[luvmy98camry]

I have noticed that the orange blip fades in and out when the fuel gauge nears empty.

Also, when the fuel gauge points to empty, the oil light comes on.

Both stay off after turning the engine on from a cold start even if they have been going off (turning on) before while the car was being driven.

They continue to stay off for quite a long time (but I did not push the limits as to how long they stay off because I would rather not run the engine out of gas and the fuel gauge was pointing to empty)

So what does the orange blip signify and what does the oil can signify?

When do they go on and is the sending unit on my car bad due to this curious behavior or is it designed this way?

 

[mcgowaw]

um, you're 1. low on gas and 2. oil.
there are other causes for both lights, but that's the first things to check.

if you drive with the oil light on, you might be replacing an engine if you don't fix what's causing it.

come to think of it, the gas light shouldn't be on either as that means you're below 1/4 of a tank, and unless you want to suck sediment out of the bottom of your tank and into your fuel pump/filter/intake/injectors, that's not a good idea either.

p.s. if you're gonna get serious about diy on these cars, you'll want to get an owners manual, a haynes repair manual, a cheap vom and a cheap obdii reader as these will be necessary for bunches of stuff. and, familiarize yourself with all 4 of 'em.
it will save alot of heartache.
tony

 

[luvmy98camry]

Thank you tony.

I was wondering why these lights come and go.

I was expecting them to stay on.

However, they come and go.

2 questions:

1. If I am low on oil, why is the dipstick still 3/4th's? Or is that indicator a mileage based indicator that needs to be reset every oil change?

2. About gas light: It seems very erratic

Specially the gas blip: it's an orange light that blinks very slowly when the fuel indicator nears towards E. However, when it's at E, that orange light takes a while to come on and then goes away.

 

[bdy0003]

1. The oil light usually comes on when you have low oil pressure. What Tony said is correct in that if it is low on oil, it will go on because there is not enough oil for the engine. Another cause could be that your oil pump is failing assuming your level is fine. By 3/4ths, I assume you mean that it is 3/4 of the way between the low mark and full mark. You haven't specified what engine you have, but if you have a 4cyl, I would get the oil pump checked out because this engine hates to be oil starved.

2. Gas light turning on is usually determined by the gas level indicator in the tank. That can be intermittent because the mechanism accounts for the fluid level hitting it rather than measuring the absolute volume. For example, if you make a bend to left or go uphill, the light comes on because the gasoline is heading away from that detector. If you make a bend to the right or go downhill, the opposite is true.

 

[luvmy98camry]

1. The oil light usually comes on when you have low oil pressure. What Tony said is correct in that if it is low on oil, it will go on because there is not enough oil for the engine. Another cause could be that your oil pump is failing assuming your level is fine. By 3/4ths, I assume you mean that it is 3/4 of the way between the low mark and full mark. You haven't specified what engine you have, but if you have a 4cyl, I would get the oil pump checked out because this engine hates to be oil starved.

2. Gas light turning on is usually determined by the gas level indicator in the tank. That can be intermittent because the mechanism accounts for the fluid level hitting it rather than measuring the absolute volume. For example, if you make a bend to left or go uphill, the light comes on because the gasoline is heading away from that detector. If you make a bend to the right or go downhill, the opposite is true.

Thank you. The oil pump is inside the timing cover, yes?

So the oil pump might need to be replaced while doing the timing belt replacement.

Is there a DIY way to check the oil pump?

The engine is 5SFE: in my sig.

You are correct about the 3/4th.

Something in the bay leaks oil. See my previous threads if curious.

I'm trying to figure out what's leaking oil.

It used to leak a bit before I cleaned the engine outside, and now it leaks very little.

This has made it harder to see where it was leaking from.

 

[bdy0003]

Yes, the oil pump is inside the timing cover and all seals, gaskets, tb should be done if you're going to do the work.
Here is a helpful link for all the DIYs: http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/103-3rd-4th-generation-1992-1996-1997-2001/220549-official-3rd-4th-gen-camry-diy-general-information-faq-thread.html
Here is a link for an a 5sfe Oil Pump Diagnosis: http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/103-3rd-4th-generation-1992-1996-1997-2001/368314-diy-5sfe-oil-pump-diagnosis.html

5SFE is notorious for leaky seals/gaskets, but should not be the reason your oil light illumination. Where have you ruled out in terms of the leak? or where is it leaking?

