awkward oil pressure light

[wbeers690]

ok so i have had my 2003 wrx for about a year now and had no issues at all. it gets regular services at a local dealer because im friends with one of the mechanics and i get amazing prices that auto parts store cant beat. anyway this is the second time the oil light has come on when i start the car even though the oil level is perfectly full and good to go .. the light is not fully lit though and is seemingly half lit and dim.. then after about 2 min of driving it gets dimmer and dimmer till it is gone.

has anyone else had this happen and figure out what it was.. it makes me nervous because i had an autocross car that blew a motor once cause of some complication issues but the oil level is fine and the light is not fully lit and then slowly dies so idk what the heck is going on

thanks for any advice.

[SD_GR]

There have been cases of the oil pickup tube developing a crack. Park the car and sort it out.

[wbeers690]

the last time it happened was a couple months ago. and it only seems to happen if the car sits for a bit.. and it goes away in 2 min or less.. still think its a deadly issue

[SD_GR]

I would not risk my motor on what I think. I'd park the car until it's sorted.

[MainFrame]

I would not risk my motor on what I think. I'd park the car until it's sorted.

^this.. oil pickups in these cars are known to crack, and when they do it's only a matter of time before the engine is ruined. If you really don't want to pull the pan and at least inspect it at the very least I would install an oil pressure gauge temporarily to see if you are in fact encountering pressure issues.

[wbeers690]

if it is the oil pick up that is the issue im guessing that means oil pan will have to be dropped in order to replace the pick up

[MainFrame]

Yes.. KillerB makes an excellent improved pickup.

[SD_GR]

There are two options: You have an oil pressure problem, or you don't.

If you don't, the sender or wiring can be faulty.

If you do, the pickup tube or pump can be faulty, or the motor worn. These all happen, and I don't know the relative frequencies. I listed them in the order I'd prefer, meaning lesser evils first.

If it were my motor I'd park the car, have it flat bedded to a mechanic, and have them sort it out.

If it's a true pressure problem the pan is likely coming off, yes.

[wbeers690]

how much would it cost to get oil pressure gauge installed

[MainFrame]

If you just want to get a cheap mechanical one from the autoparts store to slap on and check the pressure real quick, I would guess about $40..

I did that one time to verify that my other oil pressure gauge wasn't reading right. I think it was $20 at the store, and it took less than 10 minutes to hook up.

[oguitar]

Has it been raining. If the sensor gets wet if could show the symptoms you are observing. Is there water under the hood?

[wbeers690]

it did rain on both times this happened looking at it now.. i remember checking the oil in the rain and thinking it really sucked. ill have to do some searching though because i have no idea where the wires i would be checking or even the sensor are located.. I have a little autocross miata for the longest time that i did everything on and my mind cant seem to differentiate between the engine set ups ( not helpful in this engine bay of course)