Oil Light - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

bnk1021 · 10-08-2003, 06:21 PM

I have recently been having problems with the oil light on my dash.When I first start the car and drive it to shcool the light stays off,but on the way home from school it stays on the whole drive.I think it is the sensor but im not sure.Any ideas?Wher is the sensor even located if I should replace it?

cozmo_im · 10-09-2003, 09:09 AM

Hi!

I would FIRST check the oil level - maybe it is low... and DO NOT drive with your oil light ON because you don't know what is the problem...! Maybe your oil pump is failing or something else - maybe somehitng is reducing your oil pressure sometimes - anyway what ever is the cause- DON'T drive with oil light on! The best thing is if you only have a faulty sensor...

regards,
Ivan

***Chris Corolla S*** · 10-09-2003, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by cozmo_im
I would FIRST check the oil level - maybe it is low...

Yes 90% of the time if your oil light comes on your oil is low and/or needs to be changed.

"When I first start the car and drive it to shcool the light stays off,but on the way home from school it stays on the whole drive"

This part is kind of weird. Is it up-hill one way and down the other? If so you could have oil sloshing away from the sensor in the pan on the way back....but that's just a guess.
Let us know if you are low on oil and what color it is when you check it.

bnk1021 · 10-09-2003, 07:22 PM

I definately just had my oil changed and it is not low,i checked it before i even made the post. Anyways now the oil light only come s on when I am not givning the car any gas.

bnk1021 · 10-09-2003, 07:43 PM

Does anyone know where the sensor atually is?

cozmo_im · 10-10-2003, 03:24 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by bnk1021
I definately just had my oil changed and it is not low,i checked it before i even made the post. Anyways now the oil light only come s on when I am not givning the car any gas.

Then for sure, your oil pressure is LOW on idle. If your engine is on low RPM's or on IDLE and if your oil light is on, then something is wrong with the oil pressure, or your oil is overheating (and then it will boil and make a low pressure throughout the system). I had the same problem long time ago on my VW Beetle car... oil pump was bad... Also, which oil you are using?

Start the car, warm up the engine to the normal operating temp (do not drive) and if the oil light comes ON on low engine RPM's or idle, step on a throttle and see if it goes OFF while your engine RPM's increase. That's for sure is indicating low oil pressure. I would NOT drive the car if I were you. You can seriosly damage the engine if there is something wrong with your oil pump/oil pressure. When it comes to oil, I would check everything in oil distrubuting system. Also, check the smell of oil (fuel/cooling fluid). Check the cooling fluid level. If you have the fuel or cooling fluid in the oil... it can also produce simptoms like that, because cooling fluid will degrade your oil... blown head gasket can produce this problem.
If your oil has a bubbles on the measuring stick it has water in it. If it is very BLACK and smells like fuel than you have fuel in it. Oil must be brown, without bubbles, it must be clean (not like mudd) and it must smell on oil. Very light brown color with bubbles means water/condesation, very dark brown or black means fuel in it, or old, broken piston rings, dirty engine, old oil/oil filter...

Regards,
Ivan