Hey all,

I need some troubleshooting help for my wife's V6 2002 EX Accord Coupe. A couple of days ago I was braking while pulling up to a red light and the Oil Pressure Light started flickering and kept flickering while I was waiting at the light. Once I started to go it started blinking instead of flickering. I was only a few blocks away from my friends house and since the engine wasn't making any abnormal sounds, I kept going. I got there fine and decided to let the engine cool down. A few hours later I went out to check the dipstick and after I had wiped it off and stuck it back in, it came out clean! Before my wife and I were dating she would get conventional 5W-20 oil changes from the cheapest place she could find. About a year ago I started taking her car in and would get synthetic oil put in. It had been about 4600 miles since the last oil change. Embarrassingly I have to admit that I'm not the best at taking the time to check the oil, but I couldn't figure out how 4.6 quarts of oil could just disappear in 4600 miles. I park the car in my garage and haven't seen any leaks at all. Could a car really burn that much oil? I decided I should change the oil myself instead of just adding some or taking it in; so I got some Castrol Edge Fully Synthetic Oil, a K&N oil filter and a fiber washer to replace the aluminum one on the drain plug. I let the oil drain for about an hour and it turns out that despite what the dipstick had told me, there was still about 3 quarts of oil in the pan. The oil was dark, but no chunks or sludgyness. I put the car back together and let it run for a little bit. No leaks, no oil pressure light. I then let it cool and checked the oil level and added a little bit to bring it just up to the top hole. I then took it for a 5 min drive with no problems. Got home, let it cool and then checked the oil level again. Still perfect. A few hours later I went to pick up my wife from work and when I was almost there (after driving about 20 min) the oil pressure light started flickering again as I was braking for a red light. Deja vu. Again, the engine wasn't making any weird sounds; so I picked her up and drove home. After the car cooled I checked the oil level again and it was at the bottom hole! There were still no drips in the garage though. I added the rest of the 5.1 quart jug to the car and the level was good again.

What's the deal? Did the car really go through 1.5 quarts of oil in a day after only about 45 min of driving? Is the oil pump going bad even though the car doesn't have those symptoms? If it's a faulty sensor is it safe to drive the vehicle as long as the oil is checked frequently and the engine doesn't make weird sounds? I know the sensor isn't expensive, but I don't want to remove the filter if I just replaced the oil.

Sorry for the long post, I just wanted to make sure I included all the details.

Here's to hoping I don't have to break the bank to fix my car,
- Josiah

 

Are you sure it’s not leaking? Sometimes if it’s leaking under the car it just coats everything and works it’s way back and you never see a drip.

Anyway, I think it’s time for an oil pressure test and a compression check. The oil pressure test should tell you if the sensor is bad, pump is bad, etc. The compression test – do one ‘dry’, then another ‘wet’ by pouring a little oil in the cylinder and checking again, then compare the results. If you get much higher readings with the ‘wet’ test then you have a problem with the rings in that cylinder and it may well be burning oil. Although with the amount you are talking about it seems you would have a plume following your car around. It’s either leaking or burning it, gotta be one of the 2.

 

Did you check the oil right after you shut the car off? The oil won't all drip back in the pan by then. Usually you want to wait at least 5-10 minutes the longer the better.

I had the same kind of issue with my car 91' accord. When the car was at idle 750rpms the light would flicker. I replaced the sender and problem fixed.