Not sure why I just recently noticed this (maybe because I just changed the oil for the first time not long ago) but I think it sucks.
My truck (2005 V8 std cab Tundra) has the panel with the tach, oil pressure, voltage etc. The manual is vague about a low oil pressure light with this particular dash arrangement but suggested if there's a gauge that a warning buzzer might be installed too. No light comes on during the initial key to on when all the other lights test. The tech at the dealer told me there is nothing except the gauge - no light and no buzzer. I think it's borderline irresponsible for them to have done this. I've had vehicles with gauges, but they always had a light as well because a light will catch your attention a lot quicker than a slowly fading gauge.
If your that concerned why not add a warning light yourself. Very easy job to carry out, I would only add a light not a buzzer due to the fact that every time you sit idle with the motor off and ignition on it will drive ya batty. Use a superbright LED as that WILL get your attention if angled correctly. If your unsure about installation repost and Im sure that relevant info will be posted for you.
There is a Low Engine Oil Pressure Warning Light, check your owner's manual - section 1-6, page 175
Looks like a little oil can
From the manual: This light warns that the engine oil pressure is too low. If it flickers or stays on while you are driving, pull off the road to a safe place and stop the engine immediately. Call a Toyota dealer or qualified repair shop for assistance. The light may occasionally flicker when the engine is idling or it may come on briefly after a hard stop. There is no cause for concern if it then goes out when the engine is accelerated slightly. The light may come on when the oil level is extremely low. It is not designed to indicate low oil level, and the oil level must be checked using the level dipstick.
I had read the section you mention before and therein lies the confusion. There's a caveat about the light if the panel is like mine with Oil Pressure gauge - and it's referenced later in the same chapter (if memory serves).
When the ignition is first turned on you get the barrage of lights etc. There is no Oil Light, nor is there a Low Fuel light, but I know in fact it has an operable Low Fuel light. That's what prompted me to ask the dealer maint tech. I was thinking. "Gee, maybe they dispensed with the Oil Pressure light test when the ignition is turned on." and I was told if there is a gauge, there is no light. If there were a light I would expect it to test when the ignition is turned on like they do on all other gauge equipped vehicles I've driven.
Could be the tech was wrong and I do not have immediate access to the manual, but I'll re-look tomorrow.
I actually am concerned about it to a degree. For the time it's under warranty, no big deal other than the inconvenience a failure would cause. Years ago my brother in law had a similar panel set up on an SUV and the pressure slowly went down. He didn't pick up on it and it toasted his engine...as you might expect.
I had asked the dealer about that and was told all the engine functions feed through some kind of master circuit panel/analyzer and it would be colossal pain in the ass to install one. As my electrical experience is limited to installing car stereos etc, I'm squeamish about tackling it. I may have some after market shop do it though.
I may pop in with a request down the road when I'm in a better position to actually do it.
My Tundra has the gauges but also an oil light that looks like the Aladdin's lamp. I see it every time I start the car. You probably have one, it just doesn't work. Go over your manual, find it and head back to the dealer with chapter and verse.
Where your oil pressure gauge connects to the engine block buy a double adapter for the hole and run a seperate oil pressure switch. Wire directly to a nice bright LED somewhere in your vision and use completely independant of any other system.
Nothing to do with the "missing" oil pressure light, but I remember the first car my dad bought that had a light and no oil pressure gauge. He installed a gauge! Being a pilot during WWII, he was very aware of what was went on under the hood and would scan the gauges for any changes. Kind of like the way we watch the temperature gauge when pulling a trailer up a long hill.
Anyway, one day he took the oil light sensor to the airport and checked it on a pressure tester; he found out the light came on when the oil pressure got down to 2 psi. He said that it was about 10 psi too low "to his way of thinking." He said the light only came on when it was too late.
Dad didn't coin the term "Idiot Light," but he always thought it was appropriate.
BTW, Mom said he installed safety belts in their brand new '49 Buick, she said she was so embarrassed, her friends asked her if she planed to fly her car... :>))
Where on the dash is your light? The manual simply groups all the warning/service lights as '1'. I tried before to use a flashlight to highlight the light by looking at an angle and saw the others but no luck with the oil press light.
LOL!! Well, Mort Taylor did one, so it's not *too* crazy ;)
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Some similarities here. I fly helicopters for a living and have been for 29 years now. All machines have a light and many also have a gauge. I can't tell you how many times I've introduced an engine oil malfunction (in the simulator) initiated by a slow decrease in pressure. Excepting for 2 pilot crews, 99% of the time it goes unnoticed until the light comes on. It's just how we are. Imagine yourself in rush hour traffic (as I was in passing thru LA the other day - OMG!!). How often do any of us even look at the gauges, speedo, fuel, etc? And that's how it should be...we need to look outside in these and most cases.
Perhaps so, but this further emphasizes the ease of understanding lights more so than a gauge. We're all probably automotive/vehicle enthusiasts if we're in here or another like group so it's easy for us to understand. Oil pressure? What is oil? Huh? I don't understand...why can't it be 5? But you just said if it goes low I should pull over and now you're saying it can be low but if I give it gas and it goes up it's OK? How much gas? Gawd...I can't imagine it.
My solution?
RED = pull over now and shut it off. AMBER = when time permits and its convenient, pull over and check things out, look at the manual, have a smoke, yadda, yadda, yadda...
She wasn't my wife yet. I had just started dating her and got to be the person who found her a used engine and someone trustworthy to install it. It wasn't exactly a thankless job... ;^)
Exactly. My wife's 300 had one of the earliest digital dashes. These were covered with LED displayed numbers. So many numbers, that the information gets lost. Did we really care if we had 9.5 gallons of gas or 9.1? Newer digital dashes either display bar graphs, change the number color, or totally hide it unless it's not inside the normal range.
Modern planes, locomotives, and even some road vehicles have gone to the "silent / dark" concept, where the computer hides normally reading instruments unless asked for a readout. If the instrument goes out of range, a master alarm is sounded and the instrument is displayed. This is an excellent example of the number AND light concept, developed to perfection.
I'm also all for round gauges with colored ranges AND a light that comes on when things are critical. I fly aircraft (fixed wing, not "bugs" like the other poster to this thread. ), and needles in the wrong place stick out in my scan, while digital numbers often don't. Our better digital gauges have multi-color bar graphs in addition to the numbers. The numbers are for fine tuning, but you can quickly scan the color. Critical readings, like critically low oil pressure, alternator failures, high CHT, etc... also bring a nice, bright light.
For needle gauges, I don't care if it's 15 or 25, just that the needle is pointing approximately where it should be. That's why race cars often have the gauges rotated so that the normal range is straight up. If a needle isn't straight up, you inspect it more closely.
To the helicopter instructor: Do your simulators have colored ranges on the gauges, or simply digital numbers or a black steam gauge face, and a bottom limit light?
The aircraft I typically fly have a colored background and sometimes even a dot at normal, making them extremely easy to notice a change during a scan. It's surprising to me that a helo would have an oil pressure gauge that's so easy to miss trends. It seems that if that
99% of the students miss the failure, it's time for a redesigned gauge.
My dad's '52 Chevy pickup had a gauge that read 30 at the right end (if I remember right). It would hang around the center when cruising along at about 40 MPH is third, but at idle, it was barely above 0 (zero). If you want to go back farther, some old cars only used splash lubrication and didn't need an oil pressure gauge or light... :>))
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