oil pressure gauge read zero after fender bender
 

My 190e 1987 was hit in parking lot minimal damage to front right bumper and light assem from suv backing up. I had the car towed to a collision repair center. However, after leaving, the pressure gauge was on zero when noticed about 4 miles out. I then heard lifters and shut car off. I then had car towed home. I took oil filter off and started car , did have pressure. i then placed filter back and pressure went to 3 at idle. However after 10 minutes, the lifters started I belive there are 16 on this car making a noise and then after 5 minutes stoped. The odd part is that the suv could not have hit my benze that hard because radia ok, fan ok, I then noticed as engine warmed up, the pressure started to drop and at 2000 rpms idle the pressure was at 1.7 and I shut engine off. Is this engine gone? I did not hear knocking sound at bottom part of engine rods. just lifters. Have not checked oil for metal or cut filter in half to check for metal. please advice?????

Thank You
in advance because this type of advice does not come cheap .

hate to
 

be mr obvious but you did check oil level, right?

also i dont understand what you were doing removing the oil filter, what was the idea there? starting the car up with the oil filter out would create a big air pocket i think maybe.

did the oil get very hot? did the car get hot? did you check the water level? just some ideas. not much to go on and a mysterious ailment.

tom w

oil pressure gauge read zero after fender bender
 

I removed oil filter stated car split second turn back off to see if oil pressure was there. I did check the levels, just placed new radi on last year .

I drove the car thinking the gauge was broken. the car was at idle for about 5 minutes on zero before I started driving. The lifters started making noise and i pulled off road shut engine down. rechecked oil all ok. The next day I took oil filter off to check pressure, oil gushed split second shut engine off cleaned and placed filter back on. restated to get a 3 on level after about 7 minutes at idle lifters started again but stoped . There is not any knocking but the pressure when foot on gas idle 2000 rpms goes from 3 down to 2 which i think is the right area to 1.5. I let off the gas and turned off car.My oil level ok, water ok,

has anyone heard of this oil pressure problem from a 5mph fender bender ?