318ci red oil light flickering when hot idle

[discopig]

Hi there,

I just bought a 2003 BMW 318ci (i think that's an e46 right?, sorry I'm a car n00b)

everything is fine with it, drives great only had two owners and a full years NCT on it.

However,

when it's hot and idle, I see the red oil light flicker very fast sometimes (not all the time)

is this just a censor issue or something ? it looks like a fault because of the way it flickers, i would like to think that if there was actually something wrong with the oil that the light would remain constantly on, no?

anyone have any thoughts on this ?

thanks

[John_D]

Red signifies low pressure. If the sensor was faulty or the level was low you would have a yellow oil light.
It sounds like there may be something serious going on. Personally I would get it looked at before driving it any further.
Does the light go away when you Rev the engine?

[nigzcurran]

Oil level ok?

[discopig]

Red signifies low pressure. If the sensor was faulty or the level was low you would have a yellow oil light.
It sounds like there may be something serious going on. Personally I would get it looked at before driving it any further.
Does the light go away when you Rev the engine?

as far as i can remember yes it does go away when revving the engine , but comes back to a fast flicker when the revs die down to idle, it's never on when driving at normal speed
[hr]

Oil level ok?

yes the oil level is perfect, thanks

[John_D]

I'd be getting it to a mechanic ASAP. Oil pressure would naturally be lowest when warm and idling hence why the problem reveals itself when warm and at idle. I suspect you have a problem with your oil pump or something related. You could be doing serious damage to your engine when this is happening.

[discopig]

I'd be getting it to a mechanic ASAP. Oil pressure would naturally be lowest when warm and idling hence why the problem reveals itself when warm and at idle. I suspect you have a problem with your oil pump or something related. You could be doing serious damage to your engine when this is happening.

I've been googling around and the problem seems common enough.

I've read all sorts of solutions from the drastic (engine change) to the not so drastic (sensor problems)

this is the most hopeful thing i read on another forum

"After sleeping on it, I decided to give the oil pressure switch electrical connector a good cleaning. I reasoned that if the connector had oil leaking into it for a while in a hot engine compartment, that the connector may have gotten a coating of oil effectively baked on to it. This time, I used a good quality electrical contact cleaner, and put the connector on and pulled it off the switch a half dozen times to hopefully rub off any oil or corrosion that had accumulated on the connector.

I took the car out for another test drive, getting the oil warm, and eureka, the problem was solved! The red oil pressure light was no longer coming on, even after doing an extended drive on the highway.

So, for anyone who is having this issue, make sure the electrical connector to the oil pressure switch is well, and properly, cleaned. Our cars seem rather sensitive to this."

[John_D]

I see what your saying but why would a dodgy connection only show up at warm idle, I don't buy it.
You need a proper diagnosis before you end up with a seized engine.

[discopig]

I see what your saying but why would a dodgy connection only show up at warm idle, I don't buy it.
You need a proper diagnosis before you end up with a seized engine.

Yeah I get ya, but why would such an important warning light only flicker so intermittently ? If it's such a high risk surely the light is supposed to be on fully?

[John_D]

Because the pressure could be borderline, just enough to set it off.
Listen, regardless of weather there is a serious problem or just a faulty indication you do not play around with red oil lights. The potential for disaster is quite high.

[discopig]

Because the pressure could be borderline, just enough to set it off.
Listen, regardless of weather there is a serious problem or just a faulty indication you do not play around with red oil lights. The potential for disaster is quite high.

Yeah you make sense alright, I'll see the mechanic about it torrow or Friday , thanks for the input