QuestionQUESTION: A couple of months ago my oil pressure light started coming on. We messed around with a couple of things and finally took it to a mechanic to get it checked out. He tested the oil pump and said it was putting out enough oil pressure. He told me that my oil pressure light switch was bad...so he replaced it and that seemed to do the job. Just today my oil light started coming on again. I'm not sure if the oil pressure light switch could have gone bad again or not. I have two separate oil readers.. the oil light switch and a gauge.. the gauge my dad and I replaced because it has always flopped back and forth when I accelerate and stop. It still does that after we replaced it. I check almost every time I leave somewhere and my car isn't leaking any oil.. and it doesn't use up that much oil. I have to top off the oil in it maybe every 4 to 5 weeks.. and it doesn't go down that much.
ANSWER: Brittney: What weight oil do you put into your car? 5/30 or 10/30? But I would take the car to a different shop to have that oil pump tested. Could be your car is burning that oil. You did not put down the year, miles or model. So I can only make a guess here as to what might be wrong. I would say if you trust the shop that did the first work, I would take the car back and ask what is going on. No that switch should not have burnt out already. Have you ever had the timing belt replaced on this car? Does it have over 60,000 miles on it? I still think I would take the car to another shop and have that oil pump checked. If that shop says it is ok, then I guess I would try a heavier weight oil (10/30 weight). Some car work ok, on this light weight oil others do not. Most shops or fast oil places put in that 5/30 weight because it is cheaper for them to buy. You should be able to go 3000 miles between an oil change, but still every car seems to loose a bit of oil someplace. Hope this helps and God bless: Linda
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QUESTION: I'm sorry. I wasn't even thinking when I sent that to put the year and model. It's a 1992 Mitsubishi eclipse. Has 126,000 miles on it. I do use 10/w30.
ANSWER: Brittney: No problem here, we all forget things from time to time. I guess then I would take the car either back to the shop that fixed it before, have them recheck their work. Explain what is going on. Or else take it to a new, different shop, again explain to them what is going on and see what they come up with. Some shops are very honest and others are not. I always tell people to keep the shops honest, ask for the old parts back and get the shop guy that worked on your car. To show you where these parts go that he is saying came off your car, if he can't show you or won't. Then you need to find a new shop. It is really hard these days to find such a shop, because most are really great places but it is the bad ones that makes it hard for everyone else. Either way you got to get this checked. Could be the switch he put in, has come loose or was not a good switch begain with. Or he put in your car's old switch back in but charged you for a new one. I don't want to bad mouth your shop if you like it, but still something does not add up. And after all you did pay good money to get your car fixed and have a good feeling in knowing it was fixed right. I do hope this helps and God bless: Linda
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QUESTION: I don't know if you remember me or not. I was the one with the 1992 Mitsubishi eclipse. That was having the oil pressure light coming on. Well, I took it back to that mechanic and he said it was an idle problem.. the car was idling too low to get oil pressure. So he said the oil light switch hadn't gone bad. He said it's burning about a quart.. which I've never noticed it burning that much.. I check it about every week. Anyways.. He (said) he adjusted the idle and it would stop it.. I took it home drove it around.. and the idle wasn't any different.. was lower actually. He said that when I sit there with the car in drive white smoke comes out the tailpipe.. I have NEVER noticed anything coming out of it.. I always look behind me.. never see it. Until today.. white smoke was coming out of the tailpipe. What is that a sign of? Good or bad? or nothing major? just wear and tare of an old car. I just don't know what to do anymore. The oil light is still coming on.. the engine sounds fine.. no weird noises coming from it.. doesn't run rough. Do you think you have any idea what could be going on here?
AnswerBrittney: Yes, I remember you and wondered what happen with you. If there is white smoke coming out of the exhaust then that would be a sign of a weak head gasket. In that the oil is now mixing with the water in the engine so the car is burning that mix which is why the exhaust smoke is white. I don't understand things, if you checked the oil every week and never saw it going down. But the guy working on your car said the car was burning oil. If your car was burning oil, you checked it every week you sure the heck would know the car was using oil. A head gasket is not good, and must be replaced or the engine will go on you. It would be major. Older cars do have this problem because of the years and miles on them. I still think you should take the car to a different shop and let them check it over. Does the car heat, use water? Is it just the white smoke, low idle and the oil light? Have the car checked out by someone else. I really don't believe the guy that was working on your car. If you said it was not using any oil, I believe you. So get some other shop to check the car out. Your car is the right year for the bad computers so it could be that the computer in the car is bad and not the engine. Still you got to check the water, check the temp and get another shop to check that car. Hope this helps and God bless: Linda
