QuestionHello, my 2000 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 oil light keeps coming on after I have driven the truck for a while. Especially after freeway/highway driving. But the light only comes on after that and if I am not giving the engine gas. If it idles, the light slowly fades on. I replaced the oil sending unit, thinking it may have been bad, but it is still there.
On a similar note, I just got the truck a year ago, and when I got it, I immediately started putting fully synthetic oil in it, and it has run perfect. But when I took the truck to a shop to replace the oil sending unit, they told me the truck was 2.5 quarts low on oil.
The concerning thing is I just changed the oil a month ago (about 600 miles I suppose), and there is no evidence in the engine bay/on the block that I am leaking oil. What would burn off my oil this fast? Could a problem with my cooling system cause that?
AnswerNo, the cooling system couldn't cause this, 2.5 quarts in 600 miles is excessive oil consumption but you are taking the word of the shop that replaced the sending unit, they could be wrong so I would recommend that you do an oil consumption test yourself, make sure the oil level is at exactly the full mark then drive the truck for 500 miles and see how much oil is needed to bring the level back up to the full mark, if it takes more than one quart then it is considered excessive oil usage and since there are no external leaks there would have to be an internal problem most likely with the piston rings.
