I have a stupid question followed by a serious one...
Is the red oil can icon on the dash mean "check oil" or "check oil pressure" because I've seen both types thrown around and I wanted to know why it is lighting up. Do they have separate dashboard symbols?
On a serious note, that oil light comes on after I've been driving for around 15 minutes and the car is warmed up. But it only comes on when I am stopped... as soon as I hit the gas it goes off and if I am driving anywhere above 10mph it is off. Only when I park or idle at lights does it come on. The oil was just changed and the levels are fine. I am going "oh #$@" what now?
Any ideas, the thing seems to be running fine.
It's oil pressure. If you have the 2.3/2.4 it's probably the oil pressure sensor. It's a common thing to go. It's possible you're oil pump is going, but more likely the sensor.
Actually he has a 96 which has a oil level sensor in the oil pan. That is the only year that I know of having it. It is probably the oil level sensor going out.
FU Tuning
I hope it is just the sensor... I talked to a mechanic on the phone and he said that it most likely isn't the pump but the sensor. I am getting a new car within a month hopefully and I am trying to squeeze as much time out of the old J as I can. The timing chain is not good on it right now (it sounds like a diesel at idle) and the mechanic said my bearings are worn to hell. He recommended, since I don't want to replace a major component, to get some oil stabilizer from an auto place and put it in. I just hope it doesn't blow and leave me stranded!
Our 96 has both sensors. The oil level sensor puts on a light that actually says - "Check Oil" and its yellow. The pressure sensor puts on the light of the RED Oil Can Symbol.
The light you explain is on is the low pressure DANGER sign. ow oil can cause low pressure so that is a quick first place to start. If the level is good, you symptoms you explain do not sound good. Oil pressure dropping to low at low RPM's, once the oil warms up to its normal viscosity. You could try a pressure sensor first as they are cheap. But don't wait too long to sort it out or you'll be walking home one day soon.
SPITfire wrote:I hope it is just the sensor... I talked to a mechanic on the phone and he said that it most likely isn't the pump but the sensor. I am getting a new car within a month hopefully and I am trying to squeeze as much time out of the old J as I can. The timing chain is not good on it right now (it sounds like a diesel at idle) and the mechanic said my bearings are worn to hell. He recommended, since I don't want to replace a major component, to get some oil stabilizer from an auto place and put it in. I just hope it doesn't blow and leave me stranded!
Sounds like your timing chain tensioner is bad. How does he know your bearings are bad? Usually bad bearings you would have a rod knocking. The timing chain tensioner is a pretty easy fix.
FU Tuning
Mike wrote:Our 96 has both sensors. The oil level sensor puts on a light that actually says - "Check Oil" and its yellow. The pressure sensor puts on the light of the RED Oil Can Symbol.
The light you explain is on is the low pressure DANGER sign. ow oil can cause low pressure so that is a quick first place to start. If the level is good, you symptoms you explain do not sound good. Oil pressure dropping to low at low RPM's, once the oil warms up to its normal viscosity. You could try a pressure sensor first as they are cheap. But don't wait too long to sort it out or you'll be walking home one day soon.
So you are saying oil pressure sending unit will throw a light it the pressure is too low?
FU Tuning
What I am saying - if you have both sensors...
Low oil quantity (if low enough) will turn on the yellow "Check Oil" light via the Oil Level Sensor (caution light)
Low Oil Pressure (once low enough) will turn on the red low pressure "oil can" light. via the low oil pressure sensor. (warning light)
I have seen my Check Oil light come on at about only 3/4 of a quart low. If the quantity gets low enough - I have seem my Red oil can low pressure light flicker during hard stops and hard turns - as the pump slightly cavitatesunder the sloshing oil. I have seen this occure at just over 1 quart low. It seems this car (mine anyway) is very sensitive to keeping the oil level topped right up.
The low oil pressure oil can light coming on only after engine warm up, once the oil thins out to normal viscosity, and only when engine RPM's are low, is indicative of somthing in the engine broken or worn out to the point that oil pressure is 'bleeding' away too quickly somewhere - or insufficient back pressure in the oil galleries to allow the pressure to build high enough - example - as in bady worn bearing(s). Yes it could also be a badly worn oil pump - but if it is together with a badly noisy bottom end engine, that is not a good sign.
