Can someone please tell me EXACTLY how the Check Oil light works in a '90 Accord? I know that it is a warning light to tell you when the oil is low...but how does it work exactly? Where is the sensor?

My g/f's '90 Accord is intermittenly showing this light. I have checked and rechecked her oil, and it's fine. Maybe even a bit OVER the full mark (is that the problem maybe?)

Any ideas?

 

in my 90 accord the oil light will come on when 1) low oil level is detected or 2) loss of oil pressure is detected. it seems you have determined that the oil level is fine and it is not leaking, so i would say focus on the oil pressure... could be something small like the oil pressure switch or even just the wiring to the switch. same type of thing happened to my accord last year. i was told by a mechanic that this switch was "bad." i didn't have them fix it but instead looked at it myself. knowing next to nothing about this i was still able to tell the wiring connecting to the switch was totally loose. i had a friend help with reconnecting this, or whatever he had to do, and its been totally fine ever since. im guessing the geniuses i got to change the oil (the week before this happened) knocked it loose maybe? these were also the same geniuses who LEFT THE OIL CAP OFF which i didnt notice until i drove 4 HOURS AWAY on vacation. same oil change too. luckily i found the cap sitting on top of my radiator.

 

oh..interesting. I hope the oil pump isnt going!

where is this oil pressure switch? I cant seem to find it...

 

its just above the oil filter. here's a pic someone else posted of their integra, they are similar

 

im not well informed on this, but i would imagine if the oil pump was going (or gone) you would be experiencing other problems... knocking, overheating, poor engine performance, etc

 

my g/f said that when the oil light comes on, the car seems to make a "horrible noise" and sounds like "its gonna die" (her words).

I havent experienced this myself, so I'm not really sure what shes talking about. Seems strange to me that the car runs perfectly fine 99% of the time, and gets like that 1% of the time

 

ack! im really not sure if the pump would be making a noise like this. hopefully its not a dreadful knocking (rod bearings), or you gf probably is right, that the car is about to die, but it probably would've already done so if this were the case. i know you said it starts when the light comes on... does it continue until you turn off the car? does it come on while driving/moving or at idle?

your best bet is to check the pressure first to see if it actually is losing pressure. if the pressure is NOT low, then the switch is probably just going bad (not sure about the horrible noise in this case).

if it IS losing pressure, then i would say to first check the filter so see if it's clogged with "gunk", obviously replace if it is. i think the oil pump also has some kind of "screen" to catch debris, you may want to see if it is clogged with gunk too. while youre at it open the pump cover and inspect for any damage. obviously if the pump IS damaged you'll want to replace it.
if the pump looks fine then you'll probably want to start checking the main bearings for wear and replace them if needed. i've read to also measure the rod and main bearing clearances, but honestly i dont know much about this.

it is odd that it runs fine 99% of the time though.

anyone else have any suggestions???

 

Drain oil, start and re-test.

no dont do that

 

i drive a 95 accord v6 and it knocks alot when its cold out.. ussually i can put it in nuetral and the knock goes away.. but when im idleing (in d4) the knock will be back..

any ideas? i have 130k.. oil changed regularly (every 3k)


sorry for the hijack but i saw you specialize in 86-95

 

Two Words: SO WHAT