RED oil light keep flashing-
 

Ok, little updates for prior posts.

https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-tl-problems-fixes-117/car-shakes-upon-acceleration-2g-02-tl-811106/
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...4#post12811974

Update-
New pair of axle eliminated the issue with vibration upon acceleration. Awesomer.

But I'm still having problem with this flashing oil level light(Red oil light).
Before I replace the oil level/vtec switch, light was flashing intermittently, but now it's flashing all the time.

Ok, basic sitrep of this car;

179k miles, bone stock, mechanically overall good condition.

1) timing belt has been replaced 40k miles ago

2) Engine oil service has done 5k ago, almost due on oil service,

3) Transmission fluid has been replaced 15k ago, along with new oil pan/filter.

4) Low on power steering fluid- Little bit suspicious..
Mechanic said power steering pump or somewhere in PS system is leaking, hence the low fluid level and flashing oil level light. Kinda doubt it though.

mmm pretty much everything I could think of related to oil light..Well, more like pretty much everything that uses oil lol..


Ok, here's what I'm thinking.

1) Maintenance light does flash right after I start the engine.
Perhaps I could start from here- Kill the light, see if oil level light goes off.

2) Take oil pressure test-
Since it's all about oil level/pressure, and oil level is fine(almost 80% between two dots), oil pressure test might give you better idea..

But the question is, even after I take oil pressure test, how can I pinpoint the source of problem? It could be oil pump, vtec solenoid, etc etc..

3) Give me your idea!

mait light flashing means you are approaching 7000 miles since reset
at 7500 it goes on solid and stays on
Its ONLY a counter of miles since reset- nothing else

the red oil light has NOTHING to do with PS level-only engine oil problems-that guy is not mechanic!!
ck your ps hose clamps- they suck,, and can be replaced with good screw type - a few ziners with that recently,,just below the full line is good level in ps

oil pressure is critical- you need to know idle and 2000 rpm numbers
Its possible the oil screen is clogged with crud, that limits oil pressure so that sensor would trip the light
I have read of oil pump failure on here- but rare
Smell dipstick --burnt oil?

If it were my car- I would add 1/2 can of seafoam to the oil
install a new cheap oil filter to catch the expected amount of crud
Drive 200 Miles or so,,watch the dipstick for sludge and change oil immed
make sure engine warm 15 min freeway drive- then do oil drain and new filter
Recheck oil pressure numbers
repeat seafoam in oil in a month if needed,,can be done with every change if desired
the drive time really helps it work- heat and time remove grime

might be as simple as bad oil pressure sensor! there have been 2 recently on here
one thread with pics and tips! scroll thru the titles for it

are you sure which dipstick is the engine oil?
driver side is trans-pass side engine oil

Thanks for info, 01tl4tl
Well I've replaced oil pressure switch, that was me wrote that DIY..lol

Alright then..Pressure test->seafoam->pressure test. I'm kind of a guy who believes that mechanical problems can only be solved by mechanical repairs, but I'll go ahead and try seafoam tomorrow. Hopefully it'll give me better result than my bmw and friend's toyota.

Well, if oil pump rarely fails, what else can cause this light? bad Vtec solenoid? clogged crankcase ventilation hoses?

generally its the pressure sensor---
but until we know what your current numbers are??
Does your vtec work? rules out that selenoid

Seafoam may as well be a mechanical repair tool !!
it really works to deglaze and decarbonize everything- if there is buildup on the pickup screen or clogging the pump itself, that will fix you up
Remember= new oil filter, seafoam- drive at least 30 minutes, but more is better- if you can go a week driving 30 minutes solid every day then change it = best cleaning for the dollars spent

I would get a test gauge or (im not sure if the ECU with a good scanner reads the actual oil psi) a good live data scanner and see what the PSI is that the oil pump is turning out.

kris--funny you have been banned! self imposed?

is there a place for oil pressure guage to easily install up top--or would you have to use the sendor location?

anyone with fancy code scanner-- have one that reads live oil pressure?
brand-type- price? thanks

That's what I suggested in his last thread: https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...5#post12833355

Did you actually measure the pressure yet?

why would he do that when a new thread might generate a more desirable answer?

No I haven't measured the oil pressure yet. Had too busy weekend..
I wanted to specifically address this problem, two of my previous posts did not have title regarding 'red oil light'..Hope my action didn't violate any rules of this forum. :)

Anyway, UPDATE.
Apparently Seafoam was little bit helpful. Previously red oil light was constantly flashing, but now it flashes..
1) whenever I accelerate hard, comes on then goes off.
2) when the RPM declines slowly (mostly declining from 3.5-4k, flashes for a second then goes off.)

Hard to tell, but I'm guessing one of the return hoses is still clogged, interrupts the circulation..What do you think?

Of course I'll go ahead and take pressure test, inject seafoam entire bottle(or perhaps I could ask them to apply compressed air to the one of the return hoses) and then re-test oil pressure. Gonna go hard this time lol

how did you use seafoam in the oil--1/2 can and a few hundred miles?
thats what it takes to get the really solid crud out,,then change the oil and filter

^I've disconnected vacuum line and put seafoam directly into the throttle body. Haven't done pouring seafoam into the crankcase(through oil cap), but I'm not sure this would work.

Guess this test result will take some time- Will keep you posted :)

That won't rectify an oil pressure problem. Is the level ok?

while Im sure its running better- the vac method gets inside the intake valves and pistons only..plus the cat and O2 on the way out
BUT Nothing for oil pressure prob
You really need to install a cheap/low priced oil filter- fram or walmart is fine
Expect a lot of crud in this engine so the $3 precaution is worth it- having an empty filter to catch the crud
Seafoam says 1.5 oz per qt, 7.5 oz for us so I use half a can maybe a little more.
the heat from driving and the circulation of cleaner with oil - is more effective with the oil pressure from driving at 2000 rpm minimum 30 minutes, vs 30 minutes at idle

Already bought oil and filter..I'll pick up another filter then.
Did some research shortly, injecting through PCV tube/crankcase would work. Will update soon :)

If your inlet screen to the oil pump is clogged like it sounds- get that process in motion today!
drive all week with seafoam in--its totally ok, should get better each day

+3! You're wasting time and money until you know what the oil pressure really is. I don't know if this car has a pid for oil pressure or not, but the ones that I've seen that do have it rely on the same sensor that the gauge uses. In some cases, it's a calculated value based on temperature and rpm, with the oil sender being just an on/off switch.

Long term test update!
After driving 200ish miles and replaced engine oil, light completely went away :)
I never had chance to get oil pressure(yeah,,shame on me) but seems like seafoam and 5qts of oil fixed the issue.

I would still want to know what the oil pressure really is- after all that runaround.

which seafoam did you guys use?

Sorry to bump an old thread but my oil light started flashing after gassing up today. Got home and the oil is low. No time for an oil change, but I wanted to do a seafoam in the crankcase. Can I get seafoam and a couple of quarts of oil, add to the oil and 1/2 can of seafoam and ride for a few days and change the oil then?

I need to seafoam through the fuel system, but I just filled the tank, so I can use the rest at my next fill up correct?

There's no problem with your plan of action.

But, Ya may want to investigate why your motor's oil level is so low. When was the last oil change and how low was the oil ?
It apparently must be leaking from somewhere or blowing out the exhaust !!!