Oil in your car and oil pressure
Oil is not something that you might think is essential to the operation of a car, but infact it is. Oil acts as a lubricant for the moving parts such as the moving parts of the engine, and it is also used to help transfer heat.
High pressure is used to force the oil to move along a number of channels to the moving parts. And therefore there is an associated expected pressure of the oil. If it drops, then this is when the oil warning light will be illuminated up on your dashboard.
You need to react to this as soon as it is safe to do so by stopping and turning off the engine. It could be that you've run low on oil if this happens; but if you find that you don't know what the problem is you'll need to call for assistance.
Other causes of the oil pressure dropping and the warning light coming on are several, but commonly can include things like the oil pump malfunctioning, or oil pipes having burst.
Sometimes the light will not come on solid but be intermittent and this will usually suggest that the level of oil is low in the sump. Use your dipstick to check the oil level and see if that's the problem - if so then you need to refill.
Related Articles...
How Pass Plus Works
What does pass plus contain? Well, it has six different modules and each of these ones focuses on a different set of conditions in which you might have to drive. These are in and around the town,...
Rules regarding the use of seat belts
When it comes to seat belts, you should be certain of what the rules are with regard to seat belt usage, and your responsibilities as the driver in terms of other passengers in your vehicle and...
What to do at a roundabout
Roundabouts come in all shapes and sizes, but the basic rules that govern roundabouts are simple.
However that doesn't stop people interpreting the rules and indicating and lines in all sorts...
The automatic transmission explained
Whilst the automatic transmission system is very clever, you still need to have some control over it, and this is where the selector lever comes into play, which is in the place that you would have...
The Driving Standards Agency
The Driving Standards Agency has a website at www.dsa.gov.uk.
They are an executive agency within the Department for Transport in the UK.
They deliver tests for theory and practical...
What to do if horses are on the road
It may sound quite rare, but actually on country journeys you will from time to time encounter horses and their riders using the road. And you may also come across other animals too.
When you...
Road position and large vehicles
In a car there are of course blind spots, but as soon as you drive a lorry you realise how significant the blind spots are for those vehicles.
For one simple thing even with vans you can't...
What causes accidents: pulling out
One of the most typically seen accident that happens between vehicles in and around towns and city centres is the situation where two or more roads join each other.
At these there will be...
When to use hazard warning lamps
Hazard warning lamps, are by their nature, lamps that you should not use routinely. However it is important to know when is the correct time to use them, and how to switch them on.
They are...
Before Learning to Drive
The minimum age at which you are allowed to learn to drive a car on public roads is 17. As you probably know, you are not allowed to drive legally on your own until you pass your test. This means...
Back to home page of driving theory test questions
