Oil light coming on Options

[bradshaw75]

I've been driving my 94 Celica St the last couple of weeks and at random times the oil light will come on for a split second and then go away.

It has also flickered on and off rapidly on some occasions. Is this just an oil level light going off?

I assumed this is common since these engines burn oil quite regularly but I'm thinking it could also be a loose connection or faulty sensor.

Does anyone know what causes this light to come on?

[Sunny]

Hi,

can you notice that it is in curves?
-> check the oil level and fill up if it is low

greetz

[d3ath2009]

yeah my 7a occasionally does that when cornering when it starts to run low... weirdly its also usually right around the 3,000 mile mark from my last oil change

[RabidTRD]

What is the thickness of your oil that you use? When is the last time you had an oil change? Do you hammer on your car?

We need more info to help you come to a conclusion.

If you're running 5w30, you should be running 10w30. If you're getting close to an oil change, your oil is running thin. If you slam on the car a lot, you thin out your oil faster. If you don't use quality oil, it's going to thin as well. That light isn't to tell you that you're low on oil, it's to tell you that your oil pressure is dangerously low. Oil pressure does drop as oil level drops, but if you're losing oil that fast, you may want to get the leak fixed. Your switch could be going bad.



This post has been edited by RabidTRD: Jan 30, 2012 - 8:09 PM

[d3ath2009]

^ the 7a says to us 5w30.. so thats what I use.. plus with the mileage on mine I use high mileage oil (basically just has slick50 in it). The 7a is known to use oil once the miles get racked up.. doesnt really seem to matter how hard you get on it or not.. I would suggest trying an oil change and keeping track of the miles you put on it from then on. Its a 7a, so its notorious for using oil, not burning it of, just using it.

[RobbMeeX]

What do you mean?
Mine doesn't use any at 230k.

[JasonTX]

it may be worthwhile to check at 1500 miles and top off a little if your low

[bradshaw75]

Well the car has 228k miles on her and I've only driven it for about 1500 miles so far on a fresh oil change with 5w-30. It does burn oil so I assumed thats what it was but It doesn't always seem to come on during curves or acceleration although that is when it mostly occurs. Also this is my winter car so I don't run it hard but tomorrow I will check the levels and see if she's a little shy of full. I just didn't know if this was a common problem, I don't know anything about celicas.

I appreciate all the responses on this, I just didn't know what the light was an indicator for, I just assumed it was the oil level but pressure makes sense too

[rave2n]

^ the 7a says to us 5w30.. so thats what I use.. plus with the mileage on mine I use high mileage oil (basically just has slick50 in it). The 7a is known to use oil once the miles get racked up.. doesnt really seem to matter how hard you get on it or not.. I would suggest trying an oil change and keeping track of the miles you put on it from then on. Its a 7a, so its notorious for using oil, not burning it of, just using it.

The 7a takes 10w-30. Its literally on the oil fill cap.

It is "using" that oil, by burning it. The rings gunk up and pass oil, thus burning it. It also is known for its leaking, my 7a had to be checked every 2 weeks when I first got it, usually would need a quart in between oil changes. After 2 years, it would require 1 quart a week, or it would leak and burn it all out.

On topic

If you light is oil, your oil is low or out. Usually by the time that light is on, or flickering...their is high potential for damage. Best pull over, and walk to a gas station. Obviouslly check oil after its settled back into the pan.

This post has been edited by rave2n: Jan 31, 2012 - 8:32 AM

[d3ath2009]

^ the 7a says to us 5w30.. so thats what I use.. plus with the mileage on mine I use high mileage oil (basically just has slick50 in it). The 7a is known to use oil once the miles get racked up.. doesnt really seem to matter how hard you get on it or not.. I would suggest trying an oil change and keeping track of the miles you put on it from then on. Its a 7a, so its notorious for using oil, not burning it of, just using it.

The 7a takes 10w-30. Its literally on the oil fill cap.

It is "using" that oil, by burning it. The rings gunk up and pass oil, thus burning it. It also is known for its leaking, my 7a had to be checked every 2 weeks when I first got it, usually would need a quart in between oil changes. After 2 years, it would require 1 quart a week, or it would leak and burn it all out.

