I drive my 91 Corolla every day and put a lot of miles on it. I'll be putting even more on it as a delivery driver soon. I drove it over 120 miles just today. As I pulled into the driveway tonight the oil pressure light flashed on for a few seconds, and quickly went back off as I parked the car. It didn't come on at all today otherwise. I had the oil changed yesterday. I checked it tonight and it's full. What could be the problem? And should I be worried about driving it much further?
1991 Corolla - Oil Pressure Light On
- Thread starter Amy
- Start date
When the oil pressure light comes on, it's alerting you to an inadequate oil pressure situation in the engine. This can result in a destroyed engine and potentially very quickly. I recommend calling the auto center that changed the oil in the car and alerting them to this situation, as they could have maybe done something wrong, i.e. used the incorrect viscosity of oil, installed the incorrect oil filter, etc. I encourage you to have the oil pressure in the engine checked with a mechanical oil pressure gauge as soon as possible to verify that it is within specifications, or not. Any competent auto center can do this for you. This is a potentially very serious and expensive problem, as in thousands of dollars to replace the engine. If the oil pressure is below specification, running the engine could cause serious damage.
Which auto center did the oil change and what viscosity, brand and type of oil did they use, i.e. petroleum oil or synthetic oil?
Which auto center did the oil change and what viscosity, brand and type of oil did they use, i.e. petroleum oil or synthetic oil?
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I took it to Jiffy Lube and had my usual oil change. I had them put the 5W-30 in it, the lowest priced oil change they offer. I admit I should probably step it up, but I've had no problems thus far, and I have a very small budget. I had the oil pressure light issue checked out and it seems to be the sending unit. It has still been running fine and the light rarely comes on. I may try putting an additive in the oil to see if it helps. I'd like to get a lot more miles of this car before it's time for a newer one. I'm at 196K, and by what I've seen these cars can go a lot longer than that.
I checked my online Product Application Guide and your Corolla is supposed to be using an oil viscosity of 10W-40, not 5W-30. Using an oil viscosity that is too thin will reduce oil pressure and increase engine wear. This is probably why the oil pressure light is coming on. When any of the idiot lights on the dashboard come on, including the oil pressure light, this isn't to just make you aware of a problem, but to alert you to impending disaster.
With Jiffy Lube using the incorrect oil, they need to correct the error they made and install the correct 10W-40 viscosity oil before your engine is seriously damaged. I doubt they want to buy you a new engine for your Corolla.
I strongly recommend against the use of pour in oil additives. Motor oil already comes with additive chemicals in it to enhance its performance and protection abilities. Pouring in more additive chemicals can upset the delicate chemical balance of a motor oil and have unplanned and negative affects.
If a cake recipe calls for 2 eggs, adding 2 more eggs to the recipe will not make it any better, it will ruin the cake.
For extending engine life, improving fuel economy, reducing maintenance costs, improving cold winter starting, reducing emissions, improving power/throttle response and saving you money, AMSOIL synthetic motor oils are the way to go. I will get you wholesale prices, (the same prices I pay). Check out my website below and private message me here of send me an e-mail via my website and I can get you a quote. I've been an independent AMSOIL synthetic lubricants dealer for over 25 years and this is my private business. Contact me.
In the meantime, get your Corolla back to Jiffy Lube ASAP and demand they put in the proper 10W-40 motor oil, before your engine is damaged, or worse. Make sure to bring your receipt and speak to the manager. They need to correct the mistake they made. 10W-40 motor oil is the viscosity Toyota engineers specify for your Corolla. If you have the owners manual for the car, it will state this. Don't let Jiffy Lube tell you 5W-30 is fine. It's not. This is an urgent matter so take care of this immediately. The longer the engine uses the incorrect oil viscosity with the low oil pressure light on, the more and more damaging engine wear is occurring.
With Jiffy Lube using the incorrect oil, they need to correct the error they made and install the correct 10W-40 viscosity oil before your engine is seriously damaged. I doubt they want to buy you a new engine for your Corolla.
I strongly recommend against the use of pour in oil additives. Motor oil already comes with additive chemicals in it to enhance its performance and protection abilities. Pouring in more additive chemicals can upset the delicate chemical balance of a motor oil and have unplanned and negative affects.
If a cake recipe calls for 2 eggs, adding 2 more eggs to the recipe will not make it any better, it will ruin the cake.
For extending engine life, improving fuel economy, reducing maintenance costs, improving cold winter starting, reducing emissions, improving power/throttle response and saving you money, AMSOIL synthetic motor oils are the way to go. I will get you wholesale prices, (the same prices I pay). Check out my website below and private message me here of send me an e-mail via my website and I can get you a quote. I've been an independent AMSOIL synthetic lubricants dealer for over 25 years and this is my private business. Contact me.
In the meantime, get your Corolla back to Jiffy Lube ASAP and demand they put in the proper 10W-40 motor oil, before your engine is damaged, or worse. Make sure to bring your receipt and speak to the manager. They need to correct the mistake they made. 10W-40 motor oil is the viscosity Toyota engineers specify for your Corolla. If you have the owners manual for the car, it will state this. Don't let Jiffy Lube tell you 5W-30 is fine. It's not. This is an urgent matter so take care of this immediately. The longer the engine uses the incorrect oil viscosity with the low oil pressure light on, the more and more damaging engine wear is occurring.
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Well I did a new oil change with the right oil and changed out the sending unit. I didn't trust jiffy lube to do it correctly so I did it myself. She's as good as new again and I can tell the difference in power when I drive it. I hope I haven't caused any permanent damage to the engine but it doesn't seem to act like there is. I've driven it several hundred miles since I fixed it and it drives like a brand new car. I don't think the problem was the sending unit but it was a $5 part so it didn't hurt to change it anyway. Thanks for your help with this and now I know what mistakes not to repeat in the future!