Out of control Oil Alarm
 

Hey everyone, I did a forum search already but none of the related topics address what I'm about to ask.

While my car is warming up, the low oil light comes on and the alarm just goes nuts. Upon checking my oil, it is not low. Once my car is fully warmed up and I start driving, the alarm shuts off, only to sporadically come on for seconds at a time while I drive.

From what I understand this means there is something wrong with my oil level sender.

I only want a quick fix (assuming this problem isn't that big of an issue). I want to either be able to shut off the alarm, or get a good reference for checking the sender. Thanks for your time.

There is a procedure for checking the oil level sender in FSM but it needs to be removed from the pan. I just had one go bad and replaced it. Find a used one and just replace it. It's one of those parts you do not want to disable and run that way.

Quick fix; remove the 'Oscillator' which is located at the driver's side forward engine bay, in front of the battery box. It looks like a relay, and has 4 wires from the harness going to it. This 'Oscillator' is what sets off the oil level sensor alarm inside the cabin, and to be honest - I think you're about the only Rotorhead out there that has a working Oscillator in their car.

Because of the location of the Oscillator by the battery, most of them have long since been destroyed by acid and water wash from people servicing the battery, which corrodes the contacts, kills the Oscillator, and then - no alarm on low oil level.

Seriously, I've never heard the low oil level alarm in my 84SE in 27 years, though I also make every attempt to check the oil frequently - as should you.

I even replaced my damaged Oscillator about 6-7 years ago, and it still didn't work. Oh, well.

Okay, it seems it's time for me to be embarrassed. While driving, the alarm went bonkers again, but longer than usual. I checked the oil stick and it was bone dry. It was 2 quarts low out of the clear blue. When the alarm started acting up I checked the stick regularly with no changes, and now this! I just so happened to be near a mechanic and he suggested it was either a very important seal (which results in the engine eating oil), and another mechanic suggested it might just be the oil level sensor is sufficiently worn and causing a leak. It's been raining for weeks where I am, on and off, I've seen no puddles. Any thoughts?

Well, I guess if it was smoking a lot you would have mentioned it. So...

Clean up the motor and find out where the leak is. Check around the beehive (if you have one) oil cooler and the various sensors on the driver's side of the engine.

Did the alarm go away once you added the oil?




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as LongDuck advised, the oscillator's function is to set off the buzzer inside of the car for low oil AND low coolant. check both the colant and the oil levels and test both senders. there are instructions for testing in the fsm. if the oil level sender wiring is gunked up with oil in the connector or has split wirign and has oil in the wiring, you will want to replace the sender or clean it thoroughly with electrical contact cleaner. there is also an o-ring behind the sender that wraps around the body and seals the tapered edge of the oil pan where the sender bolt in. i have the part number for it, so if you remove the sender, you will need another o-ring.

you may also want to test the oscillator per fsm and ensure its clean and free of corrosion. often times the plastic cracks and the metal tab stays attatched to the body and the oscillator falls down by the frame rail. this can be a bad thing as the wiring can become brittle and break and come in contact with the frame rail or the oscillator can become exposed to water from rain and from the road and it can fail.

Once I added the oil the alarm stopped. It's just bizarre, when it first started going out of control I was full on oil. Only after dealing with it for several days I checked the stick again and it was 2 quarts low. I added the oil and then it stopped, but I saw no visible oil trail beneath the car. Of course is has been raining non-stop, but yeah.