Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Please help....My car oil light was blinking on and off but is off now...What is problem?

I started up my car and the oil light started blinking on and off. I stopped at a gas station, added like 3 quarts of oil and the light went then went off. I think I might have a small leak....I took my car back to the oil change place and they said immediately that it is the oil sending unit. How do I know it is not the oil pump? How long can I drive with a bad sending unit? How long can I drive with a bad oil pump? As long as I keep oil with me, will the car keep running? Can I replace either of these parts in my driveway myself? I am wondering how can you tell the difference between a bad sending unit and a bad oil pump? I was able to drive home and have been driving my car ok for about 60 miles now. The light is off now I am guessing because I have enough oil in the engine. Thank you.Please help....My car oil light was blinking on and off but is off now...What is problem?
You are probably right. If the oil level is low the oil may slosh away from the pickup when you stop (or accelerate, depending on the position of the pickup in your car) This will cause the light to flicker as the air passes through the system where the oil should be. First thing: if your oil was three quarts low you need to be checking it more frequently! Second thing: If it using oil (or leaking) It will depend on what is leaking as to the cost to repair it...A rear seal - big bucks! A valve cover gasket - maybe not much, but you will have to get an estimate as to the repair cost to decide if it will be cheaper to fix or buy oil! If it's burning oil, you probabIy would not have passed the smog test required in most states. You drove 60 miles the oil pump is probably good. If the light only came on when the engine was low on oil, the sending unit is probably good. Watch the oil level by checking it frequently and add oil when it shows a quart low...BTW don't add too much oil. If you overfill the oil in hopes of making it farther between adding, you will probably damage the engine!Please help....My car oil light was blinking on and off but is off now...What is problem?
if you drive with a bad oil pump, your screwing yourself overPlease help....My car oil light was blinking on and off but is off now...What is problem?
Start by checking the oil level with the dipstick

If you have enough and the light doesn't come back than you were low

If you have enough and the light still comes back and it's a chevy gm or Pontiac or caddy than it's the opsu.

The car would be making noise and be having driveability problems if there was an oil pump problem.



But first make sure of how much oil is in there if you add to much it will cause damage.Please help....My car oil light was blinking on and off but is off now...What is problem?
Did you tell the oil change place that you added the three quarts of oil.

If not, they think and so would everyone else that it could be the sending unit.



The oil pump itself wouldn't trip your oil light, that is the sending unit that does that.

Changing the sending unit shouldn't be that hard, go ask your auto store where it would be on your car, then try to locate it and see if if you can get to it easily.



The oil pump, no there is usually too much junk in the way to drop the oil pan and remove the pump.



Watch your oil light and also use your oil dip stick and keep checking the fluid level.



You also don't mention if you have oil on the ground, this indicates a leak. But that isn't uncommon in older cars.



Good luckPlease help....My car oil light was blinking on and off but is off now...What is problem?
If the sender unit is telling the truth, then the problem is low oil pressure. That's the only thing that can turn that light on. The low oil pressure may have been caused by low oil level. The senders are trouble-prone, though.



Don't drive with a bad sender. That's silly. It costs about $8, and it just screws into the block in about 3 minutes.



With a bad oil pump, you can drive about 50 feet or so.