PREVIA oil warning light - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

Dan in Winnipeg · 12-29-2004, 08:04 PM

1991 Previa oil waning light comes on - reservoir is full - any thoughts?

ALSO - emergency brake light stays on - I checked the switch and it seems to work???

Frank@toronto · 01-01-2005, 07:33 AM

Dan,

Normally the Oil Light turns on when the oil pressure is low. It could be your oil pump is gone or one of the oil sensor wires was disconnected. There are too many possibilities. For example, perhaps this problem occured after your last oil change. If so, this would point to a "bad" oil filter that is blocking the oil flow.

Brake light normally turns on when your brake fluid is low, which could happen when your brake pads/disks are running very low.

Good Luck

previa92le · 01-06-2005, 05:51 PM

Oil reservoir and oil warning light are not related. There is no sensor in the reservoir, only a pump that will fill the crankcase if the sensor in the crankcase activates.

jellybean · 01-20-2005, 04:41 PM

same thing happened with my 92, oil light comes on flashing. this happened 2 yrs. ago.
tried changing the oil level sensor with a part from a junker (new costs $350 can) still flashes. light still flashes today. disconnect the harness that supplies power to pump in the reservoir, chances are it is still pumping oil even when it is still full. when oil light stops flashing and is consistenly on, your oil level is dangerously low. i just try to live with it.

cloudy · 01-23-2005, 10:01 PM

To Dan in Winnipeg

I don't have a Previa, but it's predecessor the Van Wagon. The oil pan in my van has a sensor on the side. You can look at yours to verify. When I changed my pan gasket I found the sensor inside and it is a floater. Most of the floating material was missing and I suspect as happens to mine that when it warms up the viscosity of the oil thins and can no longer support the floating sensor which sinks and the oil light comes on. My sister had a similar problem, had the mechanic hook up the pressure gage to her oil pump outlet and the pressure was good. There are two sensors that feed the computer that signals the light in the instrument cluster. There is the level, which I just described and the pressure sensor.

The first time mine came on I got that sinking feeling that one expects to get when the engine is done. It took time for me to feel ok about the light coming on. If you feel uncomfortable, you could always get a pressure gage that you mounted as an accessory or if it is that floater in your oil pan, you could order the part new or find one at the salvage yard. That is my plan, salvage yard since my van is 1985 and still going strong.

Pirgulation · 07-06-2005, 05:02 PM

Was reading through the forums, but i've been unable to find out, 'Where is the oil pump' on these things..

I took it to the shop, because it wouldnt run, supposedly because the oil pressure was nil which shuts off the fuel pump.

But the shops around here arent apt to replace the oil pump on them. I dont mind doing it if i could figure out where the heck it is.

Thanx - Bryan

rwindle99 · 11-10-2007, 09:26 PM

previa92le are you a mechanic in the motor trade cuz the oil light is connected to the reservoir cuz i have to change one soon when was the brakes done last is the emergency brake light is on it could be the parking brake (hand brake) best of luck

rwindle99 · 11-10-2007, 09:29 PM

bryan its under the passengers seat you will have to move a few pannels under there if u cant see it then u will have to jack up the car and have a look that way cause of it being in the place it is in let me no how u get on i have done i have dne motor mechanics for 3yrs now