Am I using wrong oil?

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I own a UAE series Toyota Carina (automatic transmission) with a very good engine that has never been opened or tampered with that when I am on a highway I drive faster than UAV series cars. I service my car’s oils regularly. Lately, my engine oil warning light takes three to five minutes to go off when I start the car, more especially in the morning. I contacted my mechanic who advised that the engine oil pump may be faulty and I may need to change it.

Secondly, one evening as I was in the traffic jam and the light showed green, when I stepped on the accelerator to go it refused to take off normally, it moved slowly, took long to pick power then eventually it moved normally. I immediately called my mechanic who requested me to take the car to the garage the following day.

He advised me to change all the hydraulic oils and put new hydraulic oil which I did. However, the problem persisted, I took back the car to work on it. Though the problem seems to have reduced, it keeps coming back every now and then.
Simon.

The warning light you describe is the low engine oil pressure warning light. This light will flicker or illuminate permanently if the pressure of the engine oil drops or the oil level is low. Your mechanic is right when he says you need to investigate the cause immediately until the cause is established otherwise your engine may sustain serious valve, piston, bearing as well as camshaft or crankshaft damage.

Whereas you seem to regularly service your car engine fluids and lubrication oils, it is prudent to ask a technician to carry out a precautionary check of the engine oil level and engine oil condition in case it has developed an oil leak or deteriorated in quality i.e. engine oil is lumpy, too thick or too light and dark. Low engine oil pressure happens when insufficient engine oil is delivered to the fast moving and very hot internal engine parts.

The engine low oil pressure warning light is intended to alert you to avoid very serious mechanical damage. The low engine oil pressure is usually caused by poor oil quality especially due to age (thick, lumpy or too light) or use counterfeit oil products and oil filters; sudden and extreme engine oil loss due to leaking engine seals, drain plug or damaged engine crankcase (oil sump). Mechanical breakdown of the engine oil delivery system for instance the oil pump, failure of the oil pick up tube and the tiny oil galleries (passages) around the engine due to blockage by thick oil sludge.

The deterioration of engine oil quality, however good it is, is expected over the recommended service schedule. This is due to the important role it plays in your engine: lubricating and cooling the fast moving and very hot internal engine parts, prevention of metal sheer damage caused by metal surfaces like pistons and cylinder bores rubbing against each other as well as cleaning and transporting after combustion (burning) soot and tiny metallic debris to the oil filter. Therefore regular periodic engine oil service is important with the use of manufacturer’s recommended oil filters and good quality or reputable lubricants which meet the performance expectation and standards certified by the Association of Petroleum Industries (API).

In rare situations, the low engine oil pressure warning light can be caused by a failure of the oil pressure switch or oil pressure or level sensor in some more modern cars. After inspecting and ruling out the other causes of low engine oil pressure. The technician can use an electronic tester or computer diagnostic tool to confirm the operational condition of this switch or sensor.

Ask your service technician to confirm that he used the recommended type of gearbox oil for your car and the oil level is correct. Sometimes automatic gearboxes will malfunction due to under filling, overfilling or use of wrong type Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF). In case the symptom persists the technician should confirm that your automatic transmission does not have mechanical or electrical failure.

Hello, my Jeep has a problem. The windows have a problem, dashboard metres / gauges are not showing and the computer electronic system seems not to be working. Please help.

Find a good car electrician and ask him to check and confirm power supply to the instrument cluster (dash board gauges) and window switches and regulators. The first port of call is about the fuses. These could either be burnt or too corroded to complete the circuit. The fuse box should have a fuse assignment which will show you which fuse breaks the circuit for the electrical component which is not powered.