Why is my oil light coming on while I idle my engine?

Question

I have a 1990 Toyota Corolla I was just given by a little old lady who litterally drove it no more than 10 miles a week.

After driving it for about an hour the oil light comes on but only while I am stopped at a light or breaking. It only seems to happen once the engine has warmed up. Then after a while longer the temp gage starts to get close to the red line.

There are plenty of fluids in the car and for a 1990- it only has 99,400 miles on it. I know this kind of car could last me another 100k so I want to get it taken care of. I just want to have an idea of what's going on before I walk blindly to a machanic who may charge too much to even discover the problem!

Thanks for your help!

Answer 1

Low oil pressure indication due to:

low oil pressure
.....thin oil that needs to be changed
.......worn bearings not allowing sufficient pressure to build
............connecting rod bearings
............main bearings
............camshaft bearings
.....worn oil pump not capable of creating sufficient pressure

overheating due to
.....bad fan sensor, temp sensor, or fan relay
.....low coolant in radiator system

faulty sensor

Answer 2

Most likely either the oil pump is failing, or the oil pressure relief valve is sticking. Unfortunately, extremely low mileage doesn't make for a good car - in fact, it usually ruins the engine. Since it would have rarely warmed up completely, moisture inside the engine would cause rust to form internally, and they wear out quickly due to poor lubrication (oil not warm enough to flow properly.)

I once looked at a 12-year-old car with only 56,000 miles - driven by a couple of nuns! The engine was already junk - blowing oil smoke, leaking oil, rusted exhaust pipe, leaking head gasket... Engines wear out fast when they are cold.

Of course, if you had read the owner's manual, you would realise that the engine should be shut off IMMEDIATELY if the oil light goes on. The extra friction from having no effective lubrication is causing it to run very hot, as well as wear out quickly. Given time, it can cause the crankshaft and camshaft to weld itself to the engine block (I once had a motorcycle that did exactly that!) - if it doesn't just catch fire first. Leaving it running will kill it in no time. And the extra wear on your engine's bearings from having no lubrication means that the likely fix now is a complete new engine.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Check the fan.
It looks like it's not an electric fan and that the belt is loose. When you're doing high rpms, the friction moves the fan. But at low rpm (idling) the fan belt slips and the fan doesn't move.
Just guessing, I don't know that car and it could have an electric fan, then this answer doesn't make sense.
But check if the fan works when it's hot. It could be an electrical problem related to the engine idling.

Answer 4

A. check you oil level
B. replace the oil pump

A very simple little job should take about 20 minutes or less start to finish

Answer 5

Either you've got low oil pressure.
Some causes for low oil pressure.
A) Oil has lost it's viscosity. (When was the last time you got an oil change?)
B) Oil pump has gone bad.

Or

You've got a bad oil pressure sensor.

Answer 6

since this vehicle does not use very often, the engine oil need to be change. when vehicle sit around without using it, the oil become contaminated. also, try to have an engine flush

Answer 7

Change the oil to 10w-40. (non-synthetic)
It's a little thicker.