weak pump or worn out motor which is not likely with 200k, but not unheard of. "Oil pan o-rigs"? Don't know about those... The oil pump is not too hard to replace-it is done from below, you may have to lift the motor and loosen the motor mounts to make space for the pan to come out...