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07-05-2018, 07:39 AM | #1 |
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Ghost low oil warning +1 qt
Just drove to work this morning and got a low oil warning add 1qt. Pulled into DD to get my morning coffee and restarted the engine to a full oil reading.
Anyone else have similar a experience? Could the sensor be on its way out? |
07-05-2018, 07:43 AM | #2 |
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If you mainly drive short distances, a little water condensation can build up in your oil and provide a false low reading. There was a tech bulletin about it, if you search the site you should be able to find it. The oil needs to get hot in order to cook off any condensate.
It happened to me one time a couple years back and scared the crap out of me. Especially w/ no dipstick to verify anything. Edit: Here was my thread. A few posts down are the TSBs |
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07-05-2018, 07:55 AM | #3 | |
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I was forum browsing some time ago reading that short distances are not the best for these engines, something about having the engine get to optimal temperature etc. Can there be anything done to combat this besides taking him out for a longer drive? Thanks |
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07-05-2018, 06:49 PM | #5 |
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Happened to me the other day. Although I had a small leak, it would show low oil +1 qt after half a year. I took it in for a oil change to verify the oil quantity (pretty much 6.5 liters came out). So it was a false reading from the oil sensor. I also waited till the next day to drive it again thinking because it was hot maybe it funked the sensor. Honestly, a qt low isn't bad for the car, but being a qt over is. I can tell you about a C-class merc owner who added 6 liters over the max oil level thinking he was low on oil lol.
As per your question about long drive. I waited the next day and my reading came up full. Only real way to know is to do an oil change and see how much oil comes out. |
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07-05-2018, 06:56 PM | #6 |
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Happened to me. It turned out to be a bad oil level sensor. Had it replaced and all is fine. It started as an every once in a while thing. Then a month or two later it was more often.
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07-06-2018, 01:57 AM | #7 |
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I have a similar problem, but your cause might not be the same. My indy and I was able to figure it out and basically, during my drive I have to stop on a very steep decline hill and also have to wait a pretty long time at a red light, close to 10 mins. It would cause a yellow low engine oil warning light. There are some thread online that it might be a faulty oil sensor, but my mechanic told me instead to just turn the engine off during those wait times.
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07-06-2018, 08:02 AM | #8 | |
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07-06-2018, 10:26 AM | #9 |
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i have a 5 minute commute to work, parked at an incline at home and at work. the route i usually take back and forth im usually at a stop light at a decline and the light. almost every other day itll come on but as soon as i go elsewhere after work and im on flat land with the car warmed up i recheck and its at max level.i read somewhere it just happens to be bad timing with the sensor and it will eventually re calibrate once its either flatland and or warmed up, which it always does for me
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07-06-2018, 11:08 AM | #10 | |
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Read the oil during a normal flat drive and check for consistency. |
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Gangplank1538.50 Havocsteve81.50 |
07-07-2018, 09:50 AM | #11 |
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I'll have to keep this in mind. Although they tightened the oil pan and also replaced the oil filter cap as they thought it might be leaking as well.
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07-07-2018, 07:43 PM | #12 |
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This happened to me last night. Shut the car off and the oil light came on. BC oil indicator showed oil level at minimum so I ran it again this morning and the same thing happened. I had half a qt left over from my last oil change so I poured it all in. Next time I drove the car the BC oil indicator reads full....
So, either min to max is half a qt or somethings not right....
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