 

[luvmy98camry]

5SFE is notorious for leaky seals/gaskets, but should not be the reason your oil light illumination. Where have you ruled out in terms of the leak? or where is it leaking?

I believe it's leaking from all areas (timing cover, valve cover) but as I mentioned in the other thread, the leaks seem to have magically disappeared after I cleaned the bay.

It now randomly leaks a drop or two (at worst) versus a guaranteed leak every day before I cleaned it.

Never seen something like this before. :frown:

 

[mcgowaw]

you need to find out why the oil light's coming on asap.
if you have plenty of oil (sounds like you're 1/4 quart low - to me that's kinda alarming as none of my toys use oil between changes so hopefully you're just leaking it out), then drop the pan and see if the pickup filter's blocked. if not, then replace the oil pump and tb and wp and seals.
.02
tony

 

[speedy25]

Low fuel warning- The part that turns on the light is a thermistor. When fuel no longer covers it in the tank it lets electricity through and turns on the light. Of course when you speed up slow down or go around corners fuel sloshes around and covers it up again. Its normal.

As for the oil light, I cant say for certain on this car but most are a pressure sensor for 3 psi. As they age they switch on sooner so people often see the light at idle. Best bet is to hook up an analog gauge and CONFIRM what the real pressure is. If you are not that handy, just replace the sending unit and see if the light stays out like it should.

-SP

 

[Mergatroyd]

These cars have an electric fuel pump in the tank. The pump is cooled by the fuel in the tank. As the fuel level gets very low the pump runs hotter. For longer fuel pump life, keep the fuel level at 1/4 tank or higher.
Low oil pressure can, and almost always does, damage the engine very rapidly. Oil pressure light blinking indicates immediate action needed.

The oil pressure sensor is located after the oil filter. A clogged filter could cause the light to flicker but rarely is that the cause. A pressure gauge temporarily installed at the sensor location gives important information to a knowledgeable technician.

 

[luvmy98camry]

Low fuel warning- The part that turns on the light is a thermistor. When fuel no longer covers it in the tank it lets electricity through and turns on the light. Of course when you speed up slow down or go around corners fuel sloshes around and covers it up again. Its normal.

Good input. THANK YOU!

These cars have an electric fuel pump in the tank. The pump is cooled by the fuel in the tank. As the fuel level gets very low the pump runs hotter. For longer fuel pump life, keep the fuel level at 1/4 tank or higher.

Good input. That's what I do on my other 10L car but this one has a larger capacity, so until I figure out what all the problems are with this car, I have been keeping it low.

However, your point is well taken. The fuel pump needs to be OEM and is perhaps expensive. I don't know because I have not looked into that.

The oil pressure sensor is located after the oil filter. A clogged filter could cause the light to flicker but rarely is that the cause. A pressure gauge temporarily installed at the sensor location gives important information to a knowledgeable technician.

Thank you. Where can I read more about this?

As for the oil light, I cant say for certain on this car but most are a pressure sensor for 3 psi. As they age they switch on sooner so people often see the light at idle. Best bet is to hook up an analog gauge and CONFIRM what the real pressure is

Thank you. Where can I read more about this?

you need to find out why the oil light's coming on asap.
if you have plenty of oil (sounds like you're 1/4 quart low - to me that's kinda alarming as none of my toys use oil between changes so hopefully you're just leaking it out), then drop the pan and see if the pickup filter's blocked

Thank you tony. I would rather check the fuel pressure before dropping the pan. All that scraping, cleaning etc, would rather skip if possible.

The car is of unknown lineage.

Documentation shows oil change was done 3k miles, 4 months ago.

I am waiting for my oil bottles from Blackstone to come in so I can send in the oil for analysis and will do that this month.

Just to clarify, the engine oil light came o just for a while and has been off since (over a week now) so could have been a glitch.

I hate glitches. Had it been on all the time, I would have looked into it right away.

Perhaps the best process is to:

1. Check oil pressure by swapping out the sensor with a meter (any good guides around?)

2. Check the sensor itself (any good guides around?)

3. Drop the pan and do a visual check of the filter

4. Finally the timing cover oil pump diag (oh my!)

What do you experts think?