Does your car have a low oil level indicator?

[Patman]

I mentioned this in another topic about Fords and it got me wondering how many cars out there come with low oil level warning lights on them?

Does your car have it, and what kind of car is it?

My 98 Corvette has a low oil level warning which is part of the trip computer, and the two 87 Mustang GTs I had both had low oil level lights in them too. I'm not 100% sure but I think the 95 Escort GT I used to own also had one. I don't think my wife's 2000 Civic has one though.

For those of us on here, who probably check their oil more religiously than the average person, it's not super important, but it's still a good idea to have one just in case.

 

[buster]

Good question. I have never let my oil level get low enough to even know. I should look at my manual.

 

[badtlc]

My 2006 Mazda 6i has a low oil pressure light, but not a low level light. The manual says that the light being on is most likely the result of low oil level, though.

 

[Patman]

It would be nice if every car had an actual oil level gauge, I remember sitting in a new Porsche 911 back in the 80s or early 90s and it had an oil level gauge right on the dash which showed you how many quarts was in the sump. Of course that's just me being lazy because I hate checking my oil level! (thankfully I own two cars that don't need to have their oil levels checked too often)

 

[Pbert25]

Both my old car(2004 Toyota Matrix) and my New car(2004 Pontiac Grand Prix GT1) have low oil lights on them. The Grand Prix is more sophisticated then the Matrix's was.

 

[andyd]

yup, my 528e level light lets me know when it is a qt low. It is accurate enough so I don't have to check the stick. It also has a low coolant level light.

 

[BradC]

My 2006 HHR has an oil pressure light that will come on if any problems are detected with the overall oil system in the motor.

 

[01rangerxl]

My Ranger has a dummy oil pressure gauge. It acts like an on/off switch. I believe at 6 psi it will read no pressure. At anything higher the needle is in the middle of the gauge. It also has a check gauge light that comes on if any of the gauges read too low (I have only had it come on for fuel).

 

[benjamming]

My '94 Grand Am has a low coolant light and a check oil light. It has an oil pressure gauge as well.
Our '02 Accord only has a low oil pressure indicator.

 

[Cutehumor]

my 92 mirage has an oil light that cycles on and off when you start the car.

 

[gedcruise]

My old MB 201 has an oil level warning light. It comes on with a little under 4 qts remaing in the sump. It also has warning lights for low coolant level, low brake fluid level, low windscreen washer level, low fuel level, and front brake pad wear. Can't be too careful.

 

[wantin150]

Quote:

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Both my old car(2004 Toyota Matrix) and my New car(2004 Pontiac Grand Prix GT1) have low oil lights on them. The Grand Prix is more sophisticated then the Matrix's was.

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Copernicus, is that you!

 

[Jim 5]

My BMW 330ci has a low oil level indicator (the red oil pressure light turns yellow before you start your car if the oil is a quart low), and a dipstick.

Some of the later BMW's like the new e60 (>2004 5 series) have an oil level monitor in the iDrive (in-dash computer) and NO DIPSTICK, IIRC. That seems crazy to me...I'd miss manually checking the oil, color, smell, level etc. Doing so just on a computer screen is too detached for me!

 

[brianl703]

My 1988 Mustang 5.0 has a low oil level light, though the sensor doesn't work.

My 2006 Saab 93 has a low oil level text message.

 

[TallPaul]

Wife's '92 3.0 V6 Aerostar has one. Went on one time after an 85 mph run. Many years ago (I'm not that wild anymore), but as I recall, it took better than a quart.

I have the Aerostar filled with Redline now and it consumes a quart every 1300 miles. Maybe I'll see how low it gets before the light comes on again, assuming the light still works.

 

[01rangerxl]

Quote:

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Some of the later BMW's like the new e60 (>2004 5 series) have an oil level monitor in the iDrive (in-dash computer) and NO DIPSTICK, IIRC. That seems crazy to me...I'd miss manually checking the oil, color, smell, level etc. Doing so just on a computer screen is too detached for me!

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I guess it is a sign of the times. BMW probably expects many new cars to be leases, and those that are not will probably only be kept by the original owners for a few years anyway. The reliability of something like an LCD screen to tell you the oil level with no manual backup must not be a concern. I'm sure plenty of those screens will be having problems on some level after a decade or two of use.

 

[-Clayton-]

My 93 Bonneville has a low oil level light, It comes on for a couple seconds when you first turn the key on.

 

[tigrpal]

I had a '94 Ford Aerostar 3.0L that had a low oil light. Sometimes if I ever started, drove a block, shut down for just a couple of minutes and then started it up again, the light would come on even though I always kept the crankcase full.

 

[simple_gifts]

My cars have low oil indicators. It is the bottom line on the dipstick!

 

[brianl703]

Quote:

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I had a '94 Ford Aerostar 3.0L that had a low oil light. Sometimes if I ever started, drove a block, shut down for just a couple of minutes and then started it up again, the light would come on even though I always kept the crankcase full.

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The Mustang has a low oil level relay which is supposed to prevent that sort of thing. Well, actually on mine it might be built into the "low fluid module". The electrical manual isn't really clear on that point and the relay is not installed...and the light only comes on at startup. The relay is supposed to have a time delay built into it. Maybe someday I'll figure out what the problem is, but the dipstick works fine so..