Chrysler Repair: oil light flickers intermittently, chrysler concord, light flickers

Question
1999 chrysler concord 90000 miles - oil light flickers intermittently at idle, may go weeks with no problem - how can I diagnose the problem?

Answer
Hi Shirley,
This is fairly common with all makes/models. Your idle rpm may be a little on the low side which means the pressure is going to be low enough to turn on the light after the engine warms the oil, which also lowers the pressure a bit. However the engine computer controls the idle speed so it can't be simply adjusted upward.
The actual minimum oil pressure is 5 psi at idle so if you wanted to check this out you could have it measured with a gauge at a shop or buy a gauge and substitute it for the oil pressure light sensor located next to the oil filter.
But in my experience I would not be concerned about what you describe, but rather the next time you change the oil increase the 'weight' by one step*, which increases the viscosity and thus will raise the pressure at idle so that the light will usually not come on anymore. Another approach would be to buy a new sensor for the light and replace the present one which may be off-value. Either of those approaches don't have any labor charges if you do it yourself.
The only time you really have to be concerned is if the light comes 'on' when you are driving and the rpm is higher than about 1,000 rpm as that could mean there is insufficient oil reaching all the moving parts.
Roland
*If you have been using 5W-20 try instead 10W-30 for example.