Oil pressure light coming on intermittently

D13exile

My 2011 Qashqai has 168,000 miles on the clock now but it’s been serviced at the regular intervals since new. I just had the entire clutch assembly replaced yesterday, everything from the master cylinder to the flywheel and got the car back last night. While driving today, I stopped in traffic and the oil pressure light came on. It went out again when I moved the car to pull off the road but came on again when I stopped. I checked the oil level and it was within the min/max range at about half way. I went to the nearby motor factors and got some oil and topped it up to the max level. I drove home without issue until I stopped in traffic and the oil light came on again. It went off as soon as I started moving.

I’m thinking it’s a faulty sensor module as there is no apparent oil leak from the car after a half hour of checking the engine bay and under the car. The engine is running smoothly too. My question is where is the oil sensor on a Qashqai as my internet search hasn’t shown up anything. I want to replace it and see if that cures the problem.

chicorytip

D13exile wrote: »

My 2011 Qashqai has 168,000 miles on the clock now but it’s been serviced at the regular intervals since new. I just had the entire clutch assembly replaced yesterday, everything from the master cylinder to the flywheel and got the car back last night. While driving today, I stopped in traffic and the oil pressure light came on. It went out again when I moved the car to pull off the road but came on again when I stopped. I checked the oil level and it was within the min/max range at about half way. I went to the nearby motor factors and got some oil and topped it up to the max level. I drove home without issue until I stopped in traffic and the oil light came on again. It went off as soon as I started moving.

I’m thinking it’s a faulty sensor module as there is no apparent oil leak from the car after a half hour of checking the engine bay and under the car. The engine is running smoothly too. My question is where is the oil sensor on a Qashqai as my internet search hasn’t shown up anything. I want to replace it and see if that cures the problem.

You should only check the oil level on the dipstick when the engine is cold not warm in order to get a correct reading. The engine could be burning oil due to worn piston rings. With high mileage Nissan's this would not be uncommon. Get your mechanic to do an oil service (new oil and filter) and check the level every few hundred miles.

martyc5674

Oil light is flickering is to do with oil pressure, could be a miriad if things from worn a loose connector/dodgy sensor/oil pump failing/blocked pickup in sump/worn crankshaft bearings. It’s not one to take lightly I’d be getting it checked.

Leonard Hofstadter

chicorytip wrote: »

You should only check the oil level on the dipstick when the engine is cold not warm in order to get a correct reading.

This is not always true, BMW for example tells you that you should check the oil five minutes after you've turned the car off but on a warm engine. It depends on the manufacturer and the OP should read his or her owner's manual to see what Nissan recommends.

Oil burning does not cause an engine to have reduced oil pressure. In some engines oil burning means the engine is past it, in others it's nothing to worry about just as long as you remember to keep an eye on it and top up when necessary. Thicker oil will help reduce oil consumption, use the thickest oil the manufacturer approves for your engine (using something thicker than the manufacturer approves means the engine will not be properly protected, especially when cold and is therefore not a good idea).

The light could be coming on for a number of reasons, it can come on if the oil level is too low (but you've already checked it and topped it up - so that's not the reason), there can be a fault with the switch or sensor, or most likely, there is a fault with the oil pickup or pump. This means the engine is not being properly lubricated and therefore this is a warning that most definitely cannot be ignored - even a few seconds with the low oil pressure light on can write off an engine (especially one with that kind of mileage).

I would not recommend driving the car until the engine has been checked to see why the light is coming on and the fault has been rectified.

D13exile

Trust me, I’m not taking this lightly as I’ve had an engine destroyed before due to a failure of a valve that failed to open causing the oil to explode out of every gasket. That happened within seconds and so I know how quickly an engine can seize.

ltdslipdiff

D13exile wrote: »

Trust me, I’m not taking this lightly as I’ve had an engine destroyed before due to a failure of a valve that failed to open causing the oil to explode out of every gasket. That happened within seconds and so I know how quickly an engine can seize.

Was it an Insignia or a 1.5 dci engine that exploded?

Max Moment

The fact you only got the clutch replaced yesterday would lead me to suspect something is loose or not put back correctly after the work was done more so than another issue.

That being said, not worth taking the chance. Have you contacted the place you did the work? I’d be starting there to get it sorted as they’d know what they removed / may have knocked off.

D13exile

ltdslipdiff wrote: »

Was it an Insignia or a 1.5 dci engine that exploded?

It’s the 1.5 dci engine that failed and was replaced when the car was two years old

Max Moment wrote: »

The fact you only got the clutch replaced yesterday would lead me to suspect something is loose or not put back correctly after the work was done more so than another issue.

That being said, not worth taking the chance. Have you contacted the place you did the work? I’d be starting there to get it sorted as they’d know what they removed / may have knocked off.

Yes that occurred to me too but I can’t find where the sensor is located so I can check the connections myself. Calling the garage first thing tomorrow and hopefully it’ll get sorted before the Xmas shutdown or I’m stranded.

exaisle

The oil light indicates low oil pressure. You said that the car has 168k miles..thats about 265,000 km in new money, on the clock. It may be that the engine is just wearing out...
I'd suggest checking the oil pump and if thats ok it might be time to trade up..

Isambard

Oil pressure light not oil level light. There's a [problem somewhere, but it could be as simple as a wire loosened inadvertently by the garage.Take it back, I'm sure they'd check for you foc.

Max Moment

Oil pressure switch located just beside the oil filter on the k9k 1.5dci engine. (No.10 on second attachment or No.3 on 1st from workshop manual). I’d start there and trace any loose wires.

Hope this helps.

D13exile

Max Moment wrote: »

Oil pressure switch located just beside the oil filter on the k9k 1.5dci engine. (No.10 on second attachment or No.3 on 1st from workshop manual). I’d start there and trace any loose wires.

Hope this helps.

That’s exactly what I was looking for. Thanks very much. Really appreciate that!

I’ll have a look in the morning when it’s light and see if there’s a simple fix (loose connection) before I get onto the garage. Thanks again