Q: Oil pressure light comes on in the morning when the car is cold, but goes off if I turn the car off then back on.

asked by on October 04, 2016

Oil pressure light flashes in the morning when the engine is cold. If I turn the car right back off then right back on, the light stays off. The car is running fine, just had an oil change 200 miles ago. Could this just be a faulty sensor?

My car has 68000 miles.

Oil Pressure Light is on Inspection $94.99 - $114.99 Get a Quote

Hello, thank you for writing in. The sensor, or oil pressure switch, can be tested. If the sensor appears to be within the factory spec, the first thing to check is if you have the right viscosity oil. If the wrong oil, particularly higher viscosity, is put in, the oil pump will not, at least initially, generate pressure as intended. If this issue just started after the oil was changed, of course that itself suggests the foregoing possibility (wrong oil). Assuming the oil is not the issue, and the sensor or switch is OK, it is easy to verify the oil pressure using an external test gauge and of course the pressure should be verified because if there is inadequate oil pressure such will will prematurely wear out the engine bearings. Here at YourMechanic, we can have a technician come to your home or office to inspect and diagnose this issue for you, and make or suggest the necessary repairs.

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