7AFE AT200 Oil Light On? Options

[Scootworth]

Hey all,

PREFACING THIS BY SAYING THE AREA WAS WIDE EMPTY ROADS. Now then...

It's been snowing as of late in my area so my world is simply a skid pad for me and my 95 Celica ST (169k on the clock). I had the day off today and took the long route to the post office hooning about in corners. After doing a skid where I lost control and ended up almost stalling out, my oil light came on as if I did stall but I ended up keeping the car moving with a little push of the gas.

Since then, the oil light comes on when I cruise in neutral to a stop or press on my brakes but disappears when I am idling at the stop. My RPM's have been normal (750-800) and I've yet to notice anything weird. The dipstick came up short when I checked it right after turning it off so I'll check after posting, but I did just perform an oil change two days ago so it shouldn't be low oil.

I feel it could be a faulty sender unit or by the lateral forces of skidding and sliding it may have offset the readings of the unit.

Thoughts?

[Box]

When you lost control did you go off the road any or bottom out? Could've dented the oil pan and it's choking the oil pickup. The sender just measures pressure so it wouldn't care about the car being slung around, and I find it highly unlikely it'd go out at that exact moment. It's also possible the forces were enough that it slung all the oil away from the pickup and starved the engine momentarily. If the oil level seems fine after sitting check the oil pan for damage. You can double check the sender, but again I find it highly unlikely for it to have failed at that exact moment. Oil pump could also be weak if it's the original, and temporary starvation was just enough to do it in.

Might find it worth to borrow or rent an actual oil pressure gauge if you don't have one and that way you can see for sure what the pressure is.

[Scootworth]

When you lost control did you go off the road any or bottom out?

No, I stayed on the road and didn't feel or hear myself hit anything other than some body roll from regaining traction.