Oil Light On

We explain how it works and why the oil light on your dashboard might be turning on and off at mysterious times.

Oil light on. The oil light comes on when your engine suffers a drop in oil pressure. Oil pressure warning light sending units are cheap and easy to install. The oil circuit is probably one of the least understood systems in a car. A clogged oil sensor can give a false reading of low oil pressure which will illuminate your oil light.

Without oil pressure the engine can t lubricate itself and the result is self destruction meaning you have to do some seriously expensive internal engine repairs. Never assume however that an oil light coming on is because of a clogged sensor. Purchase the same kind of oil the vehicle already has in it paying attention to the weight of the oil 5w30 10w30 etcetera and add enough to bring the dip stick oil indicator back to full. The oil pressure sensor itself may sometimes become clogged with sludge from the engine especially if the engine has not been properly maintained.

Low oil light on and oil pressure sending unit replacement in your car diy with scotty kilmer. If the red warning light still flickers i d have a mechanic hook up a mechanical oil pressure gauge and take readings at idle.