Oil pressure guage light...

[Swanny_UK]

Guys,

Im posting in general becuase Im not too sure whether it\'ll be electrical, or mechanical yet!  Here goes.  Just had a new alarm fitted by SQPlus in Manchester, very impressed so far, all seemed fine until I got home yesterday evening.

The oil pressure light is coming on intermittantly and what seems like random.  Im assuming that the illumination of the light denotes \'Warning: low oil pressure to reinforce the reading on the guage.  

This morning I got up started the car, let it warm for a couple of minutes and then drove off to the shops and back.  I got back, and all seemed fine, no light.  Ive been faffing fitting a new facia for my head unit, and when I came to take the car for a spin, I started it up, and the oil light is on.

The thing is, the guage is reading about 4 at fast idle, with the light on.  I drive off and at about 2k rpm the guage drops to about 3, and the light goes out :s So i drive some more and the light comes on... and then Im stopped in traffic, guage reads 3, lights off.  I boot it, guage reads 6, lights off.  Its totally intermittant :s

Now based on my assumption above, and as Ive had a new alarm fitted theres a dodgy connection, but I cant understand why the guage is reading say 4, and the light is on, but it then will read 3 and the light goes off.  Its making no sense.

Being new to rotaries Im being very cautious, I know the OE guages are poo, but I dont want to kill my engine if there really is an oil pressure issue.  I do want tog et some dual SPA guages, an oil pressure one being a top priority, but in the meantime, can anyone offer some advice as to how to proceed, it seems completely bizarre?

EDIT: Added to the above - Ive checked my oil level - first thing I did, last night and this morning and its right on the max reading. Have checked several times too. Doesnt seem to be any oil leaks anywhere, and Im not getting buckets of blue smoke in the exhuast either.

[elford_tim]

Actually I think the \'poo\' part mostly refers to the gauge sender, which is not very durable but more than makes up for that in the cost stakes.

That said, I\'m not sure if the oil pressure light would be triggered by a different switch (which may well be the case) so I\'d check first if the wiring to the oil pressure sender(s) has been disturbed.

[Swanny_UK]

Actually I think the \'poo\' part mostly refers to the gauge sender, which is not very durable but more than makes up for that in the cost stakes.

That said, I\'m not sure if the oil pressure light would be triggered by a different switch (which may well be the case) so I\'d check first if the wiring to the oil pressure sender(s) has been disturbed.

Ah i see, gotcha, well ive just been out to have a looksee.  I understand one of the senders is just below the oil filter on the passenger side.  It has a single blade connection to it.  I removed it, and the first time I started the car up, the the guage needle didnt move, but the ligh didnt come on.  I started it again two more times and the needle didnt move, but the light did come on.  This made sense at the time, but makes more sense with what your saying about an additional sender somewhere...

[elford_tim]

Yep, that\'s the sender unit for the pressure gauge...

What I don\'t know is if there warning light is triggered by a separate switch or by some clever electronics in the gauge.

[marco]

i had exactly the same thing last week, i stopped and chucked a litre of oil in and the light went out never to return, maybe it is some sort of level sensor. i had plenty of oil pressure as well,but you can have plenty of pressure without much oil i guess, although how level can be measured whilst the engine is turning over is beyond me...
anyway check the level, and if it is a little low then chuck a bit in and see if it goes!

[Swanny_UK]

i had exactly the same thing last week, i stopped and chucked a litre of oil in and the light went out never to return, maybe it is some sort of level sensor. i had plenty of oil pressure as well,but you can have plenty of pressure without much oil i guess, although how level can be measured whilst the engine is turning over is beyond me...
anyway check the level, and if it is a little low then chuck a bit in and see if it goes!

I had thought the same thing, but the oil\'s almost at the max level, literally 2-3mm below it :s  I\'ll add a very little bit and see, but that\'d be well bizarre!!

[Swanny_UK]

Well ive just topped the oil up from 3mm below the top of the hashed area (checked on both sides though) of the dipstick, to the top of the \'F\' for full on the hashed area.

Turned the car on - the same.  Moved it down the drive and back - light had gone out.  Moved turned the car on again.  light still out.  I\'ll keep an eye on it and keep you posted - but how bizarre is that? :s

...im also going to make sure my disptick\'s going all the way in if you know what i mean :s  Seems to be though...

[marco]

if i am honest my gut feeling is that it cant measure level, esp whilst driving as it is splashing all round the spot. i just thought i would relate to you what happened to me and what i did to see if it helped. when i stopped and topped up (actually didn\'t check level before or after which is a little slapdash) and it extinguished the light the engineer in me was both confused and intrigued, however the boyfriend in me who just wanted to get to Gentress so he could go MTBing just looked at the lack of warning light and stopped caring...
maybe the oil was sufficient sacrifice to the electrical gremlins to keep them appeased? the way i see it, so long as i have faith in the oil pressure needle(i.e. it goes up and down in accordance with the revs, and reads about right) then i dont really care about the light. however it has reminded me to get round to sorting out my aftermarket oil pressure gauge!

if the dipstick wasn\'t going all the way in, it would read low surely?

[Swanny_UK]

if the dipstick wasn\'t going all the way in, it would read low surely?

LMAO cheers dude yes your right it would - you can tell i\'m stressed :s