Any Ideas?

[PerfectCreature]

So, I am nearing inspection time and now my Check Oil light is coming on. It is not regularly but off and on. I could start the car it would go on, I could turn it off hop out get something I missed in the house; turn it back on and it would be off, no check light.
Is this wierd? I mean...what kind of issue could this be?

I checked the oil and it is full. It is not even that dark it still has a light hue of it being new. Not a black spec in it at all. I just changed it less than 2000 miles ago and I haven't been running it hard at all.

So, again, what could this be? I am really stumped. It is like it has a mind of its own when it wants to come on. I can't even find a pattern to it either. It is completely random.

What ideas do you have...tried checking online but didn't find much....

[heiney9]

Magic!

[Polkersince85]

Tighten your gas cap.

[PerfectCreature]

Oil cap or gas cap? I just filled up this afternoon and its on pretty tight, about 5 clicks.
I seem to remember it doing this last year....when the weather got cold...I am not sure what I did to get it to go away. I mean, it is a 1995 so it doesn't have any of the new technology that the new cars have....

[heiney9]

Most 1995 cars had OBDII computers which means if you take it to your local auto mechanic he can plug it in and read the codes for you which will tell you the problem.

[PerfectCreature]

I would rather fix it myself. I don't have money to be dropping on this car. College just started up and books cost me almost $700.
I can call around and see if anyone will do it for free. Hopefully it is not another problem. I would be pretty upset.

[heiney9]

How much is going to cost you if you don't pass inspection? Trying to trouble shoot a CEL (check engine light) on an audio forum with absolutely no background is a needle in a haystack. It could be any one of a couple hundred things.

No way to know for sure and just asking what could it be is silly. So far we know it;s a car and it was new in 1995?????????????????????

Not much to go on.

[halo71]

Take it by a local auto parts dealer. Autozone, will plug in a computer and tell you what the problem is for free. :)

[PerfectCreature]

Well. Here is the information. Buick skylark v6 3.1 liter engine.
I am just looking for suggestions I guess.
Anyway, background is this. I am the 4th owner, the last owner did not take car of the car. I have replaced plenty of parts. I am positive it did it last year all through winter...
I have not changed the oil in roughly 1700 miles. I have not rode it hard or anything like that. I did however add Engine restore to my oil change. Not sure if that makes a difference.
Checked oil is full, above the full line. Slightly brown not alarming. Looked around no leaks that I could see (The rust could mask that though)
No other lights come on. It came on later the night before, and this morning. It did not come on this night when I drove home however.
I can try changing the oil and seeing if that changes it. If not get it checked by the engine reader and see what that says?

What about VIP? That is the only store, Sears as well....and then we have local mechanics.

[nadams]

Autozone will be able to pull codes from a check engine light, but not a check oil light. Does this vehicle have a oil pressure gauge? Could be either a faulty sensor or a low pressure reading.

[PerfectCreature]

I have no clue if it does or doesn't to be honest. Could have that checked as well.
Thanks. At least I have some ideas to take to the mechanic.

[nadams]

Okay, just saw your most recent post... engine restore is essentially just a oil thickener. All it does is make the oil thicker to take up the slack in older engines. In new, low tolerance engines, it can lead to reduced oil flow throughout the engine. You should refrain from using such products. I would recommend you change the oil now and put in manufacturers recommended oil weight (probably 5w20 or 5w30).

It'd be great if you posted what Make/Model/Engine your car is.

[PerfectCreature]

I did post it.
Anyway.
1995 Buick Skylark Custom 3.1L V-6.

Anyway. Change the oil? Yep. I can try that. See if it helps. I get a filter from work. Proculator or something like that. I hear good things about them
I run Pennzoil High Mileage....that an issue?
and my oil is 5w30 by the way.

[ratster]

It may be that you have to much oil in it.

[nadams]

Sorry... missed the engine type. I'm guessing you're talking about a Purolator. They're decent filters. Just stay away from Fram and even STP. They're not what they used to be...

Pennzoil High Mileage is a good oil... as long as you're running the weight appropriate for your engine.

[PerfectCreature]

Right. I will change the oil tomorrow sometime. Or the day after. I have to buy it first....
See if that helps it. If not I guess to the shop it goes.

[cokewithvanilla]

Right. I will change the oil tomorrow sometime. Or the day after. I have to buy it first....
See if that helps it. If not I guess to the shop it goes.

A lot of people mentioned to have autozone pull the codes for you. Have you done that? It is really a great way to start. A code should be able to point you in the right direction

[PerfectCreature]

I do not have an autozone in my area unfortunately. Only VIP and Sears....

[cokewithvanilla]

I do not have an autozone in my area unfortunately. Only VIP and Sears....

Oh, yikes. That's too bad. You must be in the middle of nowhere :)

[ohskigod]

change the oil and see if it goes away, if it does but comes back ina bout another 2000 miles or less, you might have a gunking issue.

if thats the case, change it again and use a crank case cleaner when you do it. might help a little.....emphasis on a little

I had a chevy monza with this problem and had to change the oil like every 1000 miles. hada suck that up for a year, but she stayed alive.

[PerfectCreature]

Fair enough that could be the issue. I guess I will find out.

[decal]

You sure seem to have a lot of problems.

[PerfectCreature]

Oh the car does yeah. I have been milking it for quite awhile.
As long as it runs for another month or two I guess it will be alright.
Anyway, going to change the oil on sunday, see if that helps of not. I am just going to leave it. I simply don't feel it is a good idea to put money into a car that is already sinking.
Anyway. Time to look for a new car...
What do you guys drive? How does it run...gas mileage and such.

[Demiurge]

Common issue with that car is bad blinker fluid. Leaks into the bulb and causes an glitch in the on-board computer that makes the check engine light come on intermittently.

[heiney9]

Common issue with that car is bad blinker fluid. Leaks into the bulb and causes an glitch in the on-board computer that makes the check engine light come on intermittently.

I thought they fixed that in the 1995 models? Oh well, it's worth investigating.

H9

[mole']

you said you had it checked and no cel codes came up?

[mole']

Common issue with that car is bad blinker fluid. Leaks into the bulb and causes an glitch in the on-board computer that makes the check engine light come on intermittently.

LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

sure its not the mufflers bearings?

[Demiurge]

I thought they fixed that in the 1995 models? Oh well, it's worth investigating.

H9

You might be right. In any case it's a $5.99 solution and a half hour of labor, unless you're a little slow....45 mins tops.

This is the stuff I use:

[Demiurge]

LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

sure its not the mufflers bearings?

**** isn't funny, man. If he takes that thing into a service center they're going to rape him on some BS fix and all it would cost him is $5.99 if he does this hisself.

[joeparaski]

Hey guys, what's with all the "engine light" recommendations? The OP said it was the "OIL" light that comes on intermittently. You don't need to check engine codes on this. The most likely culprit is a defective oil pressure switch. It is dirt cheap and very easy to replace. Do that first, THEN see if the light comes on and off randomly.

If the light comes on, and you know that the oil level is good, then you need to check the oil pressure directly with an oil pressure gauge. If the pressure is low, then you have more serious internal problems such as worn bearings or an oil pump going bad.

If that is the case, then just add oil additives to thicken up the oil and drive it till it dies. There's no point in sinking money into an old car.

Joe