Auto and Truck Repair and Advice
Serving the Gainesville and Hawthorne Florida Area
Oil Pressure Warning Light
Vehicles use two methods to monitor this vital system: the "idiot light" and the gage. Some cars have both. If you have a light, make sure it comes on right before you start your car and goes out soon after the engine starts. If it never comes on, you have either a sensor problem or a burned out bulb.
A gage should start at zero then rise up to at least 1/4 of the gage range on startup.
WHAT TO DO IF YOUR OIL PRESSURE LIGHT GOES ON
OR IF YOUR OIL PRESSURE GAGE GOES BELOW 5 PSI
This means your engine has lost lubrication and is tearing itself apart inside. What you should do depends upon the circumstances. If this happens when you are just driving straight down the road at highway speeds, you should shut your engine off as fast as possible and pull off the road. Check the oil level and add oil if necessary. If the oil light goes off or the gage reads within normal range after you add oil, you're fine; just check your oil more often. If there is plenty of oil in the engine, you may just have a electrical problem causing the light to stay on or the gage to read low: BUT DRIVE IT AT YOUR OWN RISK!!! A $25 or even a $100 tow bill is small compared to a $2500 new engine. If you suspect an inaccurate gage or light, a mechanic can insert a gage to measure the actual oil pressure and check the accuracy of your car's light or gage.
If your light comes on during a sudden stop or going around a sharp curve, get off the gas and see if the light goes back off within a few seconds. If it goes off, add oil at the first possible opportunity: you're probably 2 or more quarts low. Take it easy (no more sudden stops or fast sharp curves) until you fill up your oil!
The Economechanix Cyber Mall
We also serve the surrounding communities of Alachua, High Springs, Hawthorne, and Newberry!
Thank you for visiting the ECONOMECHANIX WEB SITE. Please feel free to comment. We also serve the surrounding communities of Alachua, High Springs, Hawthorne, and Newberry! Gainesville has been my home since 1974, and I've loved Gvl and the Gators since I came here in the fall of 1974 to attend the University of Florida. I loved it so much I stayed and opened my car repair business. Originally it was out of the back of a 1963 Chevrolet wagon, but in 1977 a fellow mechanic and I opened an auto repair shop with actual walls, etc. I stayed in the same location for 26 years, and recently moved my operation to property I bought 15 miles east of Gainesville. I am doing most all the repairs myself now, having reduced my overhead from $1500 per month to practically nothing. I do work by appointment only. I mostly work only on my established customers cars, but I will occasionally take on new clients. E-mail me and I will either make arrangements to look at your car, or I will recommend you to someone who will.
George G. Scott, Jr.