[orlin20]

my oil light has been flickering on at low idle (stop lights). then goes off when i'm moving. I took it in and had the sending unit, & oil pump replaced. It kept coming on, so I took it back to the dealer. they told me that Chysler built the engine wrong. so Chysler replaced the short block for me. this was 5500 miles ago. it flickered on again. has anyone else had this problem, & how did you finally fix it.

 

[2Evil4U]

Wow. If they replaced the pump, sending unit AND the block and it still says low pressure, something is FUBAR in that motor. If it has plenty of oil in it and still throws a light at idle even after all those changes, it could be something in the heads. Maybe one of the cam bearings moved and is allowing the oil to blow out up top rather than holding pressure like it should. Do you have access to a pressure gauge to see if the pressure is actually low? (I'm assuming it is or Dodge wouldn't have replaced the block.)

I'd just keep taking it back to the dealer. (Hopefully you're still under warranty) Eventually they should replace the whole thing. Might check on the lemon laws where you live to see what you can do if the dealer can't fix it.

Good luck.

 

[TREPSTER]

2.7L?

 

[Jchamb268]

I have a 98 and my oil light does the same thing. I keep plenty of oil in it and it does not run rough. Mine comes on when the car has warmed up and has been running for about an hour or so. I am thinking that it may be the sensor on mine.

 

[viprman]

Ditto, except I have a first gen 3.5L. It does it at low RPM, at stop lights and when it is only warmed up. I think it is just an annoyance. I have replaced a bunch of parts and I am going to be putting a new sensor in it soon. I will eventually check the pressure with a mechanical gauge to see what is going on.

 

[newintrepider]

That is EXACTLY the same problem I'm having now. It just started about 3 weeks ago. right after I had the oil changed(synthetic, of course)and had an alignment done. 2 days later, the light starts flickering, in gear, at idle. A few days later, it happens again. Now it happens almost every day. Now today, after driving for about a half an hour, the light came on steady whenever I stopped for a red light or stop sign. It seems to happen only in gear at a stop, when the RPM's are the lowest. I called the dealer and it's going in Monday morning. I don't know about the warranty, it's a 2000 with 40,000 miles on it. I bought it last June from a multibrand Dealership, but I'm not sure about the Dodge warranty.
Funny thing though, while talking to the service guy from the Dodge dealer today, he was quite surprised that I haven't had any other trouble before now. What gives? Now I'm worried as all hell!

 

[baggedintrepid]

i have the same problem from time to time ..i replaced the sensor
and have no sludge what gives it only flickerss at 500 rpm if the cengine is any higher it doesnt flicker it idles in drive at 750rpm with the a/c on if i shut the a/c off it drops to 500 then the light flickers ...only when the engine is hot

 

[newintrepider]

i don't know what to think. if the dealer says bad sensor, i'm changin' that myself. it just pisses me off having to pay $62 just to get it diagnosed. i'm sort of hoping it is an internal problem, because i know at least the engine is still under warranty. from the sound of it, this seems like a chronic problem. anybody else out there???????????????????????????????????

 

[viprman]

If you really want to make sure that you know exactly what is happening in the oil system you should go to the parts store and get a pressure guage. Take readings at idle and see if they match the specs for the motor. I think someone posted the engine specs a while back. If you find no problem with the pressure then there is something wrong with the sensor. Even if you replace that sensor and it still does it you will at least know it is just bullshitting you.

 

[newintrepider]

just got back from the dealer. fluid level and pressure is fine, they say it needs a new sending unit and new wiring harness to the sending unit. they say there is a known problem with the wiring harnesses to the sending units. i'm not gonna give them $200 to replace the parts. that sounds like an easy fix to me. i have part #'s for the wiring harness and sending unit, but i'm not sure if i should buy from local dealer or try and find cheaper prices online. anyone have any suggestions?

 

[SimplyJay]

I just got my sending unit today, my light has been flickering, its getting worse cause of the heat out side now, I checked the oil and it is fine. My sending unit is leaking though and there is oil all around it(the electrical component not the part that screws to the engine. I think very soon im gonna get an oil presure guage mounted in the car, so I can see if the light is bull shyting me or not. I read some where that heat from the engine and in the 2.7s case the converters can cause the switch to malfuction. Also that oil thins when it heats up allowing oil to leak past the switch inside(prolly what happened to mine), causeing the light to come on at only a low rpm. Now about that harness I didnt get it and how much is it? and where does it go? or should I have my mech do it?

 

[skyst3alth]

Just be warned, my light did then, then my oil pump fell off, and then my engine melted together. Just keep a close eye on it if it happens constantly

-Adam

 

[orlin20]

update on oil light flicker

thanks for all your replies to my post. I took my car to a different dealer. They checked the oil pressure. that was fine. put a new sending unit on it. turns out the wiring going to the sending unit was bad. they replaced it also. so far no problems. The wire was a $17.00 part.

 

[jmhoelzel]

I just got my sending unit today, my light has been flickering, its getting worse cause of the heat out side now, I checked the oil and it is fine. My sending unit is leaking though and there is oil all around it(the electrical component not the part that screws to the engine. I think very soon im gonna get an oil presure guage mounted in the car, so I can see if the light is bull shyting me or not. I read some where that heat from the engine and in the 2.7s case the converters can cause the switch to malfuction. Also that oil thins when it heats up allowing oil to leak past the switch inside(prolly what happened to mine), causeing the light to come on at only a low rpm. Now about that harness I didnt get it and how much is it? and where does it go? or should I have my mech do it?

