Low oil warning light staying on oil level ok

The low oil pressure warning lamp will illuminate anytime the ignition switch is turned to the ON position without the engine running. When the engine is running, the light also illuminates if the engine oil pressure drops below a safe oil pressure level. To test the system, perform the following:
If the oil pressure light does not work, perform the following:

1. Turn the ignition switch to the ON position.
2. If the lamp does not light, check for a broken or disconnected wire around the engine and oil pressure sending unit switch.
3. If the wire at the connector checks out OK, pull the connector loose from the switch and, with a jumper wire, ground the connector to the engine.
4. With the ignition switch turned to the ON position, check the warning lamp. If the lamp lights, make sure the oil pressure switch is properly grounded in the cylinder block, and if so replace the oil pressure switch. If the lamp still fails to light, check for a burned out lamp or disconnected socket in the instrument cluster.

To diagnose an oil pressure light that stays on, perform the following:

1. Check the engine oil level and top off as necessary. If the engine was 2 or more quarts low on oil, test start the engine after topping off the oil level and recheck the oil pressure light operation. If the light stays on, stop the engine immediately and go to the next step.
2. Disconnect the wire at the sending unit, then turn the ignition switch to theON position. If the light remains on, check the wire from the sending unit to the gauge for being shorted to ground and repair as necessary. If the light goes out, turn the ignition switch OFF and go to the next step.
3. Replace the oil pressure sending switch with a known good switch.
4. Start the engine and check the oil pressure light operation. If the light stays on with the engine running, stop the engine immediately to avoid severe engine damage until the cause of the problem can be determined.

WARNING
If the oil pressure light remains on while the engine is started, stop the engine immediately. Do not operate the engine until the cause of the problem can be determined. Operating an engine with low oil pressure will cause severe internal damage.

Possible causes for an oil pressure light to stay on are:


Pinched or grounded sensor wireDefective oil pressure sending unitRestricted or severely leaking oil filterExcessive internal engine bearing clearance.Insufficient or severely contaminated engine oilBlocked oil pump pickup screen or severely worn oil pump

That depends on the type of oil warning light being displayed. There are 2 types of warning lights

1. Low oil pressure light which all cars have
2. low oil level light which some cars have.

Low OIL PRESSURE warning means the oil pressure is below minimum and when this happens there will be insufficient lubrication of many engine parts because sufficient oil cannot get to all parts of the engine it is required to lubricate. Until the cause is identified and rectified the warning light will remain. If you run your engine with low oil pressure you will cause expensive damage to internal engine components.

Low OIL LEVEL warning means the oil in the sump has dropped to a dangerously low level (which may be due to an oil leak or abnormal oil consumption by the engine.) This warning means the oil level needs to be topped up and the warning will stay displayed until you top up the oil. Running the engine with low oil will cause expensive engine damage.
Since it is a 2 minute job, Oil levels should be checked fortnightly as a minimum, together with radiator coolant and power steering fluid levels, if you run the car most days each week as most people do.

It is possible for a warning light to remain displayed when the cause has been dealt with because there is a problem with the sender unit. However it needs to be established with alternative checks that the problem has been fixed before investigating if there is a problem with the warning light itself.

low oil level or bad sending unit. usually not a weak oil pump but very high mileage engines can have low oil pressure. (this, however is a very gradual drop from normal wear in bearings and not the typical cause for oil warning light).

Your vehicle may have an "oil level" sensor built into the oil pan. If so, and the sensor is bad, the dash will constantly tell you that the engine needs more oil even if it does not. Checking the oil with the dipstick, a minute after the engine has been turned off on level ground is always the best way to check your oil. Try scanning the vehicles computer systems to see if there are any fault codes. The warning light may also be on a timer that just needs to be reset. The "Check Oil" light should be separate from the engine oil pressure warning light. As long as the engine oil pressure light stays off, you should be ok. Checking the oil pressure with a manual gauge would be a good idea as well.

Hello,

There is a lot of things that cause a engine lite to stay on.

Here is just a few things, that will have engine light stay on:

Service is due, some cars have that automatically do this when time for regular service.

Breaks, Some cars have a sensor that after a certain range on your pads, it triggers the service Light.

Oil Low, or water/antifreeze low.

Emission problem, Like fuel filter needs replacing or possible 02 sensor not working ( part of your Cadillac converter)

Battery not fulling charging, or alternator not putting out proper amps. etc,,

This list can go on and on, most the time if you have low oil, or break issue, there is separate warning lights for that.


Here is what I think, sometimes when you have something wrong with your car, if you checked your oil level, water/antifreeze level, breaks seem good, and all your other fluids are good, and your car is running good and as normal, what best to do, is take it in and have them put it on there computer, this will tell you if there is something your over looking, by normally a code that comes up on there system. Sometimes the code will come up on there computer and not on your dash warning lights. Auto Zone, normally can do this for free with there hand held computer and tell you what comes up and what to check out. And all Garages if everything is ok, can with computer turn your engine light off if everything is ok. But for sure get it checked, and don't just assume it is a faulty engine light coming on, most the time there is a reason. Thanks Mike

hello i have a spider gtv on a 99, as the engine gets upto temprature the warning light flashes and once the engine is hot the oil light stays on, only on tick over. i have changed oil pressure switch. still the same though.

some cars with oil level warning light on, it doesn't mean that its only reading the engine oil level is low, sometime the transmission fuid too. Did you check your transmission fluid if it is ok or not? try to check and let us know, ok.

check your charging system, a weak alternator may cause that

If the oil light is on, Don't drive your car until you've checked the oil level .
The oil light is an indicator that warns you when the oil level has dropped to an unsafe level and will not allow proper oil flow thru the motor because the oil pressure is dropping.

Don't take a chance! Check the oil level. Make sure it's between the full and add 1 quart line. If you don't see anything on the dipstick, it's really low... If you run your car with low oil, you're going to freeze up the motor.

If the oil level is ok and the oil light is still on, have the pressure sender checked to make sure there's proper oil pressure. The light will stay on if there's a problem..