OIl Light

[Lupetto]

Since ive kind of stumped on this i thought ide see if any one here might have any idea what the issue could be.

a few months after buying my car, i noticed that every time I steped on my breaks/Accelerated hard or turned corners hard, my Oil light would blink for a split second then go off.

I didnt think much of it (was thinking more then anything its the oil just a little low and its swishing around) but then one day the light come on and didnt turn off.. I bought oil/checked the dip stick and it was empty.

Filled it up and drove away thinking "hmm this cant be good"

when i got home i checked for oil drips and found nothing

i checked for engine oil drips or grime and again found nothing

i had a mate turn on the car and rev it again no blue/white smoke and preasure seems fine

So its now the 30th and its doing it again 1 month prior to me topping the oil sump up.

The car is due to a service next week.

however before the Mechanic tries to rip me off i thought ide enq here.

Theres no smell of burning oil/no smoke/ car runs fine appart from that

Could it be the oil pump? or something more sinester?

[Sanctuary]

Maybe its a loose connection somewhere that trips when you're a bit rough on the car. Have a look at circuit diagrams before you leave it with a mechanic maybe it'll help

[Blind Kid Seeks]

well at least you know the warning light works...

if its not dripping out of the engine, its being used up somewhere else. damamged rings, valve stem seals wouldbe a few things i would consider... bear in mind... these are both expensive to repair.

[lateralus]

as Sanctuary has said, it could be a short in the wiring circuit, so check for diagnostic trouble codes first. that will help narrow it donw a lot if it is an electrical problem. if its not electrical, it could be the idle rpm is out (do you have auto or manual?). apart from that, it could only be the pressure sender or the oil pump, or maybe even the bearings are worn.

easiest way - make sure the engine idle speed is correct. once done, remove the oil pressure sender and install a pressure guage. if its low, then its your oil pump or bearings. if its fine, then its the sending unit itself.

at idle, it should be at least 4.3psi. at 3000rpm it should be between 36 and 78 psi.

good luck

[Whip Cracker]

So... is the oil empty again or what mate? You've said you've topped it up... but now it's doing it again?? Any oil or what?

I reckon you'd have one of two things: either burning and not knowing about it, or a leak of some sort.

If it's leaking - look around the rocker cover for any leaks... might not exactly drip onto the floor. Also check the coolant as well... sometimes there can be a sign of oil in the overflow reservoir.. can be brownish or something like that.

If it's burning - you'll probably not notice it too much just letting the car idle. I'd go for a proper drive, have someone drive behind and check it out.

You use decent oil at all? Might wanna look into the good stuff if you don't already.

[Blind Kid Seeks]

well at least you know the warning light works...

if its not dripping out of the engine, its being used up somewhere else. damamged rings, valve stem seals wouldbe a few things i would consider... bear in mind... these are both expensive to repair.

[Lupetto]

im going to check the oil level this afternoon.

i think its burning it up again, if the valve stems are burnt/rings im going to just replace and install the turbo kit ive been talking with a Mechanic over for the last 3 weeks. But im hoping its not that.

Theres no smoke been checked over and over, no oil leaks, ive been told the oil pump sensor on them die allot though.

[Lupetto]

im going to check the oil level this afternoon.

i think its burning it up again, if the valve stems are burnt/rings im going to just replace and install the turbo kit ive been talking with a Mechanic over for the last 3 weeks. But im hoping its not that.

Theres no smoke been checked over and over, no oil leaks, ive been told the oil pump sensor on them die allot though.

just checked the dip stick, Let the car run for 30 sec -1 min

oil reading is on low (first mark closest to the bottom.)

looks like im burning oil ><

[Whip Cracker]

I think... that maybe the oil can get into the pistons and burn up in there. You'll see burn marks if you ever take it apart.

If you're gonna get it turboed (awesome), either get another engine or see if it's worth getting the engine fixed. I would be getting another engine in the meantime, building it up nicely and then getting the turbo fitted to a stronger engine... would be a lil powerhorse from then mate!

