Oil warning light

During a quick drive down the motorway one of the oil lights flashed on for about 5 seconds, soon as I saw it I slowed to pull to the hard shoulder but as the light went out I carried on. It didn't come back on at all for the rest of the journey but I guess this is a sign the engine may need some attention.

The light that came on was the yellow 'oil can' on the right side of the dash, but I’m not sure if this is oil pressure or oil level... Checked the oil level when it had cooled and it looks fine.

Should I get the car to Toyota for an oil and filter change or should I get it to one of the experts for a more detailed look?

Thanks

Darryl

I'm not sure what it means but i wouldn't mess with any engine warning, especially oil, it's what keeps the turbos alive.

Yellow is the level i believe.......

i had this once and although the oil level seemed fine to me and never dropped really low, i did find out later i had a leak from the oil pressure sensor. A known possible problem in older cars and a cheap fix, but one i didn't notice til the leaking oil was getting burnt off on the exhaust when i was sat at a garage one day...

my advice would be to obviously keep an eye on the oil level but also inspect the right hand side of the engine (when looking from the front) below the intake manifold and below the oil filter for signs of oil. Leaking oil will collect initially in the engine undertray rather than showing itself more readily by leaking over the drive etc

Originally posted by Scooter

my advice would be to obviously keep an eye on the oil level but also inspect the right hand side of the engine (when looking from the front) below the intake manifold and below the oil filter for signs of oil. Leaking oil will collect initially in the engine undertray rather than showing itself more readily by leaking over the drive etc

Good advice there, with the undertray in place, never wait till an oil spot appears on the driveway as it could be far too late. Personally every time I wash the car I leather down the engine bay rubbers etc and always look for anything that isn't quite right.

Ben..

Thanks for the responses guys

Hopefully its just a simple leak, although the right side of the engine has a fair bit of oil on it (from cylinder head down). Judging by the state of my drive the only oil leak is coming from the gearbox/propshaft area so I think any existing leak from the engine bay is small. I'll have a good look in the engine bay tomorrow and see what I can find!

Darryl

Originally posted by Loid

Thanks for the responses guys

 

Hopefully its just a simple leak, although the right side of the engine has a fair bit of oil on it (from cylinder head down). Judging by the state of my drive the only oil leak is coming from the gearbox/propshaft area so I think any existing leak from the engine bay is small. I'll have a good look in the engine bay tomorrow and see what I can find!

 

Darryl

Remember that with the undertray in place it will let oil run along it and drop out towards the back of the engine bay. You could be mistaking this for gearbox oil. Best check it NOW dude.

Ben..

Ben, thanks, I didn't know about that. Will check it tomorrow before I drive the car...

Just realised I don't know where the oil sensor is

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Originally posted by Loid

Ben, thanks, I didn't know about that. Will check it tomorrow before I drive the car...

 

Just realised I don't know where the oil sensor is

 

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Right hand side of the engine under inlet and oil filter IIRC, apparently it's a pain to get to, but I've never done it, so may be wrong.

Ben..

Originally posted by Loid

 

Just realised I don't know where the oil sensor is

 

mate, mine leaked and i still don't really know exactly where it is! but its in the oil filter a/c (condenser?) area on that side of the engine.

i'd jack it up and remove the undertray and have a good look around. If it is the oil pressure sensor then it will gradually get worse, my local mechanic guy had a look and basically jacked it up and then started it up and let it idle so he could visually see the oil leaking.

new sensor is circa £10 but a few hours labour to fit i think, but not too major.

BTW other possible leaks could be crankcase seals. A search for this should tell you where oil leaks from, repair info etc.....

Having had a good look around the engine I can't see any visible signs of recent oil leaks, there doesn't seem to be any oil pooling in the under tray. The oil level has been checked several times and it’s showing in the middle of the 'safe' area on the dipstick.

The only leak seems to be in the gearbox / prop shaft area, I really can't see any leaks around the engine.

So, after a couple of days of short journeys and no problems I took it down the M4 today, on the way back the same problem happened... was cruising along in traffic in 6th, at about 60mph and the oil light flicked on for about 5 seconds. Same as before I started to move to the hard shoulder and the light went out. Drove another couple of miles to home and the car seemed fine, no warnings or anything...

Still not sure what’s causing this... but was pretty pissed off after a visit to Octagon Toyota in Reading… asked them to do an oil change and basic service but because it s an import they won’t touch it!! Now I’ve got no idea where to go...

Can anyone recommend a good garage in Reading?

This could be an electrical indication fault. We used to get problems with oil pressure and temperature gauges breaking down electrically internally when they get hot OK this is chinook helicopters but it still could be happening for your problem. If the oil level sensor is replaced then that may sort it out.