Camry - Oil Light Problem
I have a 1993 Camry LE with 143,000 miles. About
30,000 miles ago the oil light starting coming on.
I have checked the oil level, oil presure, and
have changed the oil sensor and the oil light is
still coming on. I can change the oil filter and
the problem will go away for about 1,000 miles.
Once the oil light starts coming on again I can
change the filter again and the problem is solved
again for about another 1,000 miles. Even using a
higher grade filter such as a factory filter only
extends the 1,000 mile to maybe 1,500 miles. Has
anybody else had this problem? I have had one
suggestion of using a different grade oil. I am
not a mechanic and I'm not sure if this could cause
even a bigger problem. Can anybody help.
30,000 miles ago the oil light starting coming on.
I have checked the oil level, oil presure, and
have changed the oil sensor and the oil light is
still coming on. I can change the oil filter and
the problem will go away for about 1,000 miles.
Once the oil light starts coming on again I can
change the filter again and the problem is solved
again for about another 1,000 miles. Even using a
higher grade filter such as a factory filter only
extends the 1,000 mile to maybe 1,500 miles. Has
anybody else had this problem? I have had one
suggestion of using a different grade oil. I am
not a mechanic and I'm not sure if this could cause
even a bigger problem. Can anybody help.
0
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
There is only one way to answer your question...you have to hook up an oil pressure gauge and get a reading in real numbers. At that mileage, I'd say either your oil pump is failing or there is just too much clearance in your engine main bearings..that's a lot of miles...if you do indeed get a low reading on the test gauge then you'll have to diagnose the problem further.
What grade of oil are you using?
Does the light come on immediately when the engine is started from cold, or only after it has reached normal operating temperature?
Sometimes the obvious explantions are overlooked. Is it possible your engine is so full of glop, the oil filter simply gets clogged after only 1000 miles? Are you sure whoever is changing your oil drains it when the engine is hot? I've know of gas stations & garages that only do oil changes when business is slow, which might be 4-to-6 hours after the car was left in the morning. Not a very good practice in my opinion. If you ever find out what's wrong, please share it with us.
If just at idle, a single weight oil might help, but I'm still leaning toward an oil pump problem since this engine has such high mileage.
I'd recommend (if you have some spare $$) having an oil pressure gauge wired, so you can see exactly what your oil pressure is doing and more importantly, when. You could be experiencing problems only under wide-open throttle, or at certain rpms, which will help diagnose the root of the problem.
Of course, if the red light stays on and you're barreling along the highway, then the light itself is obviously no good because you'd have seized the engine by then.
I have been using Amsoil synthetic oil. 10W30 as recommended. I change my own oil and do change it hot. The oil light comes on at different times, sometimes hot and sometimes not and can be at any speed or RPM. Sometimes when the light comes on I can kill the engine and start it up again and it does not come back on at all. When the light comes on, sometimes it just flickers and does not stay on. The last oil change I went back to petroleum oil and am having the same results. The car runs great. I have thought of trash in the system that could be clogging the filter after short periods of time. If this is the case, is there an effective way to clean the system.
Usually, oil pressure either "is" or "isn't"...it's very odd to be fluctuating, sounds more electrical or maybe oil pump related, at least as it is being described.Bad bearings aren't variable, so that's kind of out...
I'm not a mechanic, but what ya'll are saying makes sense. However, I have a few questions. How could it be an oil pump problem if when the oil light starts coming on I can change the filter and the problem goes away for around 1000 miles? If it is the oil pump wouldn't it happen all of the time? Wouldn't I see a performance difference in the car? I am thinking of installing an oil guage to get an accurate reading of the oil pressure (good suggestion). Your comments are very appreciated.
You got that right. That's why I have been having this problem for so long. When this first started the dealer told me that the oil filter could cause the problem. Sometimes using a factory filter extends the mileage before the problem starts but they are expensive. I have also found other filters that work better as well but they are expensive too. If they solved the problem I wouldn't mind paying more, but they don't. They just extend the mileage before the problem starts again.
Downright weird sums it up very well. Still hoping to get the answer one day.
Thanks
I interpret that to mean every 7500 miles or every 5000 miles if you have a lot of short (less than 5 mile) trips. So that implies that you've been changing the filter 5-to-7 times for every oil change. Does the duration before the light starts to come on (indicating you need a new filter again) seem to be longer when you've put new oil in? Does the oil seem to be still pretty clear at the occasion of the first filter change 1000 miles after the oil change? It should be, but if it's quite black you'll be running very dirty oil through a brand new filter, so the new filter will also clog soon. What I'm getting at is I'm starting to go back to my previous suspicion that your engine may be so full of muck the new filter just gets quickly clogged up again. I believe that draining the oil removes a lot more of the muck than what is trapped in the filter that's being changed. A few quarts of oil are inexpensive. Why don't you change the oil every time you change the filter for the next 4 or 5 times to see the duration before the light comes on starts to increase.......maybe up to 5000 miles?
Another thing I, and others too it seems, have been wondering is why the bypass valve doesn't seem to be doing it's job. It should allow the oil to flow even with a clogged filter so the light shouldn't ever come on. But if changing the filter turns the light off, that sounds like a clogged filter is what's turning it on. It's conceivable to me that the bypass valve may not function properly if the crankcase if filled with a lot of sludge. Well just a thought.
Keep us informed regarding what you find out from your new oil-pressure gauge.
Bypass valve is spring loaded. That means to open it, there must be a pressure drop across it. So the oil pressure on the discharge side of the bypass valve is lower. That's the working pressure of the system at that point. It is not true that when it opens up, you have full pressure, since it requires a pressure differential just to open it in the first place.
Dropping the pan today, cleaning out the sludge, and replacing the oil filter will probably fix your problem. But then, you'll really never know which corrective action fixed it.
I don't understand why so many think this is an oil-pump or clogged-screen problem. Why would changing the filter affect the pump action or temporarily unclog the screen. It seems to me it has to be sludge in the pan that is converting a new oil filter into an old one in 10,000 miles.
Thanks for the help. I will keep you updated on the progress.
Changing the filter would not temporarily unclog the screen. But remember, the pressure drop is equal to the combined resistance of the screen and filter. So when the filter gets clogged enough to set the warning light, then changing it turns it off. But whatever is trapped in the screen, if anything, stays there indefinitely and lowers the pressure accordingly. The owner says he thinks he has sludge...that is enough to make me believe him. You were right for suggesting that, it appears.
I am having the oil pan dropped tomorrow to have the pick up screen cleaned. I will let you know what I find.
What I'm now wondering is, what caused all of this sludge to form? From reading the previous posts, it seems you change your oil regularly. Are you the original owner of the car? It may be that a previous owner let the car sit for long periods without changing oil.
I see that you use Amzoil. I'm neither a proponent or opponent of Amzoil, but if I were you I would change brands. This just should not happen if the oil was changed regularly.
Well, that was interesting...I'll remember those symptoms for next time.
You said you had been using synthetic oil. How long had that been going on? At what mileage did you start and stop doing that?