Intermittent oil light
 

Hi everyone. I just a bought a 2000 S70 SE, and I love it. However the oil light has been coming on intermittently at 700 rpm, and goes away at 1k. There's oil in the car and even after an oil change it still happens. I brought it to a shop to have the transmission oil changed out so I run it by him, as he has the same car (turbo model though). He tells me he had the same problem and that it killed his engine. He says I need to replace the oil pump, sump and all the stuff that goes with it (gaskets and what not). Needless to say it's gonna be well over a thousand dollars to fix, however when I checked online the problem seemed to be a sensor for others. What should I do? Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.

Oil light usually means Low Oil Pressure. If the sensor is bad, it can make the light flicker. However, there is a good chance that you need the oil pump replaced. If that is the case, it should be done sooner than later. Low oil pressure can cause problems lubricating parts in the motor. Death will soon follow.

If you want to be sure, you can have the dealer check oil pressure and have them trouble shoot the problem for you. I'm just guessing from a limited knowledge of mechanics, not actually experienced the problem.

Oil sump O-rings need replacement; known issue on these cars; ck the stickys.

https://volvoforums.com/forum/volvo-s70-33/oil-pan-o-ring-replacement-instructions-1452/

If you don't want to do it yourself, indy volvo shop should be able to do it for less than half what you were quoted, but that's just a guess...

Thanks for the feedback guys, I really appreciate it. The car has 65k miles on it, should I still replace the pump and gaskets as good etiquette, or would I just be better of with the seal. I really like this car and would like to see it run a lot longer, but I also don't wanna pay for something I don't need. Thanks again.

I haven't had to do this repair myself as yet, but from the manual, you don't remove the pump as part of this repair; the pump is on the front of the crankshaft.

Unless this engine has been thrashed, I wouldn't change the oil pump at 65K. I would R+R the oil pan (sump) and replace all the O-rings per tech's post. I bet that will fix your oil light coming on at idle.

Say I didn't want to do the maintenance myself, what would be a reasonable price to pay to have the sump gasket and o-rings replaced? And what if I replaced to oil pump as well?
Thanks

Thanks for the tip. I'm in Hawaii, what viscosity should I use here. Also the maintenance price question still stands. Thank you.