You’re driving your car and then suddenly notice the low oil pressure warning light coming on. What do you do? Since there’s no way to tell right away if it’s something serious or not, it would be safest to pull over, find a safe place to park, and turn off your engine.
What Does Low Oil Pressure Mean?
When your car’s computer sends you a low oil pressure warning light, it could mean two things. One, there’s too little oil, or two, the pressure of the available oil is too low to allow it to reach all engine passages.
Insufficient lubrication builds up friction between engine parts and is the #1 cause of engine seizure.
So, it’s imperative that you immediately stop your car, let the engine cool down, and check out for the possible reason for the warning light.
What Causes Low Oil Pressure in Cars?
There are at least five reasons for your vehicle’s maladies and knowing these low oil pressure causes can help you find the right fix.
1. Insufficient Motor Oil
The most common reason for low oil pressure is insufficient motor oil. If you haven't changed your car oil in a long time, then insufficient motor oil could be the reason.
Confirm if this is the case by checking the oil level. If it is, then an oil change can solve the problem.
Even if you regularly do oil changes, still check the oil level. If it’s lower than recommended and you never missed an oil change schedule, then you should start checking for oil leaks.
Leaks will bleed out most of the motor oil before it can even reach the engine.
2. Defective Oil Pressure Gauge / Sensor
It is also possible that the oil pressure gauge itself is faulty and not able to sense the oil pressure accurately. If you have checked that the oil level is okay, and the engine isn't vibrating or heating up extensively, then the problem may be a defective oil pressure gauge.
This is, of course, something that you can only say with confidence after going to a professional. Oil pressure gauge defects occur very rarely, but they do happen.
3. A Clogged Oil Filter
Motor oil passes through a filter before going into the engine, so it is safe to say that the filer will get clogged over time. And as the filter gets more clogged, less oil goes to the engine, creating a cycle that results in low oil pressure.
This is possibly the most straightforward problem to check and fix, as once the entire residue is removed from the filter, the oil can flow smoothly to the engine again. Of course, people who get their car maintained periodically do not face this problem because the oil filter gets changed too during oil changes.
4. Changes in Viscosity of the Oil (using the incorrect engine oil)
An engine is a complicated machine and a very picky one at that. You can't just pick and choose any lubricant you want because each lubricant has a different viscosity and reacts differently with engines.
So, if the viscosity of the oil is too high for your engine, it will cause more resistance in the pipes, and less lubricant will flow to the engine.
On the other hand, oil with very low viscosity will not create enough resistance in the system, causing the sensor to read it as lower pressure. In a word, you must use the right motor oil for your car as specified by the manufacturer – check out the owner’s manual!
5. Damaged Oil Pump
Oil pressure can drop significantly when the engine oil pump itself is damaged. Think of the oil pump as the heart of your engines’ lubricating system. Once it stops working, the oil stops circulating, and the engine parts will start grinding against each other.
Poor oil maintenance and oil contamination are two common reasons for failure in the oil pump.
Conclusion
To summarize, low oil pressure can lead to severe damage to your engine and can pose dangers. If a simple oil changing doesn’t solve the issue, you should get it checked by your local mechanic ASAP.
Even engines that have been an absolute soldier overtime will inevitably lose oil pressure from an increase on engine bearing clearances or normal wear and tear over time. When that happens, it will take more serious repairs.
Before considering that, however, these 5 possible causes of low oil pressure are worth your attention because they’re the likelier cause, and you just might be able to squeeze an extra 100,000km or so out of that family car.