Oil Light

[Keg_gt]

oil light stays on at idle but goes away when revs increase what is the problem aaa its a m20 2.5 e30 can any one help ? some one sujested oil pump?

[Brianmoooore]

If you're lucky, oil pressure switch is knackered, if you're not, engine is knackered.

[Simon325i]

Have the same problem on mine recently but if you look in the handbook it says this is normal

Car has just been serviced and it did'nt come on when they had it - only comes on once car is warmed up.

[orangecurry]

when a car engine is 'warm', the oil is 'warm', and so is a lot thinner - therefore oil pressure drops; if there is a 'problem' somewhere, the oil pressure drops too low, and the light comes on.

as Brian says, it is likely that 'either the oil pressure switch is knackered, or engine is knackered.'

where does it say that in the manual? which page?

[Keg_gt]

Doesnt sound normal to me if the oil pressure is low then the oil isnt getting around properly. i went to my local Engine Shop and they said most likely the oil pump is on its way out so getting it changed Ԛ£49 for pump form German Swedish and French. i will give it a service at the same time. they also said possibly the mains bearings but that is unlikly as it would knock like a Tw@t. and it doesnt runs fine and sounds fine.

[rmt]

Oil pressure switches tend to fail on old cars, I have had a simaler problem on most of my cars and it has always been the switch not the engine at fault. New switches cost very little and are easy to fit. It is always worth replacing the switch.

[Keg_gt]

ok well im installing a pressure gauge having the oil pump changed and seeing what happens really

[Keg_gt]

Just cleaned sender cable as was full of oil on the conection and put it back on ad hey presto no more oil light so ive either broke it real bad or its fixed

[Brianmoooore]

Oil leaking through the switch is common, and will mess up the pressure at which it works.
Recommend you change the switch.
Lot cheaper than an unnecessary oil pump. (I've never seen a duff one).

[Globulator]

If it doesn't go away with a new sensor:

Also can be caused by a blocked filter - as excess pressure is 'lost' in the filter opening the bypass valve.
However usually filters only get blocked by oil additives (otherwise known as engine destroyers).

Non-synthetic oil gets thinner as it gets older - so may also happen if your oil viscosity has returned to base (10sae for 10w40).

[Simon325i]

Orangecurry - its on page 23!

[orangecurry]

right - that's page 23 gone from my manual then! Hope there's nothing useful on the back of that page

[dobbie82]

I have had this problem a few times..

on my rover 214 the oil pump was knackered, on the 320i touring there was a break in the oil pressure switch wire, so when it was at idle (a bit lumpy) the oil light flickered on.

simplest to fix was my toyota last week, oil pressure light came on at idle, reason being? no damn oil in it! why do dealers always seem to sell cars with no oil? (well not no oil but took nearly a litre to get it back to half way between min and max)