What makes an oil pressure light come on when the car idles?

Whenever I push the break in and sit for a minute like in a drive thru my oil light comes on. Also, if my car is in park and I'm idling it comes on. What makes this happen?What makes an oil pressure light come on when the car idles?
probably low oil pressureWhat makes an oil pressure light come on when the car idles?
Well...low oil pressure obviously. This is very common on 4 cylinder cars with 100k+ miles. The bearing clearances are no longer the same, the valve guides are starting to wear, etc. As a result the oil pump can no longer provide the pressure required to lubricate all components of the engine at idle speed. The light goes off when you speed up because the oil pump speeds up and creates more pressure.





Think of the oil pump as the human heart, the slower it goes the less it pumps...the typical ';fix'; for your problem is to step up the oil weight category. A thicker oil will reinstate acceptable pressure at low idle. This is not a permenant fix by any means, as times goes on the bearings will wear further as will all other moving parts in the block leaving more and more space for oil to fill.





For the time being bump up the oil weight, the light should go off....if not there's not much that can be done outside of doing a rebuild. As always keep an eye on your oil consistency and levels between changes. If you notice a good deal of oil being burned or it starts to look ';burned'; on the dipstick you'll need to consider a rebuild, a used engine, or a new car!





Hope this helps!
Check pressure with a mechanical pressure gauge to confirm,the remove oil pan to see if strainer of pick up tube clogged up.
That is usually caused by low oil pressure the slower the engine rpms are the lower the pressure is. not knowing your car it is hard to say what is causing the low pressure. it could be that it just has alot of miles on it or the idle is just to low or that the oil pressure sensor is bad or it is leaking. but before your have any more problems have a mechanic look at it, that may save you some money in the long run good luck
Faulty oil sending unit and/or involved electronic circuitry.
Change the oil pressure switch.I pressume you have good oil in it?.And the filter is okay.You could rig up a temporary oil pressure to find out the pressure.Then compare your figures %26gt;If they are too low then you need to replace the oil pump.
the oil you are running may be just a little too thin and your oil pump is having a hard time picking it up. Try a heavier oil on next change

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