The oil lamp thing is another one of those gremlins that after much study is still a head scratcher.
To start with, the motor probably has 5 hours on it with an illuminated low oil pressure lamp. As stated before, it came on suddenly when I relocated a ground. So I figured it was a fluke and continued working on the running/temp issue. Then one day it began flashing. Uh oh...or so I thought. An oem sensor swap later, no change.
Honda did not do a fail safe feature on this lamp so it seems. Supposedly disconnecting it while lit will cause it to turn off. I disconnected it from both the voltage regulator (which is where flash feature begins) and the sensor. Light still lit.
Either this is one tough engine, in that 5 hours of revving, idling, and holding 2-3000 rpms (with less than 4.3psi oil pressure), or there's a short. The bulb itself had no positive or ground, but still lit.
Oh another thing is Honda made it so if it begins flashing, it keeps flashing until the car is turned off. The last time it flashed, it flashed about a minute and stopped...hasn't flashed since.
I've got 3 ideas going that'll be tried soon. Oil pressure tester is acquired, all new ground wires are on order (in addition to a short segment of #10 wire in series with the power steering bracket mounted ground already installed) and pricing an engine replacement/rebuild. If pressure checks out ok and new grounds don't solve it, I'll investigate the multiplex unit and connector C on the cluster. If pressure is no beuno, I'm thinking either a blue top will be installed or sell Ole #97 to somebody who'll finish what I started.
Edit:
Drove the $h1+ outta ole bessy for about an hour today. She ran flawless. Oil lamp is dim, not bright.
Soooooo, another succesful repair leads to another cosmetic mod.
^^ emblems coated with white, clear, more white and more clear.
Day later edit:
^^ installed using rubber cement.
Very sticky, very weather resistant, and most important, very easy to remove later.
