Strange "check engine oil level" phenomenon.
 

hello everyone,

my wife has a 2002 suburban. so far everything has been good. just a couple of days ago, this message appeared on the message center. "check engine oil level". naturally, i go thru all the checkpoints. i shut off engine. check dipstick. i've even noticed that my regular oil pressure gauge reads normal. 40 psi when idle, and about 60 psi when driving.

checked oil filter and all around engine. no leaks anywhere. anyway, i went and changed my oil pressure sensor anyway. the original one was broken anyway. also, there were no additional noises. everything sounded as it should. perfectly normal. no tapping noise, no ticking, nothing.

i'm dumbfounded. no mods on vehicle. anyone have any ideas? thanks in advance. i do have a scangauge, cos i drive a ford. can that pull up any codes? thank y'all again.

so you checked the oil level...where was it on the dipstick?

the oil pressure sensor and oil level sensor are different sensors. Inspect the oil level sensor connector and wiring. Its screwed into the oil pan.

oil level was just below the max. all the way up to the dots.

oh dear. sounds like i messed up again. how do i get the oil level sensor out of the pan then? maybe u might have some pics and a procedure please? thanks.

hello all, here's my update. bought a new oil level sensor and replaced it on feb 13, 2013. now i have the same "check eng oil level" message again. so i go back to autozone, and get it replaced again. i got lifetime warranty on the product. i did all that yesterday. inspected the wiring harness for the oil level sensor. it's all fine.

now, here's my dilemma. part supposedly broke down in a couple of months. after i had it replaced yesterday, today i saw the same "check engine oil level" light come on again. no loss in oil pressure. oil in dipstick is fine.

what else could be wrong? please help.

latest update.

i have to be honest. thru no help from anyone on here, i figured out wat the exact problem actually is. for the newbies and rookies out there, here is wat to look out for. the 5.3 vortex engine setup only leaks from 3 major areas. the rear main seal, the oil pan gasket and the valve cover gaskets.

i discovered mine was the valve cover gaskets. proceeded to change out valve cover gaskets.

removed the entire coil pack rail on top of the valve cover. there are 5 bolts. the one closest to the firewall on the passenger side is the peskiest. use a short open-ended wrench. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...0&l=7342b5c836

remove the 4 hold-down bolts on the valve cover. clean up area as best as possible. new valve cover gasket is a rubber piece. it only goes on one way. my best recommendation is to use new hold-down bolts. there is no way around it. u have to get the bolts if u want to replace the rubber grommets. they are sold together when u get them from a chevy dealership. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...1&l=2b76f3188b

reassemble is backwards. the torque setting for the valve cover hold-down bolts is 10 ft/lbs. i also used a lot of brake cleaner to clean out the area as well as the valve covers. while i was also there, i replaced the o-rings around the oil filler tube and the oil cap too. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...0&l=1404df5552

also, while i was in the engine bay, i replaced one of the coolant hoses on passenger side along with a new quick-disconnect. then, i did a coolant drain, flush, replaced new thermostat, then installed a new coolant overflow bottle since i had an error message about "low coolant level". i also took the liberty to replace the pigtail harness as well for the coolant level sensor. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...4&l=e9590047e7

i refilled with new dexcool concentrate and filled up the rest with distilled water. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...4&l=7cdac01a80

also installed a Fumoto oil drain valve to make future oil changes easier. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...0&l=7ce599cb41

so far so good. everything works great.

if the oil level wasn't low and the low oil level message is on; changing leaking gaskets won't fix it.

I forgot to add, I was burning up oil. Couldn't find it until I had to find out the info myself from external sources outside this forum which just makes this forum useless if I have to go elsewhere for info.

Funny how people purposely ignore my plea for help when they realize tat I also drive a ford. I've posted before from a while back and I'll be lucky to even get a response. Wow. All of a sudden, nobody see my post or there is a retarded brain action tat maybe requires 6 months of dawdling before a half-hearted response is given.

I'm sorry folks. Tat is not the spirit of why these forums were intended for. It's to pool informTion together to help people. And when u help someone, true help can be defined by offering ALL the necessary information. Tats how I do it if it were me trying to help someone else.

I've given and shipped $200 to $1000 parts for free to someone who truly needs my help and tats just me on the ford truck enthusiasts' forum (FTE), which surprisingly, the parent company who owns FTE also owns this forum.

Good day to y'all. Hopefully, my info for this fix will assist other newbies when they have similar problems like mine.

Dom

Hey dom. I don't think people were ignoring you. Maybe they just couldn't help you. And didn't want to chime in. I used to drive a ford. I don't discriminate based on what you drive. I don't think anyone else should either. To go as far as calling this forum useless is wrong. Yeah I know. Sometimes it takes forever to get a response. But I've gotten great info and great help from here. I'm glad you came back to update the solution to your issue. That's what makes forums work.

I drive a ford myself. depending on the time you post it can be off the front page in hours and no one would even see it. If you think people are ignoring you...your paranoid.


Sorry, but I can't lurk 24hours on this forum hoping to help every poster...I have a life outside this forum. If you unhappy with the response go to a pay site and talk to a licensed chevy mechanic.


the only thing that will set that code is low oil level or a fault in the oil level circuit system....gaskets play no part in an electronic diagnostic system. Your repair post will send people down a wrong road.