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Oil indicator light

Rob

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Mar 1, 2010
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Garage
I took out the dash recently and found the bulbs were in the wrong place minus one. I had bulbs in the auto box and engine (petrol only) warning lights for some reason and no bulbs in the fog light and low oil indicators. Anyway I decided id rather have oil warning light rather the cruise control indicator light and ever since I fitted a bulb the low oil warning light keeps coming on for some reason. I have checked the oil level and its just below max and it has good oil pressure (according to the manual). When it comes on it usually turns off within 15 min, sometimes sooner. Am i right to dismiss this as a faulty sensor or do I have bigger problems?
 
What oil are you using?
 
Sorry about the misinformed post, it is a low oil pressure indicator light rather than a low oil level light. Anyway any thoughts on this? Ignore it? That's the way I am leaning as oil pressure is OK according to the dial.
 
Does the light get triggered by the oil pressure sensor? Presumably it does, and we know that the OEM sensors are generally rubbish, so it stands to reason that the light is being provoked by a poor reading on the sensor.
A flaw in my logic is that you say that you gauge is showing good oil pressure, in which case why would the warning light be triggered?

My sensor/gauge always shows oil pressure around the bottom graduation on the gauge but my light is never triggered :think:
 
Maybe I would prefer a cruise control light instead of the oil indicator light... I now know why it was pulled...

When I say good oil porssure its always in beteen the centre 2 lines. Is this correct? It rises when cold and during high revs so I assueme its working.
 
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Like this ?

InstrumentCluster004.jpg
 

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Yes like that. I don't recall it every being lower than that.
 
Some engines have a low level light (yellow) and a pressure gauge (typical uk spec), some have a low level (yellow) and low pressure light (red) and some have all three.

The low level light should go out once the engine is started otherwise it would be triggered by the lowered sump level as the oil moves to the top of the engine, this IIRC is not connected to the low pressure light.

The gauge and pressure light are again IIRC separate sensors, as mentioned the sensors get a bit 'iffy' as they age, the oil pressure light sensor often gives a warning light that goes out once the sensor warms, the same sensor when giving false readings also can leak oil quite badly.

Personally I prefer a low pressure light over a gauge so will be retrofitting one to mine.

regards

Dave
 
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