As a result, the oil pressure warning light will illuminate on the dashboard. Low Oil Pressure Light Flickers. But if you neglect to change the oil in your car, or the oil level drops due to a leak in your engine, you will begin to experience the symptoms of a car low on oil. While at a stop light I turn the car off and back on and the oil pressure light didn't come back on. For this to happen you're oil has to be VERY low. I've been 2 quarts/liters low before and only saw my oil light come on when taking a corner at a fast speed. As long as the pressure pump has oil to feed it from the reservoir, the engine won't know the difference. Okay, driving to work today, after I pull into the parking lot at work (after 35 miles of driving) my oil pressure light starts flashing. Its not good for gas mileage, makes the car’s emergency handling a little worse and its a bit bad for the tire wear-wise. If its low oil pressure, no matter what the cause, if it has low pressure you can do severe damage to the car by driving it with the light on. Assume low oil pressure and do not drive this car until you have this looked at, and the oil pressure is checked. So that means the low oil pressure switch either didn't work or something else was wrong with the engine i.e. The correct amount is 4.5 Qts. This is because the light will come on when the oil pressure drops below 5 – 10 PSI at idle, depending on the car. I wanted to start a discussion about the long term effects of driving a car which has experienced low oil pressure either due to a cracked oil pan, broken oil pump, improperly preformed oil changes, or any other malfunction which would cause this situation. You have exhibited concern for the property of the rental car agency in about two more days I bet the dirty oil will drive you crazy and you will drive to walmart pick up 6 quarts of Mobil 1 5w-30 and an AC delco filter from a parts store then change the oil yourself Low levels of oil in the engine will cause the sensor to detect low oil pressure. If the low pressure light comes on (the red oil can), you have to … When these bearings wear, they can allow more oil to escape causing low oil pressure, this is a sign the engine has worn out and replacement or rebuilding is needed. On the way home, about a mile from home, the oil pressure light starts flashing again. If it is a 4 cylinder then it has too much oil in it. When you continue to drive on a tire with low pressure, you run the risk of tire failure. Whats up with that? Engine Bearing Step 7 - If the engine has no oil pressure, suspect the oil pump drive, some manufactures use a belt to drive the pump which are prone to failure. A little bit low is not a serious problem… say 3–4 PSI low. However, once off the end of the dipstick, and with the low level light on, you can't tell how low you are. Also in most cars, the oil warning light is triggered by a drop in oil pressure, which can be caused by your oil level being low. As to where its going, its either leaking (look under it after its been parked for a while) or its burning it. Imagine you’re driving 60 mph on a highway and your tire blows. You should take this warning seriously and add more oil to your vehicle before the symptoms get any worse than this. As long as there is enough oil to maintain oil pressure then you have enough oil. You may observe that the low oil pressure warning light comes on and off while you’re driving. An incident like this can cause you to lose control of your vehicle at a high speed — endangering yourself, your passengers and others on … manufacturer's defect. 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