by Leonard Zody

Created on: January 01, 2009

The oil pressure light or gauge is a very important monitor of engine lubrication system. If the oil pressure light illuminates or the oil pressure gauge drops to "0" (zero) due to a failure in the engine's lubrication system you only have a very few minutes to turn the engine off to avoid catastrophic damage to the engine. To put it in a dollars and cents relationship the repair costs can quickly add up to the $5,000 to $10,000.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /

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If this happens to you, first evaluate your immediate situation as quickly as possible so you can navigate to a safe zone to stop and shut off the engine as soon as safely possible. What to do once you are safely out of traffic dangers. If you do not know how to check engine's oil then consider calling for help 1) 911, 2) motorist assist, 3) friend, 4) tow service.

If you know how to check your engine's oil, that's the first item to check. Turn the engine off, as you can only obtain a valid oil level indication when the engine is not running. You only need a tissue, rag, or even your fingers to wipe the dip stick clean before you re-insert it completely and then remove. Check the visible oil on the end of the dip stick after you remove it. The new light oils utilized in our engines today makes it somewhat difficult to see indicated level on the dipstick. What should you see? The end of the dip-stick is marked for two (2) levels, Full and Low. Even if there is only a small indication of oil on the end of the dip-stick you typically have two quarts of oil remaining, enough to properly oil your engine until you can drive to the nearest place to obtain oil. If there is no indication of oil on the dip-stick it is likely your engine may be completely out of oil. Always re-check dip-stick readings you see. Your engine cannot run for very long without oil. Major costly engine failure will occur in a short period of time, 5 to 25 miles depending upon speed.

What if you verify that the engine is full of oil and that it's not making any clattering noises? This could be something as simple as the oil gauge sending unit. Several years ago I was moving my wife's 1986 Monte Carlo SS and I noted the oil pressure gauge was indicating "0" (zero). The first thing I did was check the underneath side of the vehicle to see if there were any signs of oil leakage. Then I checked the oil level on the dip-stick and sure enough it indicated "Full." Since there were no signs of leakage on the underside of the car and the dip-stick indicated "Full," I re-started the engine to listen for noises like the clacking noise of collapsed valve lifters. The valve lifters operate on a cushion of oil which requires oil pressure to maintain this cushion. Since I did not hear lifter noises or any major engine failure noises I made the assumption that the failure was in the oil pressure measuring/monitoring system and not the oil pump. I replaced the oil pressure sensor mounted on the side of the block and the gauge began indicating appropriate oil pressure. The indication of lost oil pressure is a serious engine failure and the cause needs to be diagnosed immediately or it can lead to expensive repair costs, or maybe even an engine replacement.

Should you get an indication of oil pressure failure, assume the worst and stop the engine as soon as reasonably possible and get assistance. Protecting costly damage to your vehicle's engine is important, but also consider that protecting your safety is more important. The police are always willing to stay with you until appropriate assistance can arrive.

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