As you mention - a bad tensioner is also very noisy, and farily common - I have replaced the tensioner on my 97 as it did wear right out (but not yet required to be changed on my 96). However, I see no way a bad tensioner will cause low oil pressure. It is oiled by excess oil overflow that just runs over the chain and tensioner. I do not see any parts involved here in the chain and tensioner that can wear and cause loss of oil pressure. I also find that a noisly timing chain tends to be noisiest at low RPM and quiet out at high RPM, quite different than a noisy crank.
Also for interest sake. The 2.2 in my 97 does suffer from main bearing wear - and ehibits the symptom the OP mentions. Low oil pressure (RED oil can light comes on) only after the engine is warm, and only then, when at low RPM's. I am also nursing this engine until replacment and if it helps to feel better, it has run on now like this for several thousand miles. I did replace the oil pump and oil pressure sensor as the 'cheap' try, but the real fix for me is an engine or an engine rebuild. The secondary symptom of the worn bearing is that as I slowly put more miles on the car, the RPM at which the light comes on is slowly over time, getting higher - meaning that I have to have the rev's higher turning the oil pump faster, to generate sufficient pressure to put out the light. BTW this engine is at greater than 350,000 kms on original build, so it owes me nothing!
Quote:
Low Oil Pressure (once low enough) will turn on the red low pressure "oil can" light. via the low oil pressure sensor. (warning light)
The reason I was asking or brought this up is this. You can disconnect the oil sending unit and no light. I have woned many different year J's, but never seen a low pressure light (only low oil light).
FU Tuning
thanks for all the info!
I really don't know what is wrong with the car. It could be anything you mentioned here but this light just came on yesterday. I drove today twice to and from class and there were no lights at all.
I had my car into that particular mechanic and he looked at the bottom end and told me the bearings were just about shot on it. I don't know what's up because this is a transplanted engine that supposedly was put in with 78K on it. The guy down here seems to think there was some odometer fraud on that engine or that it was beat on pretty bad.
He mentioned, in addition to the bearings, that the tensioner was probably creating that timing belt tinkling sound but that it wasn't worth my while to have that fixed, as I was going to get a new car anyways.
Also, these 2.2L's have the oil sensor that also could be bad. The fact that it didn't act up today may tell us that it was a sensor because engine parts don't go bad one day and then work the next, do they?
It seems like it all sucks on this engine but the question is will I get it to last until early March? Will oil stabilizer help increase oil pressure if my bearings are leaking? What is the danger of my car blowing on me? The light only comes on at idle under 1000rpms and goes off immediately when I move or gas it. Maybe it will hang on?
i had the same thing happen to me I have. Oil Pressure light would come on if i was at a red light or when turning. would go off as rev's went up. Oil level and viscosity was right.Now one thing you mention is u just had an oil c change. You probably have a defective filter. I will never use fram again. i had picked up a 3 pack of filters from pepboys. Did the oil change and then i ad the problem . swapped filters topped of the oil same problem, I guess i had a bad batch of oil filters from fram. I only use ACDelco. from now on
This is kinda hard to believe but...if you read the owners manual it says that the oil pressure light may illuminate at idle and turn off again under acceleration... and that is normal.
My daughter's 97' 2.2 did it all the time, my 97' 2.4 never has...
you could try running thicker oil to help add some "cushion" between the bearings and the crank. Thicker oil will up the pressure and might keep your light off.
Run SAE 30W HD (High Detergent) oil in it and see what happens.
Scott
2002 Audi S4, black
1996 Z24 auto, red
SPITfire wrote:It seems like it all sucks on this engine but the question is will I get it to last until early March? Will oil stabilizer help increase oil pressure if my bearings are leaking? What is the danger of my car blowing on me? The light only comes on at idle under 1000rpms and goes off immediately when I move or gas it. Maybe it will hang on?
I've got a '85 Mercury Lynx in addition to the Cav that I keep around just because I didn't pay but a few hundred, it's dependable, and gives me something to drive if I've got the Cavalier down for something. Main bearings are worn BAD. I've got a mechanical oil pressure guage on it, and I can be going down the road at cruising speed and when I let off the gas (no more force/pressure on the crankshaft) the oil pressure goes UP!! Needless to say there's some play in my crankshaft. I've put somewhere around 25,000 miles on it, and it's been like this since the day I bought it plus I drive the car hard. As long as the bearing doesn't spin and you're getting oil to the head you'll make it to March. The timing chain tensioner is the bigger problem in my book. I don't know if the 2.4 is an interference engine or not, but if it is and the timing chain jumps a piston(s) could hit a valve(s) depending on how bad out of time it is.
I agree with Sal Astuto on the filter as well. I've seen this happen on a Miata when using a parts store filter.
