Q: I just bought a 2014 Hyundai elantra and the oil pressure light flickers on and off only sometimes .Its Like in a blink of an eye

asked by on September 23, 2017

My cars oil pressure light flickers sometimes its not steady doing it and it does not stay on. Took it to the place I bought it and was told oil level is fine

My car has 74300 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

Oil Pressure Light is on Inspection $94.99 - $114.99 Get a Quote

Excepting an extremely low oil level, oil pressure is not a function of whether the oil level is high or low. If the light is coming on, engine oil pressure may simply be below the minimum pressure requirement at idle. To determine if that is the case, a mechanic would temporarily install an external oil pressure gauge and verify that you have at least 5-10 PSI at idle, although one should compare against the actual pressure specification as published in the Factory Service Manual. If pressure is below the minimum requirement, that would explain the flickering of the oil light at idle. As far as what to do about it, if you were to have low pressure due to wear in the engine bearings, resolving that requires rebuilding the engine. However, if the low pressure is due to a fault in the oil pump, that pump is replaceable without rebuilding the engine. In addition, there is a possibility that the oil pressure warning light circuit is malfunctioning and thus you are getting a false indication (false warning light). To have this evaluated, and get to the bottom of it it, the recommended service is an oil pressure diagnostic. If you request that service, the responding certified mechanic will get this taken care of for you. If you have further questions or concerns, do not hesitate to re-contact YourMechanic as we are always here to help you.

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