by B. L. Babb

Created on: February 16, 2009

Interestingly enough, the red warning light indicating a loss of sufficient oil pressure in the engine is also termed a "dummy" light because usually by the time this light comes on, the engine is already being damaged, dummy.

That said, tongue in cheek, there are several steps to take if you find yourself faced with this situation.

Knowing your vehicle can help determine if you are causing major friction bearing damage or if this is just an inconvenience.

Many cars today are equipped with an oil pressure gauge as well as the dummy light.

If your car is so equipped and you have the light come on, then you haven't been properly monitoring these life blood gauges. However, suppose the light comes on and your oil pressure gauge is showing sufficient oil pressure? It could be a bad sensor.

Still pull off and confirm levels before continuing.

If your car is equipped with an oil pressure gauge, familiarize yourself with the different pressures (winter and summer) at different speeds. For instance, in winter your oil pressure may be 50 psi at 45 MPH while in the summer it may be 40-45 psi at the same speed. The cold will thicken the oil increasing the pressure.

Learning these values will help should your engine light come on in traffic. If your light is on and your oil gauge is at zero, stop immediately and safely.

Do not use the mindset that you can go a few more miles or minutes. If you have a real casualty going on in your engine, you have seconds to get safely out of the way of other cars before the possibility your engine will seize. Once that happens, you will be stopped whether you want to or not!

What shape is your car in? If you have a new car off the lot, you should not be having this problem so early in the car's age. However, it can happen, even in new cars. A piece of debris can clog an oil passage restricting or stopping flow of oil.

Is your car one of those bondo-bombs that spews a blue cloud of smoke out the tailpipe? Do you have an oil slick in your driveway where your car parks because it leaks oil faster than you can pour it in?

Blue smoke is an indication of burning oil. Oil burned is oil no longer in your oil pan. As the level drops, pressure will drop as well.

While it may be possible to add oil to continue your journey, driving without determining the cause puts you, your car's engine, and those in traffic around you at risk. Get the car checked to ensure there are no problems before driving it again.

If your car is well-maintained and this happens it can

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