Oil warning light?

[metricspaces]

Does the S3 not have a warning light when the engine oil level gets too low?

I just checked my oil and it took over a litre of oil before I could even see a mark on the dipstick. No warning light came on in the car???

Just wondering now if I'd have done much damage to the engine

 

[666markyboy]

i would havethought so ... my A3 does, and a buzzer.... and it dosn't have to move much for it to come on

 

[jesters3]

Yeah looks like an oil can:

 

[Caesium]

Normally amber for level or red for pressure

 

[metricspaces]

Normally amber for level or red for pressure

Hmm...I don't recall getting any light. Would I also get a beep with the light?

 

[Westy]

Yeah you should get the same beep that you get when your petrol is low. Basically you'd know if you'd had it or not!

 

[metricspaces]

So either the sensor isn't working or the oil wasn't sufficiently low?

I had to put in about 1.5 litres. It only takes about 4.5 litres. How low does it have to go before it warns?

The reason I checked the oil was because I could feel the engine was sluggish. So it was definitely affected by the low oil.

 

[Westy]

I should think that the sensor would warn you once the oil level is just past the minimum level of the dipstick (or there abouts). It definitely should have come on before it had lost 1.5 litres!!!!!

 

[ianysm]

Are you sure it was low enough for 1.5 litres and you haven't overfilled it?

When did you check it? Cold or warm and after yo'd let it settle back down?

 

[fingermouse]

i think the low oil sensor is very low, think ive read of the light coming on well below the bottom of the dip stick. S3`s can use quite a bit of oil so need checking often. Mine is better now I use a 5w oil

 

[Westy]

i think the low oil sensor is very low, think ive read of the light coming on well below the bottom of the dip stick. S3`s can use quite a bit of oil so need checking often. Mine is better now I use a 5w oil

Yeah I've had no oil loss in 3 months since I bought the car and put 5W in

 

[1animal1]

um, i did 10k since last service and the light came on twice, both times i put 1 litre in and it touched the dipstick about halfway up between minimum and max....big red light came on the dashsaying it was low

 

[Caesium]

Red light isn't level its pressure, which is a lot more serious.

 

[metricspaces]

Are you sure it was low enough for 1.5 litres and you haven't overfilled it?

When did you check it? Cold or warm and after yo'd let it settle back down?

Checked it both cold and warm.

The only thing worth pointing out is that the funnel into which the dipstick goes into is cracked. So, maybe I'm getting an incorrect reading.

I've ordered a new funnel. So I'll stick that in and see what reading I get first. Anyone know how easy it is to fit that funnel?

 

[Westy]

dipstick tube is easy mate. You need to unbolt the metal plate above it then pull the old one out, which will fall to pieces. Put the new one in.

 

[666markyboy]

Agree with you Animal.... when my low level came on it was about midway between min and max on the dipstick... put in a litre (if that) and all was fine..... i was a little worried at the time though as it happend on my way to work on the motorway and i didn't have a manual to hand.. all i got was the beeping and an oil can light on the dash... nursed it into work and checked the dipstick and like i say it was halfway.. not what i would have thought as very low so i was worried it was a preassure light... thankfully it wasn't..... strangely too it also seems to use less oil now i'm running thinner fully synthetic oil.... at the time it was on semi..

 

[metricspaces]

My new funnell has arrived. So I'm gonna fit that and see what the level displays then.

I'm pretty sure it was too low though. Coz I had another car that used to burn oil. If you let it get too low the car would be really rough in 1st gear...same thing happened with the S3. Grrr. Never trusting electric systems again. Will be checking every week from now on!

 

[1animal1]

Agree with you Animal.... when my low level came on it was about midway between min and max on the dipstick... put in a litre (if that) and all was fine..... i was a little worried at the time though as it happend on my way to work on the motorway and i didn't have a manual to hand.. all i got was the beeping and an oil can light on the dash... nursed it into work and checked the dipstick and like i say it was halfway.. not what i would have thought as very low so i was worried it was a preassure light... thankfully it wasn't..... strangely too it also seems to use less oil now i'm running thinner fully synthetic oil.... at the time it was on semi..

did you add oil to halfway? mine was not showing on the dipstick at all till i added 1 litre, also both occasions happend on the motorway virtually at the same junction about 60 miles from home within 4-5months of each other...strange stuff

it may have been amber light, cant remember to be fair, it basically said low on it im sure?