What is the Oil Lamp On My Dashboard For?
When you first start your car you may notice a light comes on which probably looks like an old-fashioned oil can with a drop of oil falling from its spout. This is the oil pressure gauge. It should only flicker on for a few seconds while the car engine comes to life and should then go off. This is what we want because the gauge indicates low oil pressure and cars suffering from low oil pressure need immediate attention. Untreated it’s one of the quickest ways to damage your engine and even make it a unrepairable.
If the light has come on the first thing you should do is turn off the engine and, if necessary, wait for it to cool and then check the level of the oil. In the best case situation the oil level will have fallen to the point where the pressure has dropped and the oil can no longer perform its functions effectively. In this case the remedy is simply to top up the oil level to the manufacturer’s recommended guidelines as engraved on the engines dipstick. Hopefully the level will have fallen due to the natural usage of oil and maybe it’s been awhile since you last topped up the levels but if after 
checking the oil level you find that it’s okay then the problem is elsewhere. It could be that the oil pressure sensor which is used to measure the pressure inside the engine is faulty.
Low pressure can also be caused if the oil filter has become blocked therefore reducing the rate of the flow of oil around the engine. This is one of the cheaper options to fix if there is a problem with the oil system. It could be that the level of oil is falling at a greater rate than one would expect. This could be because the oil is either leaking or is being burnt. You’ll be to tell if the engine is leaking easily enough because of the ugly stain on your driveway. It can be expensive to stop an oil leak, depending on where the leak is. If oil is being burnt you may smell it or you may see blueish smoke coming out of the exhaust. In this case the oil is being burnt inside the combustion chamber because of a leaking valve seal. Depending on where it is this can be an expensive problem to fix due to labor costs and the time taken to get to the problem.
Most of all it is important to remember is to take action as soon as possible before the engine becomes damaged beyond repair.
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