You’re driving and you see the engine oil warning light turn on – what exactly does it mean and what do you do now? The picture above shows what the engine oil warning light looks like. This particular warning light is an indication that your engine has lost normal oil pressure. As soon as you see this warning light turn on, we recommend that you stop driving your vehicle as soon as possible and turn off your engine.
Continuing to drive with this light on can cause severe, irreversible engine damage. Although you won’t know how bad the oil pressure issue is right away, the best thing you can do is expect the worse and stop driving. If this light is on, you may also notice some other oil pressure warning symptoms such as ticking, rattling or knocking sounds coming from your engine in addition to a sudden loss of engine power or misfiring.
The causes of this issue can vary, but an engine oil pressure warning light typically indicates:
- Low oil level
- Worn oil pump
- Worn engine bearings
- Engine oil leak
- Defective oil pressure sending unit
- Defective oil pressure gauge or warning light switch
As soon as you see this light turn on or experience any of the other symptoms outlined above, we recommend you get your vehicle into the experts here at Broad Stoke as soon as possible to identify the issue and get you back on the road safely!