Hot Rods Oil light won't go off

The other day the oil light on my '66 C10 started to flicker. I checked the oil and it was a little low so I topped it off and now the oil light stays on most of the time. It may go off for a second but it comes right back on. The oil level is right on. Any ideas? The light has never come on and stayed on like that before. Thanks

 

Do you have a mechanical oil pressure gauge to check the pressure with?
This is where I would start.

 

STOP running it until you verify you have oil pressure! Gary

 

light monitors oil pressure not oil quan***y............

 

put a gauge in it and check before you run it any more

 

No oil pressure, bad sensor, or bad wire..ie, shorted.

 

What color is the oil filter?

 

Probably orange? Gary

 

Only two possibilities, either you have no/low oil pressure or the light is giving you a false reading. Like everyone said, do not run the motor until you have hooked up a mechanical direct reading gauge to determine if you really have pressure or not.

Don

 

Knock knock, okay sorry but we have a car that has had a faulty light and have done 18000 Mls with a very intermittent off and on light, but the first time I did verify oil pressure was good , don't ignore the warning.

 

Never trust idiot lights,pull the dipstick and verify your oil level is correct.

As others have stated,add a gauge and use a piece of electrical tape and cover up the bulb. HRP

 

Did you check to be sure the connector on the sender was tight are the wire not frayed. Possible loose bulb in the cluster. This all can be checked with just the key on.

 

I learned a lesson years ago about electric oil pressure sensors. Never use Teflon tape because they need to be grounded to read correctly. It worked fine until about 100 miles from home and the gauge dropped to "0", it was a fresh rebuild and all sorts of possibilities presented themselves.

 

Had an issue a couple of times in the past where the driver over revved an older engine and
the oil pump relief valve stuck in the open position. Oil indicator light stayed on.
Removing the oil pan and un-sticking the relief valve solved the problem.
Just offering another possibility.

 

If the engine isn't making any lifter noise most likely it's the sending unit. As stated find a mechanical gauge (either a hand held oil pressure gauge or a under dash gauge and hold it) and check if it really has pressure. If good pressure is present then ground gauge wire, if the light comes on then you need to replace the sending unit.

 

Even if the oil light goes out it only means you have 6 plus psi. JW

 

Check the wiring around the sender unit. All it takes is to have a frayed wire the shorts to ground to light the bulb. My 54 Chrysler did this, moved the wire and no flicker.