|
Unless there is a separate light for the oil level, most oil lights indicate low oil pressure, not lack of oil. Aside from a sludge buildup, broken intake pipe, or something else causing the oil pump not to take up enough oil from the pan, the oil pump may be wearing out. Something after the oil pump, (the oil filter or some of the oil passages) may be clogged but this would cause overpressure, and in many engines there are bypass paths.
Does the engine have very high mileage or a history of oil problems that would be consistent with the oil pump being badly worn?
On some engines the oil light will flicker at idle when the engine and oil are very hot after a long hard run. Give a little gas and it goes out. Should we assume this is not what you have?
If the car is in good condition otherwise, it might be worth having the oil pressure and pump operation checked with a gauge and getting a proper repair if indicated. This would also show you if the sensor is bad or maybe has a loose connection. The oil pressure sensor is normally on the engine block near the oil filter.
If it's not a valuable car or all other options have already been tried, then a flush with an aggressive solvent like "Sea Foam" might be ok. From their website you can learn this consists of some kind of light oil plus naphtha (commonly sold as white gas, Coleman camping fuel, etc.) plus isopropyl alcohol (ordinary rubbing alcohol). These solvents can wash oil off the bearings, valve guides, etc, as well as decarbonize.
|
