Wife's 1999 Cavalier (2.2, 230k miles) was getting a low oil pressure light at low idle on a cold engine. When she first started the car, it seemed to take a bit longer than normal for the light to go off with the engine idling fast, and when the idle slowed down but the oil hadn't fully warmed up, the light came on. Giving it the slightest amount of gas caused it to go off.
Fearing the worst, I changed the oil. The level was within 1/4 of a quart of full before I drained it (car has always had a small leak) and I used the same weight of oil. The only difference was I had tried Valvoline MaxLife for its supposed ability to clean up an engine and seal leaks (it didn't) and refilled with Rotella. Perhaps the MaxLife had done some cleaning after all and partially clogged the filter, which I replaced? Since changing the oil, the light has not come back on, and the car builds pressure almost immediately on starting. I always thought low oil pressure was a sign of worn out bearings or oil pump, though. Not that I'm complaining about what was apparently a simple fix, I'm just wondering why it worked.
Fearing the worst, I changed the oil. The level was within 1/4 of a quart of full before I drained it (car has always had a small leak) and I used the same weight of oil. The only difference was I had tried Valvoline MaxLife for its supposed ability to clean up an engine and seal leaks (it didn't) and refilled with Rotella. Perhaps the MaxLife had done some cleaning after all and partially clogged the filter, which I replaced? Since changing the oil, the light has not come back on, and the car builds pressure almost immediately on starting. I always thought low oil pressure was a sign of worn out bearings or oil pump, though. Not that I'm complaining about what was apparently a simple fix, I'm just wondering why it worked.