Questions and Answers
Chrysler Sebring Oil Pressure?
Q. Vince, 1998 Chrysler Sebring Convertible V-6, automatic transmission, 60,000 miles. I drive 30 miles to work each day, the first half is highway followed by half stop and go. When I stop at a traffic light, the oil light will come on. When I restart or shift in neutral, the light goes out. It never comes on while moving.
The dealer has replaced the oil pressure sensor, the oil pump and a circuit board. None of these has corrected the problem. Of course he can never really duplicate the problem either before or after the repair.
My first question is, could there really be an oil pressure problem and am I damaging something by driving the car? The second question is, what the heck is the problem? The dealer is stumped.
I suggested to the service manager that the problem is the idle/engine control. As I sit at a long traffic light, in gear with my foot on the break I can watch the idle drop from approximately 750 rpm to 500 rpm. Bingo! at 500 rpm the light comes on. HELP!
Some additional items.
- The smell of oil burning. I don't see anything but I have had a few old clunkers and I recognize the smell.
- The tech installed a oil pressure gauge an drove the car (the Sebring has only the oil pressure light), everything was in spec. I suspect the engine never reached the conditions I get to on my drive to work.
Don
A. The low oil pressure is not the problem, it's a result of the idle speed being too low. You need to correct the idle fluctuation to keep the oil light off.
The first thing to do is to scan the computer for any codes. If there are codes stored, then you have a good shot of fixing the problem. If there are no codes, I would suggest giving the throttle body and IACV a good cleaning. Many times this in itself will fix the problem. The passages get gummed up and the IACV can not properly adjust bypass air flow.
Read: Cleaning Throttle Bodies on how to do it.
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