I've searched and searched for an answer, but thus far all for naught.

I drive an 06 manual Shinka, I live in Ft. Worth, TX and it seems that for the last month or two while driving on the highway my red oil light will come on.

The conditions are always the same. Highway driving, outside temperature is anywhere from 85 - 105 degrees, and it occurs at 4,000+ rpms (about 70mph or higher).

However, when it comes on I always just engage the clutch and once the rpms return to sub 2,000 the light switches off and I re-engage the gear and continue driving. The light wont come back on till a couple of minutes later. Also worth noting, the oil temp gauge and pressure gauge are both almost near center and don't fluctuate. The only mods on the car are the BB down pipe, BB exhaust, springs, and rims.

This is my 3rd summer with the car and this is the first time I've ever had this problem. I've serviced the car regularly with the last one being right after the problem started. I mentioned it to Mazda before the service and they said they couldn't find anything wrong with the car and replaced the oil just in case. However the problem hadn't been fixed.

I'm can guess at what the basic problem is, but does any know what it is specifically? Is it worth the drive back out to the dealership to force them to figure it out? Has anyone had this problem? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks ya'll-
Austin

Edit- it's the engine coolant lamp! Not the engine oil lamp, I wrote this message in a daze and completely feel like a fool now. Mazda replaced my oil at the service but also topped off my engine coolant level because of the problem I described which persisited after they topped it off, sorry guys!

 

Check your oil level.

 

agreed

 

i thought the oil light was yellow...

are you sure it is not your coolant light? because that sounds like the coolant light problem

 

^+1

 

Could be a faulty oil pressure sensor or a faulty oil level sensor. Could be an issue with the wire harness to those units. Your dealership should be able to test those sensors and the wire harness.

The engine oil warning light is RED. It is a "Critical Warning" awareness light. "Attention Warning" awareness lights are YELLOW.

Oh and the coolant light is RED too.

 

The oil warning light looks like this. Only RED.

 

it is red? ok i was about to walk out and check its been bugging me now haha

 

Your car needs oil

 

check your oil, youll most likely need a quart of oil

 

If he needs oil because the light is on, it's going to be more than 1 qt. Close to 3 qts.
But as he said the dealer changed the oil and the problem persists.

 

As per my edit:

I'm a fool and completely mislead ya'll with not only my thread title but also my message, its the red engine coolant light and not the oil light. Mazda topped off my engine coolant in response to my complaint and it failed to cease the problem. So sorry for the mistake.

-austin

 

Let the car sit overnight and check the coolant in the morning. If it is below the full line add coolant. Now if it is at or above the full line then your coolant sensor is bad and you will need to get a new coolant tank since its all one piece. If your still under warranty bring your car back and they will replace it for you for free. If your not under warranty it is easy to do by yourself. I replaced mine a few months ago. Nice DIY on the club.

 

or just rock the light like i do haha

and i thought it sounded like the coolant light problem lol

 

One can also just unplug the sensor from the coolant bottle and the light will stay off.

 

TEASE!

You need a new coolant bottle. The sensor is failing and the only way to repair it is to get a new overflow tank.

 

yeah but i like the reminder to check the coolant once in a while just in case...you wouldn't want to forget about it and have something bad happen.

 

Thanks! I'll be heading to the dealership soon I guess.

2006 with about 40,000 miles on it.
I should still be in warranty right?

 

2006 have 36 K miles, 3 years warranty. so you're out of luck.

Hmm, if your coolant level is 100% ok and there is no air in it, I guess its your coolant sensor going bad. Its NOT a big deal. it happens. You can either live with it, just make sure your coolant level is at F at all times. or you can change the coolant bottle out with a new one, cost hundred something bucks. Dont let dealership do it, they will rape you. its super easy to swap the coolant bottle, drain coolant, 10 mm socket with ratchet or 10mm wrench to take the bottle out, unclip the 3 hose connect to it, swap it with a new one, refill coolant, bleed, done.

 

FYI guys, the coolant bottle is on nationwide backorder. I took my 8 in 3-4 weeks ago, they verified the problem and said they'd call me when the bottle came in, but that it might not be for a couple months. So get your cars on the list sooner than later, guys! If they verify the faulty sensor BEFORE your warranty is up, they'll still install the new bottle for free even if you pass 36k in the meantime...

 

Hi Guys,

I have the same problem with my 8; the only difference is that - at 2000-3000+ rmp the light comes on and when I switch to neutral, for a bit until the light cuts off, then back into drive again.

haven't considered changing the coolant for some time! What coolant should I use (I'm from the Caribbean -Trinidad & Tobago, where the temperature is about 32 deg C or 90 deg F.)