On topic

If you light is oil, your oil is low or out. Usually by the time that light is on, or flickering...their is high potential for damage. Best pull over, and walk to a gas station. Obviouslly check oil after its settled back into the pan.

the 7a may use the oil by burning it, but not to the point where there is a cloud of blue smoke out the exhaust anytime you get on it. Mine is completely original and it says 5w30 on the oil cap.. could b something that was changed during the change from OBDI to OBDII, but i kno for a fact that my 7a says 5w on the cap

This post has been edited by d3ath2009: Jan 31, 2012 - 10:19 AM

[bsamps4]

Indicator lights on your dash are NOT a good thing. You never mentioned whether you checked your oil or not. Throw a quart in the damn thing before it blows up.

[RabidTRD]

^ the 7a says to us 5w30.. so thats what I use.. plus with the mileage on mine I use high mileage oil (basically just has slick50 in it). The 7a is known to use oil once the miles get racked up.. doesnt really seem to matter how hard you get on it or not.. I would suggest trying an oil change and keeping track of the miles you put on it from then on. Its a 7a, so its notorious for using oil, not burning it of, just using it.

That is from FACTORY. ANY Japanese car with over 100k miles NEEDS 10w30. As your engine ages, things wear out inside and the thicker oil is designed to balance that. Your oil will thin out faster in an old car and that's also why it's a good idea to use full synthetic and keep using it. Synthetic doesn't break down like normal oil does under stress and high tempt. (I've proven this with my oil PSI gauge)

The 7a takes 10w-30. Its literally on the oil fill cap.

It is "using" that oil, by burning it. The rings gunk up and pass oil, thus burning it. It also is known for its leaking, my 7a had to be checked every 2 weeks when I first got it, usually would need a quart in between oil changes. After 2 years, it would require 1 quart a week, or it would leak and burn it all out.

On topic

If you light is oil, your oil is low or out. Usually by the time that light is on, or flickering...their is high potential for damage. Best pull over, and walk to a gas station. Obviouslly check oil after its settled back into the pan.

^ This. Thank you.

the 7a may use the oil by burning it, but not to the point where there is a cloud of blue smoke out the exhaust anytime you get on it. Mine is completely original and it says 5w30 on the oil cap.. could b something that was changed during the change from OBDI to OBDII, but i kno for a fact that my 7a says 5w on the cap

Burning off oil doesn't mean you're burning it into the cylinders... 7a's get HOT. So do most four cylinder engines. You need a thicker oil to balance that. It's simply the heat that the engine gets to that thins the oil and causes it to be less effective.

Old Japanese cars (especially Honda's) have seals that wear out. Oil mixes with gas inside your engine and it causes the oil to get really thin. I've noticed that even with high mileage oil, the oil will drop 10 to 20psi before an oil change is "due" with the kind of driving I do. That's not a good drop and when it does get that thin, it's time to change it, regardless of if it's before your "3,000 mile change point" or not.

I've changed every seal accept for the rear main seal in my engine to stop leaks and use fully synthetic oil and am at the 2,800 mile point with only a 4psi drop.

/rant
Brad, put in 10w30. The 7A leaks, burns, and runs hot. This oil will best balance it with that many miles. Next oil change, I'd also suggest to run some "Gunk" oil flush through the system before changing the oil. This will loosen up any sludge or deposits that have built up and knock them out at your next oil change. (that being said, it's usually good to do the next change at 1500 miles to get all the crap out. I usually recommend a cheap oil to "flush" it with and then a good oil after the 1500 miles)

Also, check your oil often. Check it after the engine has sat for 10 to 15 mins. The oil will settle and you'll get a good reading on the dipstick. My 5S even with all the seals replaced, still has the notorious valve seat leak in cylinder four. I am down to losing a half court every 3k miles, but it's still good to check at least once a month or before any long trips.

This post has been edited by RabidTRD: Jan 31, 2012 - 1:06 PM

[trdproven]

or if you have no issues, it could be the wire.

[bradshaw75]

Well turns out that the oil was a bit low so I topped it off and haven't seen the light on since.

However, on the drive home today the CEL came on and I ran the code and came up with a 71. Any recommendations on where to start looking? I know this is the code for the EGR but I didn't know if there were any common areas to check first

[bradshaw75]

However, on the drive home today the CEL came on and I ran the code and came up with a 71. Any recommendations on where to start looking? I know this is the code for the EGR but I didn't know if there were any common areas to check first

Well while I was driving today the CEL light just went off randomly on it's own so I don't know what's going on