Chrysler Repair: oil pressure, chrysler engines, 1998 plymouth breeze

Question
i have a 1998 plymouth breeze. the oil light comes on at idle and goes out on acceleration.what could my problem be

Answer
The oil pressure is what the oil light is telling you about, that it is less than some low #lbs/square inch of pressure. But the pressure is proportional to the engine rpm so it is not uncommon to have the light come on at idle. It may not be significant at all. I would check that the oil doesn't seem to be diluted by gasoline (smell it) or water (foamy) which would cause lower pressure at any specific engine speed. If that checks o.k., then your choice is to pay someone to measure the oil pressure with a gauge to see that it meets the minimum pressure specified for idle speed (usually about 4 psi) and at some higher speed (I don't have the specs for all the engines, but which one is in your car?) OR you could buy a new oil pressure sensor switch and install it just in case that old switch is not accurate (too pessimistic). Another possibililty is that the viscosity of the oil is too low, but I believe most Chrysler engines now recommend pretty low viscosity (5W-30) so that should already be considered in the spec for the sensor switch. If you live in a pretty temperate part of the nation you could up the viscosity of the oil next time you change it and that would probably improve the light coming on situation. I guess the bottom line is that it is not likely to be a concern unless the light comes on when the engine is going at an rpm above 1,250 rpm or so which would make me investigate it immediately, in fact I'd shut off the engine until I got to the bottom of it.
Roland