Warning lights
Oil pressure light: stop the engine as soon as it is safe
The oil can light is one of the few warnings where the right answer is almost always the same: pull over and switch the engine off. An engine without oil pressure can be destroyed in minutes.
Can I keep driving with this light on?
Oil pressure light: on while the engine runs
Severe: stop when safe
Stop the engine as soon as it is safe: without oil pressure, bearings can fail within minutes.
- Pull over and switch off.
- Wait a few minutes, then check the dipstick.
- Do not restart if the level is fine and the light stays on: tow it.
49 CFR 571.101 Table 1: engine oil pressure telltale identified by the oil can symbol or the word Oil; no color is required. Your owner's manual prevails for your car.
The engine oil pressure telltale is listed in the federal table of controls and displays, FMVSS 101, identified by an oil can symbol or the word "Oil"; the standard does not set its color, and most makers use red for low pressure. It comes on briefly at start-up as a bulb check and should go out within a second or two. If it comes on while the engine runs, the oil pump is not delivering enough pressure to keep a film of oil between the moving parts. Bearings, the crankshaft, the camshafts and the turbocharger then run metal on metal. The most common reason is simply too little oil, from a leak or from oil burned between changes. A failing oil pump, a clogged pickup screen, a faulty pressure switch or sender, and worn bearings account for the rest. Stop as soon as it is safe, switch the engine off, wait a few minutes and check the dipstick. Do not drive on with the light on.
Codes, rules and labor data checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
What to do, step by step
- Signal, move to a safe place and switch the engine off. Do not keep it idling.
- Wait about five minutes so oil drains back to the pan, then pull the dipstick, wipe it, reinsert it and read it.
- If the level is low, add the oil grade printed on the filler cap or in the manual, a little at a time, up to the full mark.
- Start the engine. The light should go out within seconds. If it does not, switch off and arrange a tow.
- Look under the car for a fresh leak, and watch for the light on the next drive.
The check at the top of this page gives the same recommendations for a steady light, a flicker and a yellow oil level warning.
Why minutes matter
An engine's bearings float on a thin film of pressurized oil. Without it, they heat up and wear within moments; a knocking sound is often the sign that a bearing is already damaged. Turbochargers, which spin very fast, are equally dependent on oil. The difference between stopping at once and driving a few more miles can be the difference between adding oil and replacing the engine.
When the level is right but the light stays on
The cause may be the sender or switch that measures pressure, which a shop checks by fitting a mechanical gauge in its place. If the gauge confirms low pressure, the pickup screen, the pump or the bearings are next. Sludge from long oil change intervals can block the pickup and also cause variable valve timing codes such as P0011.
Low oil and other lights
An engine low on oil can also overheat and set a check engine light, which the check engine page explains. The symbol finder shows the oil can next to the other warnings that call for an immediate stop: the red brake light and the temperature light.