Odd low oil level warning problem???

**BrianSteuerwald** · 08-23-2008 12:02 PM

Low oil light came on today. Pulled the dipstick and it was a bit low. Topped it off, started the car, let it sit for an hour, and rechecked dipstick (which reads good). Unfortunately the low oil warning light still comes on when I start the car. Its the yellow warning light, not the red low oil pressure light. It could just be a computer glitch, or the sensor may have decided to go bad. Either way its annoying. Just curious if anyone has seen this before.

Thanks for your time.

**ieatfishburitos** · 08-23-2008 12:12 PM

Are you sure you added enough? This thing holds a truck worth of oil...

**Stormin** · 08-23-2008 12:17 PM

The low oil light in my car seems to be picky... If the car is remotely close to being "low" on the stick, I get a light on. No worries though, I get the oil on the cheap, always keep a couple quarts in the storage compartment and check it every time I fuel up.

**khyber** · 08-23-2008 01:36 PM

Generally when mine comes on, it needs close to two quarts, regardless of what the dipstick shows. The light will go off if I add one but I've noticed that generally two quarts is what it needs. How much did you put in?

**BrianSteuerwald** · 08-23-2008 02:48 PM

I've put in 1 and 1/2. I don't want to overfill just to trn the light off, but the light and the inherrent beep everytime I put the car in gear is annoying. I'm due for an oil change anyway, so I might be doing that this weekend

**nimski62** · 08-23-2008 03:13 PM

Originally Posted by khyber

Generally when mine comes on, it needs close to two quarts, regardless of what the dipstick shows. The light will go off if I add one but I've noticed that generally two quarts is what it needs. How much did you put in?

+1.. these cars are oil hungry..

**conanrules1** · 08-23-2008 05:38 PM

I've found the exact same as everyone else. I would say that I add a quart every 1500 miles...all highway. The light goes off when I add one quart but I typically put in 1 and a half.

Remember this thing holds over 9 quarts and the light is programmed to go on when you're down by 1!!

**BrianSteuerwald** · 08-25-2008 11:06 AM

Well . . . The light just went off by itself last night. I had not added any more oil since the quart and a half on Saturday. Go figure. Man these cars are tempermental sometimes!!!

**NYCS4Avant** · 08-25-2008 11:30 AM

since getting the car in April with 24,460 miles I've "topped off twice". The most recently last night on a 300 mile drive from eastern Long Island to Saratoga Springs. Both times I added 1 quart and it put me right back in the right range (a?/b? can't remember). Car goes in Tuesday for an oil change.

**$4c@b** · 08-25-2008 11:32 AM

I've had the light come on twice (both on trips from CT to Long Island). I'm only at 19k miles.

Both times I topped off and the light went off.

**Mooneywa** · 08-27-2008 08:47 PM

I had this same issue tonight. On the highway at about 75-80mph the light came on and so I slowed down and coasted to the next exit and hopped off. Being a newb I didn't want to take any chances. I pulled out the dipstick, it looked a tad low and when I started up the light was off. I took it easy driving home and when I got home it seemed much lower - like in the "C" range or less. I added two quarts and I'm back up to the "A" range. I looked at the owner's manual a little more closely and it says that "in hot weather during long-distance driving" that a lot of consumption can happen. I certainly have been doing this. It seems like this is a great lesson to me that this is a high-performance car and despite the rather large oil change intervals, that the oil levels should be checked more often. Just my two cents.

**BrianSteuerwald** · 08-28-2008 01:14 PM

I would agree. I will now start checking the oil level every other week. While that may be overkill I would recommend that everyone does it at least once a month. Remember to let the car sit for at least a few hours before checking it. Ideally, let it sit overnight and check it before driving to work while the car is sitting on a level surface. That will allow almost all of the oil to drain back into the pan and give the oil time to cool. Remember that oil is a liquid and its volume will increase when its hot and hot oil may give you an inaccurate reading on the dipstick.

**Menlo S4** · 08-28-2008 01:44 PM

Mine sucks-up oil, too. It used to stress me out, but over the years I've gotten used to it, and even expect it. I keep a coupla quarts and a funnel in the trunk.

The manual says to add it 1/2 a quart at a time, but 1/2 a quart is never enough, so you find yourself under the hood once or twice before the oil light disappears for good. That's fine with me, though, since an early warning beats a too-late warning every time.