Check Oil Level Warning Message

[Dragsled]

Had a strange thing happen over the weekend and was wondering if anyone else has experianced this.

4600 miles since my last oil change and this weekend the "check engine oil level" came on while I was driving. I was about 30 miles from home so I drove it home and parked it. The next morning I checked the oil level. Not a hint of oil on the dipstick.

Got in the wifes truck and began the hunt for some oil. I couldn't find any at the auto shops. The next morning I took the truck to work, confident that there was enough oil to get to work ok. THere was no signs of oil dripping or leaking. Not a single spot in the driveway. No runs, stains or oil order on the engine. I knew there was a truck stop new work and I could get some oil there. 30 miles to the truck stop, the warning light glowing all the way. I picked up a gallon (didn't know how much I'd need) gabbed coffee and let the truck sit for 10 minutes. One last check of the dipstick before adding any oil. Hmm.... dipstick shows the oil is full. what the ? start it up, no warning light. Drive to work, 20 miles, no light. Check it after sitting an hour. Oil is full. Anybody care to take a shot at this ? I can see a sending unit sending a false signal, but the dipstick is pretty straight forward. Either it's got oil on it or it doesn't. Yes I pushed it all the way in and checked it several times.

[MudNurI]

well,

this SAME thing happened to me, only it was caused from the mechanic if you call him that, snapping the O ring on the drain plug... I noticed some nasty looking stuff on my driveway- called John in the truck, the minute we hung up- his light came on, not a drop of oil in it... he ended up putting in some cheap oil- all he could find, and bringing it back to the dealer the next day.

thats what happens when they let the "lot boy" change oil!

Brandy

[DSLPOWR]

Is your driveway level??? :confused: Did you check it while running??? I remember in the past that there was a problem with a few of connection on the oil level sensor. But this dose'nt explain the varying oil levels. :confused:

[gg49]

Sounds like something was keeping all the oil up in the valve covers.
I thought I recently read on one of these posts of a dealer that had 6 DM going back to the factory due to improper machineing of the heads.
30 miles with nothing showing on the dipstick you must live in Vegas!!!

[Smorey]

How about the filter? At 4,600 mi. you are near a change. If I understand these things correctly, the filters have a bypass valve if the filter can't handle the flow/pressure. My guess would be the valve stuck to some degree, and it wasn't filling the sump.

Just a guess...

[Dragsled]

- driveway was level. Drove the truck 30 miles over varying roads, warning stayed on.

- warning light went out for a while (one return trip from work to home 30 miles).

checked oil. full.

- next day, startup, light comes on about 5 miles into my commute. stop truck. wait 10 mins. check oil, last notch on dipstick has oil.

- buy 2qts. put in 1, light still on. put in 2 light goes out, truck checks full. 600 miles later. disptick still full.

I'm coming up for another oil change pretty quick. i'll register the problem with the dealer. I've checked under the truck, no drips. I've checked all over the engine, it's spotless, no leaks or runs. it doesn't smell like it's buring it.

beats the hell out of me but in 4600 miles it should not have swallowed 2qts of oil.

btw, there is 11,000 on the truck.

Thanks for the tips.

[midwestdmax29]

It seems like 2 qts from full really shouldn't set the light. My 1st dmax got an appetite for oil and it set the light once. It had never been down before, but this time it took 4 qts to fill it. Not that it matters, but the oil was going by an injector. My guess is a faulty sending unit is the cause. My 02 has set the low coolant light on a couple occasions, and it's never actually low. keep an eye on the dipstick, you should be fine. PS- If my 01 didn't set the light, I'd have smoked it. Those 4 qts. disappeared in 500 miles.

[RWSDIESEL]

Did you notice any drop in oil pressure?

[Dragsled]

Oil pressure was always good. No drop from normal conditions. pegged at 80 in the morning (30'F) then it would come down to ~50 at idle. Normal cruising speeds would see ~70

[csimo]

There is an update for the PCM that has to do with "false error codes". I read that the low oil level was one of the false errors corrected.

[Turbo Al]

Although I have oil my light comes on all the time. I have unplugged the sensor & cleaned the connections and it doesn't help. Truck is going in on Wed for this problem and a few other Minor ones. I will let you know if it's an undate or hardware problem.

[Turbo Al]

Light still on and Teck still checking via GM help line.