I turned on the car (2003 Chevy Venture) today and the “Low Engine Oil” display came on. I checked the oil (car had been parked on a flat surface overnight and engine was cold) and the oil was about 1/3 of the way up the dipstick, which is way, WAY past the full line. I let the car sit and warm up…

Your engine has an oil level sensor mounted to the side of the oil pan. http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=319728&cc=1410523 More than likely this sensor has failed and requires replacement. Tester

Tester may be right, but if the oil level is WAY over full, you need to get that down to the proper level. It is possible that the oil is foaming and the light you’re seeing is a low pressure light. I’d recommend a complete oil change.

I would just add the the oil situation and P0171 are unrelated. That code indicates a lean condition detected on bank one of the engine. I think on the venture that is the row of cylinders on the left side of the engine / rear of engine compartment. The code will come from something like a vacuum…

If Cavell is right, and he very well may be, do not start the engine even for diagnostic purposes until you purge the oil system and get fresh oil in there. Coolant in the oil can quickly destroy your engine.

I have to agree with the other responses here. In addition to coolant raising the oil level…fuel can also do the same thing. Make sure to have the oil inspected for both coolant and fuel. If it’s fuel then the fuel injection system will have to be diagnosed for the source of the problem.

Concur with those posting above, if there’s no explanation for the high oil level on the dipstick, best to not start the engine; instead drain a pint or so sample of the oil out from the oil pan drain plug, and take it to a mechanic for a visual inspection. If there’s water in the oil, since oil fl…

It would be helpful to know when the oil was last changed. Was it just before the light came on? If so, it was probably just an overfill. If your last oil change was months ago, something else is probably going on.

Thank you for the comments. The last oil change was probably about a month ago. The antifreeze has a habit of running low, but recently when I have checked it, it looked okay. (Last week I added some wiper fluid and checked it while I had the hood up anyway.) Again today when I looked at it, it …

Like the others said, I strongly suspect your intake gaskets have failed. Unfortunately, this an extremely common problem with older GM V6 engines That is most likely the reason the oil level is way overfilled . . . with coolant If you drain the oil into a large tub, I wouldn’t be surprised if th…

2003 Venture Shows low Engine Oil Light, but the dipstick shows WAY over full

Maintenance/Repairs

Cavell December 15, 2013, 12:31am 5

3400 motor. They have issue of failed intake gaskets and coolant in oil. Not a good combo. Is the coolant level ok? Could be warped intake also. How do u explain high oil level? Most cars burn oil and most folks deal with low oil issues. Not the opposite.

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2003 Venture Shows low Engine Oil Light, but the dipstick shows WAY over full

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