4 Common Causes of Oil Pressure Light Illumination
If you have checked the oil pressure switch or sensor and it appears to be in good condition, but the oil pressure light is still on, you may have an engine problem that should be addressed immediately.
If your oil dipstick doesn’t show the correct value or your engine oil pressure light is on or flashing, there could be a number of different reasons. Here are the most common causes:
Common Causes of Oil Pressure Light Illumination
1) Faulty Oil Pump
Oil is pressurized in the engine by the oil pump, and this pressure pushes it through the engine. This allows the oil to lubricate the engine’s components, allowing them to move more freely. When an oil pump malfunctions, oil pressure drops, causing the vehicle’s oil pressure warning light to come on.
And because the oil pressure is weak, oil can’t flow through the engine to lubricate the components. This increases friction between components, increases the temperature inside the engine, and ultimately causes more damage.
2) Clogged Oil Filter
Your engine relies on the oil filter to protect it from wear and tear. The oil filter’s job is to filter out solid contaminants from entering the engine. These contaminants often include shiny metal particles, carbon, and dirt. If they get into your engine, they can damage your engine’s cylinder walls, journals, and bearings.
So the more contaminants that are filtered out, the healthier your engine will be. However, oil filters tend to get clogged after a while, especially if they’re not replaced during oil changes. When this happens, your vehicle’s oil pressure drops, and your engine’s oil pressure warning light comes on. Loss of oil pressure will cause problems for your car, which means you need to change your oil filter immediately before the problem gets worse.
3) Clogged oil channels in the engine
The oil pan or crankcase stores the engine oil. Most engines have an oil capacity of 4 to 6 liters. The role of the engine oil pump is to pressurize and circulate the oil. As soon as the oil leaves the pump, it’s sent directly to the oil filter, where contaminants are filtered out.
All of the clean oil then passes through the filter and travels through a series of channels until it reaches the crankshaft. The channels in the crankshaft allow the oil to circulate around the bearing surfaces of the engine.
However, if these channels become clogged, the oil won’t be able to flow, which can cause the oil pressure light on your dashboard to light up. This can happen whether you have low or high oil pressure. If the problem is not fixed, it can cause serious damage to your engine.
4) Low Engine Oil Level
Oil lubricates your car’s engine. After a while, a small leak can cause the oil level to drop. Oil can be lost even without a noticeable leak. The older your car is, the more likely it is to have an oil leak (or multiple oil leaks). Common oil leak points include the valve cover gasket, oil pan gasket, rear main gasket, and even the drain plug. It may seem obvious, but a missing oil cap due to insufficient tightening will almost certainly result in oil loss.
Otherwise, it will simply be burned off by the normal operation of the engine. If the oil level drops low enough, the oil pressure warning light will come on. Check the engine oil level immediately.