[Hiro]

just checked the dip stick, Let the car run for 30 sec -1 min

oil reading is on low (first mark closest to the bottom.)

looks like im burning oil ><

Oil levels should be checked when the car is cold, at least 10-15 minutes after it was last driven, to allow all the oil to drain back into the sump. The dipstick is calibrated to show the oil level in the sump when all the oil in the circuit is present, thus if you're measuring the level just after the car has been run then there will still be oil circulating around the engine.

And normally the difference between LOW and HIGH is about a litre or so, compared to 4 or 5 litres for the whole capacity (ie how much you put in when you do a full oil change), so it's not surprising that the level is just above LOW after you've run the car.

[Lupetto]

just checked the dip stick, Let the car run for 30 sec -1 min

oil reading is on low (first mark closest to the bottom.)

looks like im burning oil ><

Oil levels should be checked when the car is cold, at least 10-15 minutes after it was last driven, to allow all the oil to drain back into the sump. The dipstick is calibrated to show the oil level in the sump when all the oil in the circuit is present, thus if you're measuring the level just after the car has been run then there will still be oil circulating around the engine.

And normally the difference between LOW and HIGH is about a litre or so, compared to 4 or 5 litres for the whole capacity (ie how much you put in when you do a full oil change), so it's not surprising that the level is just above LOW after you've run the car.

yea just did that > results are bellow the low mark. Kinda getting worried now.

[David the Viking]

Did you or the people who service your car change brands of oil around the time this started to occur?

I had something similar with my first car were I changed to a Castrol oil and it all of a sudden started to use oil. It became a case of going to the servo to check the fuel and fill up the oil. It also didnt appear to be visibly burning the oil.

[Keisari]

It may also be that you're leaking from somewhere near the top of the engine, so it only happens when you're driving and not in your driveway. If that's the case, there's a chance you might be able to hear a drip...drip...drip from inside the cabin after you shut the engine off if you listen very carefully. I've had this issue before.

[Lupetto]

Did you or the people who service your car change brands of oil around the time this started to occur?

I had something similar with my first car were I changed to a Castrol oil and it all of a sudden started to use oil. It became a case of going to the servo to check the fuel and fill up the oil. It also didnt appear to be visibly burning the oil.

When i bought the car originaly i believe they would have done the basic Service i.e Oil/Spark plugs

so im not sure if they would have put a cheap oil (i presume they would have)

but when i put Oil in i used Shell oil.

I was thinking maybe due to the High km (170000+) i might need to switch to thicker oil and not the oil reccomended by the sevice manual.?

[Lupetto]

It may also be that you're leaking from somewhere near the top of the engine, so it only happens when you're driving and not in your driveway. If that's the case, there's a chance you might be able to hear a drip...drip...drip from inside the cabin after you shut the engine off if you listen very carefully. I've had this issue before.

no sound, checked that before. Also might lift off the rocket cover protector tonight and check to see if theres stains.

[David the Viking]

If you are leaking oil you are going to have 5+ litres along the underside of the car which is going drip where ever you park. Its a lot of oil to lose in a short amount of time.

I have a gen4 V6 Camry with 208,000km on it and it doesnt use any oil!

As a short term thing the thicker oil is probably worth a try. How many kms have you travelled since the problem started?

[Lupetto]

If you are leaking oil you are going to have 5+ litres along the underside of the car which is going drip where ever you park. Its a lot of oil to lose in a short amount of time.

I have a gen4 V6 Camry with 208,000km on it and it doesnt use any oil!

As a short term thing the thicker oil is probably worth a try. How many kms have you travelled since the problem started?

Ive checked every the car is parked and i always check for leaks... theres NO leaks what so ever.

I got the car on 159 0000 kms and its just above 170 0000 now.

[David the Viking]

It may be the reason it was sold/traded in.

Time to accelerate those turbo plans!! Have a look on Toyota Nation as there are a couple of guys on there with 2az turbos. There is also a supercharger kit for the 2az.