I hate to play the ignorant one, but where is the oil pressure sending unit located on the 2.7L? My light is starting to flicker & stay on at stop-lights, but makes no death rattle. The car has 96,000 miles on it and is tip-top. The sending unit seems like an easy enough fix. I also entertained the thought of putting in a pressure gauge since idiot lights suck. Where is the best location for the gauge?

 

[froggy81500]

For all you 2.7 owners, there's a TSB issued for it. It was issued for the '98 and '99 models but the same problems exist for the 2000-2004 models also. I have a 2001 and had the issue 2 years ago and after doing the TSB myself, haven't had a single flicker since. The oil pressure switch is located on the passenger side of the engine near the motor mount. The TSB I refer to describes installing a "vent wire" to the electrical connection. Search for "oil light flicker tsb" and you'll find a few threads on it, and at least one has the text of the tsb along with part numbers. this is not hard to do at all, and should only take maybe 1/2 hour and no special tools. When I get home from work, I'll see if I can find the really good thread on this that has lots of stuff about it and repost it here.

 

[froggy81500]

This whole thread is a good read:
http://www.dodgeintrepid.net/forums....net/forums/showthread.php?t=39619&page=3&pp=15&highlight=oil+light+flicker+tsb

Post #35 has the TSB text. I posted a diagram showing where to find the switch on the 2.7. Peva (I think) posted a pic of the vent wire. The vent wire doesn't connect to anything electrical. I believe it vents heat away from the switch. I replaced my switch (was leaking) and installed the vent wire back in Nov 2004 and have not had a single flicker since. I also cut open the switch and saw where a hole had developed in the diaphram in the middle of the switch, allowing oil to leak into the electrical cavity and eventually out onto the side of the engine. Read that whole thread, its got everything you need, part numbers, wrench size, tips on installing and making sure everything is working correctly.

Hey, anybody know how to turn that thread into a sticky to stay on the top of the 2nd Gen forum???? About time it does.

 

[froggy81500]

Holy old thread!! I just noticed this thread originated in 2003! Damn.

 

[99intrepy]

Holy old thread!! I just noticed this thread originated in 2003! Damn.

Yeah talk about an old thread, if you are still alive it is 2023 and I have this problem now lol! I believe I should replace the wiring and the sensor correct?

 

[99intrepy]

Did anybody over the years figure out why it starts flickering once hot at idle? Is the wiring bad or is there a redesign? What exactly is the fix?

 

[peva]

Did anybody over the years figure out why it starts flickering once hot at idle? Is the wiring bad or is there a redesign? What exactly is the fix?

Absolutely yes.

The problem is that people replace the sending unit (more accurately called a low oil pressure switch) with an aftermarket one. The aftermarket parts are incorrectly calibrated to close the contact at a higher pressure than the Chrysler minimum oil pressure spec. of 5 psi.

The solution is to buy the Mopar part (from a Chrysler dealer only) - do not use an aftermarket part for this part - period.

When the connector is de-mated from the switch, thoroughly spray and rinse the connector with brake parts cleaner, and let it thoroughly air dry before plugging it into the new switch. That is to remove any oil that may have leaked into the connector from the old switch. (Oil in the connector and on the wire can create an electrical leak path to dimly light the instrument cluster low oil pressure light, which is a different problem than the low oil pressure light brightly coming on or flickering with a warm engine idling with the transmission in gear.)

Three facts to be aware of:
• The light (an LED) flickers or comes on at idle because the switch is out of calibration, and the actual pressure at idle, warm, and in gear will be at its lowest other than when the engine is off. The oil pressure spec. is at least 5 psi with warm engine at idle. It is very rare for the pressure to be anywhere near that low at idle. Again, the pressure may be 10 psi - IOW, perfectly good, but the light comes on or flickers because the switch is out of calibration.
• When the original factory switch fails, it gets out of calibration, sometimes because it starts leaking oil thru its epoxy seal, which affects oil pressure on both sides of the pressure-sensing diaphragm of the switch, thus throwing its calibration (switch point) off. Depending on how big the switch's oil leak is, you may get oil dripping out of the switch and connector - along with the flickering light at idle (because of the out-of-calibrstion switch point), as well as the light being constantly dimly lit (because of the connector contact and the wire being wet with oil creating an electrical leak path to ground - a small leakage current is enough to dimly light an LED. (You don't always get a visible oil leak with the flickering light at idle because the oil leak may be at its early stages.)
• The "vent wire" TSB solution mentioned in this thread is a red herring. Chrysler screwed the pooch on that. If the vent wire "fixed" anything, it was because the factory switch had started leaking oil (which threw its calibration point out of whack), and the real solution was to clean any oil residue out of the connector and off of the wire (using brake parts cleaner) and replace the switch with a new Moper switch.

Bottom line:
• Clean the de-mated connector and wire of any oil with brake parts cleaner and let it thoroughly air dry.
• Replace the switch with a new one from a Chrysler dealer only.