Ok, so I posted earlier about my gf's car having to oil light come on while she was driving to work. She drives a 95 Honda civic with about 150K miles on it. She was headed to work today and the car started shuttering and then the oil light flickered and came on. Well, we checked the oil and it was way low so we put more oil into it and brought it up to level. Now, the car seems to run alright but the oil light is still on and it kinda makes a chirping noise when running. Not a loud one, just faint enough to hear. Also, when I opened it up a little, then down shifted to 2nd to slow down, the light went off for about a second or so. I was wondering if you all knew what might be the problem and also if there was anyway to drive it tomorrow as she has no other way to work. Thanks for all your help

2/9/2006 10:39:15 PM

gas and a match

2/9/2006 10:43:04 PM

come on people, I need some help here.....maybe if I post that stupid pic of the drawn car then someone would actually help me!! Come on people!!

2/9/2006 11:28:53 PM

did you check the oil yet??

2/9/2006 11:33:13 PM

as stated earlier, the oil was checked and found to be low, we have since added oil to fill it to the proper level, however, the oil light is still on, and I do not want to dmg the car by driving it with low oil pressure.....maybe the oil pump is bad?? Also, where is a good place to take it for repair?

2/9/2006 11:44:13 PM

As long as it's not a *tick tick tick* then you should be fine for now. Chirping is probably a fan/drive belt. Or maybe oil pump Just make sure to check the oil regularly. And if you happen to have to keep refilling it often, then something is probably broken.

On my wifes Mazda6, when I changed the air filter a CEL came on. Kind of weird. Anyways, I just reset the ECU and it fixed it. So, try reseting the ECU to get rid of the light. Disconnect positive (+) cable, step on brakes for a few seconds, reconnect positive (+) cable. See if that does the trick.

-Your local e-mechanic n00b, xvang

[Edited on February 9, 2006 at 11:56 PM. Reason : to the rescue... sorta]

2/9/2006 11:54:55 PM

ill buy it from you

2/10/2006 12:10:13 AM

so I tried resetting the ECU. I got the light to go off, then I waited for the engin to come up to temp so I could check the oil level. Now the oil light flickers on and off. It comes on for a few seconds then goes off, then comes back on, then goes off. I am thinking maybe the oil pump isn't functioning properly? What do you all think?

2/10/2006 12:18:39 AM

Here's a cool read: http://www.emotors.ca/Articles/110.aspx

2/10/2006 12:42:57 AM

^^ that might be a good guess, not so much that the oil level is low, but that there's low oil pressure.

2/10/2006 2:16:19 AM

It could be several different things wrong here. The very first thing I would do would be to change the oil and filter. Never know when you'll get a defective filter, especially if she got it changed at Jiffy Lube or its equivalent. They use shit filters.

Next, the oil pressure sender could be bad...a broken or punctured diaphragm or something like that. But then you'd notice a leak. Or it could be some sort of blockage to the sender.

The only way you can really be sure is if you hook up a mechanical gauge to the engine and check the pressure that way. I don't really advise driving the car until you know for sure; you could be asking for serious engine damage. A really low pressure condition may not show any immediate damage, but rest assured that bearing wear (and everything related) will be greatly accelerated with intermittent metal contact. Ask me how I know...

Oh, and as far as the oil pump goes, it's a trochoid pump that's directly on the crank snout. There is a pressure relief valve, with a spring that's held in with a cotter pin. I haven't seen a failure yet, but that does not mean it can't happen...it can. And it isn't a cheap fix, though cheaper than an engine.

[Edited on February 10, 2006 at 9:54 AM. Reason : oil pump.]

2/10/2006 9:52:26 AM

do what he^ said.

2/10/2006 10:51:26 AM

My oil light in my older honda came on and off right before the Timing belt broke. Wasn't very pretty.

2/10/2006 10:57:46 AM

Quote :

"The only way you can really be sure is if you hook up a mechanical gauge to the engine and check the pressure that way."

exactly, this should be the first step if you give a damn about the motor at all. stop all this stupid speculation and theories...

2/10/2006 11:55:00 AM

CHANGE THE OIL FILTER, DAMN TRY THE OBVIOUS SHIT FIRST BEFORE YOU GO TEARING DOWN THE OIL PUMP

2/10/2006 5:01:38 PM

i wouldn't even do that, the "safe" thing to do is get a mechanical guage on it asap. btw, why did this neccesitate two threads?

2/10/2006 5:07:24 PM