Hello, I have a 2001 firebird formula v8. The low oil light came on and when im not moving the oil pressure gauge drops almost to the red, but when i start to drive it, it goes back up. I checked the oil level when car is running hot and cold and its good also. The car does not heat up neither. I scanned the car and only 2 codes for knock sensor showed up (p0327, p0332). neither im assuming based on what i read indicate the low oil pressure. Would appreciate a response on maybe what the problem is thanks for your time!
Oil pressure
Mario.01
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Hello, I have a 2001 firebird formula v8. The low oil light came on and when im not moving the oil pressure gauge drops almost to the red, but when i start to drive it, it goes back up. I checked the oil level when car is running hot and cold and its good also. The car does not heat up neither. I scanned the car and only 2 codes for knock sensor showed up (p0327, p0332). neither im assuming based on what i read indicate the low oil pressure. Would appreciate a response on maybe what the problem is thanks for your time!
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Need more info:
How many miles on the car? Is this a recent purchase?
Have you changed the oil to insure the correct oil is being used, and the old oil has not been contaminated by gasoline?
Have you checked the oil pressure gauge by attaching a mechanical pressure gauge to the engine?
Does the oil pressure drop near zero primarily when you are braking and coming to a stop?
How many miles on the car? Is this a recent purchase?
Have you changed the oil to insure the correct oil is being used, and the old oil has not been contaminated by gasoline?
Have you checked the oil pressure gauge by attaching a mechanical pressure gauge to the engine?
Does the oil pressure drop near zero primarily when you are braking and coming to a stop?
It has around 177k miles it was a recent purchase less than 1month my first firebird, it started to happen saturday 9/30. i havent done an oil change neither checked with a mechanical pressure gauge. Im going to do an oil change this upcoming weekend, i havent used the car since to prevent anything. Yes it comes to nearly zero when im braking and coming to a stop. I appreciate the response!
Sounds to me like the oil level is ridiculously low. The oil pan is bigger at the rear and that makes the oil flow back there when you accelerate.
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You indicated "I checked the oil level when car is running hot and cold and its good also. " Did you actually mean that - checking the oil level with the engine running? Or did you actually mean you checked the oil with the engine off, after a few minutes to let the oil drain back, when engine was both hot and cold?
By "low oil light" do you mean oil level? The oil level light comes on when the level switch in the side of the oil pan indicates low level. Very low level.
The LS1 engine is reliable, but has had some occasional issues with the oil system. Typical problems seem to relate to a pump pressure relief valve sticking open, some sort of O-ring on the oil pickup, spun bearing, worn cam bearings, etc.. I'm not really familiar with the details. Also don't know what happens to the oil system at 177,000 miles. Not sure that anyone here has had a similar problem.
Pressure dropping to near "0" on a hard stop can sometimes be related to problems with the oil pump pickup, but primarily on the earlier Chevy small block engines. But the LS1 has the oil pump mounted in the front, so that would not seem to be a typical problem.
By "low oil light" do you mean oil level? The oil level light comes on when the level switch in the side of the oil pan indicates low level. Very low level.
The LS1 engine is reliable, but has had some occasional issues with the oil system. Typical problems seem to relate to a pump pressure relief valve sticking open, some sort of O-ring on the oil pickup, spun bearing, worn cam bearings, etc.. I'm not really familiar with the details. Also don't know what happens to the oil system at 177,000 miles. Not sure that anyone here has had a similar problem.
Pressure dropping to near "0" on a hard stop can sometimes be related to problems with the oil pump pickup, but primarily on the earlier Chevy small block engines. But the LS1 has the oil pump mounted in the front, so that would not seem to be a typical problem.
sorry for the misunderstanding, before i turned on the car i checked the oil stick and its good, then i turned it on and when the car is warm i checked again and the oil levels are still good. Also after driving a few blocks to get the car moving i checked the oil level before turning car off and it was good as well.
And yes the dashboard reads low oil, meanwhile the oil gauge drops low, thanks for the feedback i hope its a rookie mistake from me and it can be the oil pressure sensor.
And yes the dashboard reads low oil, meanwhile the oil gauge drops low, thanks for the feedback i hope its a rookie mistake from me and it can be the oil pressure sensor.
When you checked the level "cold" and then checked it while it was running or "hot", what was the difference in oil level on the stick?
Was it the same?
If so, you are probably so low on oil there actually isn't any oil on the dip-stick and you're looking at a "stain" of the oil level; not the actual fluid level. A friend of mine made this mistake once, and I admit, when I checked the level it did look like there was a good amount of oil. System was dry though as evidenced when I wiped the dip-stick. He only had the quart in the oil filter. I added 4 quarts to his system. He was good to go.
Never check the oil level "hot". Always cold; or at the very least after a minimum of 15 minutes has passed since operation; the longer the better though.
If you're not doing so, wipe the dip-stick clean first, then dip it, lift it, and read it. This does 3 things. It removes any extra/excess oil still clinging to the stick which can lead to an incorrect reading, it shows you an accurate color of the oil if using a white napkin/paper towel/rag, and it also proves there is actually oil on the stick. ; )
Good luck!
Was it the same?
If so, you are probably so low on oil there actually isn't any oil on the dip-stick and you're looking at a "stain" of the oil level; not the actual fluid level. A friend of mine made this mistake once, and I admit, when I checked the level it did look like there was a good amount of oil. System was dry though as evidenced when I wiped the dip-stick. He only had the quart in the oil filter. I added 4 quarts to his system. He was good to go.
Never check the oil level "hot". Always cold; or at the very least after a minimum of 15 minutes has passed since operation; the longer the better though.
If you're not doing so, wipe the dip-stick clean first, then dip it, lift it, and read it. This does 3 things. It removes any extra/excess oil still clinging to the stick which can lead to an incorrect reading, it shows you an accurate color of the oil if using a white napkin/paper towel/rag, and it also proves there is actually oil on the stick. ; )
Good luck!
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As ZumpTA explained, always check the engine oil level with the engine off.
Unfortunately, that does not appear to be correct.
The light on the dash that says "LOW OIL" is controlled by the oil level switch on the side of the oil pan. That means the oil is very low in the crankcase.
There is another light on the dash that says "CHECK GAUGES". That light comes on when the oil pressure gets too low, the coolant temperature gets too high, fuel level gets too low, ......
There is also a light on the dash that says "CHANGE OIL". The computer (PCM) turns that light on when it is time to change the oil, based on thing like miles driven, engine RPM conditions, engine temperature conditions, over a period of time.
I would strongly suggest that you get a copy of the 2001 Owner's Manual (if one didn't come with the car) and read it thoroughly. It covers basic info regarding the operation and maintenance of the vehicle.
I may wrong here (and usually am) but even though the pump is located forward , the pickup is in the back, or at least middle, where the sump is. There is a pipe to facilitate that. Item #37.
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Just depends whether it’s located at the front of the sump or the rear. I looked at the oil pump/pickup detail in the factory service manual, but couldn’t determine the position. Maybe they put it in the middle of the sump, so it would minimize problems under hard braking, or heavy acceleration.
At this point sounds like the oil was low to begin with but wasn’t detected because the oil level was being checked with the engine running.
At this point sounds like the oil was low to begin with but wasn’t detected because the oil level was being checked with the engine running.
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