Can somebody please help me. i have a 07 impala.got the it runs great.(no noise or over heating) i noticed the oil light was on so instead of playing around i took it and got an oil change. the people at valvoline didnt mention anything about any leaks or anything so i was good to go after my oil change. on my way home after about 20 minutes of driving i noticed that my oil light came back on. Can anyone tell me whats going on and what can be done to fix my problem???
First, look in your owners manual and see if you have an oil level light in addition to the oil pressure light. If you do, then figure out which light it is. If it is oil pressure, then do not drive the car with this light on. I mean DO NOT DRIVE THIS CAR WITH THE OIL LIGHT ON.
Shut your engine down immediately and check your dip stick to see if you have oil on it. Is the oil level low. For the oil pressure light to come on, you have to be just about out of oil. If you have oil in the engine, then there is another problem and you need to have the car towed to the garage.
It could be a defective oil pressure sending unit, or even as simple as the wire coming off the oil pressure sending unit. But it could be much more serious. Worse case, the rod and main bearings are worn out.
A good mechanic should be able to figure out what the problem is, but expect to pay for the diagnosis. A good diagnosis can easily take up an hour of his time and he should be paid for that. If it turns out to be something simple, then it will be money well spent. The easy quick diagnosis is to sell you a new engine, and that will cost you a lot more than a good diagnosis, most of the time.
There’s a component on the engine called the oil pressure sending unit.
This is what causes the oil light to come on if the oil pressure is too low.
Sometimes these oil pressure sending units malfunction causing the oil light to come on even if there’s no problem with the oil pressure.
Here’s the one for your vehicle.
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=1185800&cc=1438215&jsn=449
Tester
The light comes on and off it does not stay on could that be a sensor problem?
Does the engine make any noise while the oil light is on?
Tester
If it comes on when the engine is warm and at idle, but goes off when the car is moving, that indicates worn bearings or a worn oil pump. If the on off is random, that could be a sensor or wire, or you are just about out of oil.
It could also indicate that the engine has sludged up and oil is not returning back to the oil pan and is getting trapped under the valve covers.
Have you checked your oil level yet???
I do not here any noise from the engine while the light is on. The light come on at random while im driving and goes back off. Its saying low pressure oil turn engine off and the little red oil light comes on with it
I got a good oil change last week
If you don’t hear any noises from the engine while the oil light is on means the engine has the proper oil pressure.
So the problem is most likely with the oil pressure sending unit.
Tester
Getting an oil change has nothing to do with this issue.
You need to get the oil pressure measured with a mechanical gauge.
If the pressure is really dropping low enough to turn the light on you are damaging the engine every time that light comes on.
You recently bought this car used?
Low oil pressure would be evidence that the previous owner did not get enough good oil changes!
In many cases, and I think it likely in your case, the problem is a defective oil pressure sending unit. These are usually easy to locate, near the oil filter, and inexpensive. If you have some degree of Do It Yourself gumption, buy and install a new sending unit. If that does not solve the problem, go to a good mechanic.