1998 Chrysler Sebring JX Convertable Oil light

Hi everyone,I am gonna take a shot here since I havent had any luck anywhere else.I have a 98 with a 2.5 with 117k on it.Motor runs great other than the fact after about 30 miles or so the oil light flickers on at idle.Some people suggested I clean the throttle body which i did but it still does it.I have the car stored for the winter but I want to fix this before the snow stops flying
Any suggestions are appreciated
Thanx
Joel

 

I'll assume you've checked the oil level. Do you hear any valve clatter at idle?

I can think of three things pertaining to your problem:

1. The crankshaft bearings are worn (most likely).
2. The oil pressure sender is going bad.
3. The oil is too light for your application.

If you want to pursue this further, you could have the oil pressure checked with a more reliable mechanic's oil pressure gauge. If in the end it is verified that the crank bearings are worn, there's not much you can do except to use a heavier weight oil such as 20W-50, until it gets so bad that you have to rebuild the engine.

 

Thanx for the ideas,here is what else I forgot to add:
Pressure switch changed by dealer
Mechanical gauge at idle was reading either 10 or 20 psi,I forget now but it was higher than what they said the specs should be

Could the worn bearings only do it after the car is warmed?I have had this problem since about 95k and it is annoying.Also what would u reccomend for oil?I am using 10w30 now,I am a little vague on oil viscosities
Thanx again
Joel

 

Thanks for the additional info.

Once the oil warms up it thins out and the oil pressure drops. That's why you only get the light coming on when warms up. Also, oil pressure is at its lowest at idle, which is why the light goes away off-idle.

10W-30 is a good viscosity for healthy engines. Barring manufacturer defects, it appears your engine may have suffered from oil neglect at some time during its life, either from prolonged oil change intervals or low charge. Anything over 6000 miles between oil changes on regular oil can be considered abuse.

At this point, it is advisable to run 20W-50 oil. This is a considerably heavier oil commonly available from most auto supply stores, and it won't thin out as much when it warms up.

 

Thanx I will give that a shot.I have to change the oil anyway and go from there.The engine runs great other than this.
Thanx again
Joel

 

I have a 97 Sebring JXI with a 2.5 engine also. I had the same problem you mentioned at about the same milage. My mechanic then checked it all out and replaced the pressure switch. It did not fix the problem so I took it back to him. He drained the oil which was 5W30 and replaced it with straight 30 weight and a bottle of STP oil treatment. I always changed my oil myself at 5K miles before then and since. The change to 30W and STP stopped the light from coming on and that was over 110K miles ago. The engine now has just 210K miles on it and runs great. It uses not quite a quart of oil between oil changes now. Good luck. A happy Sebring owner.

 

Can you get to the oil sending unit connector?. Look at the OPSU connector and see how many wire actually goes to it. does it looks like two wire connector but there's only one wire in it?.