# "Oil Pressure Low Stop Engine" - Message Intermittently



## BowtieGuy (Jan 4, 2013)

You should really take your car to the dealership as soon as possible. Have you checked your oil level? Low oil pressure is a serious issue that should be looked at immediately.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

First, check your oil level. Low oil level can trigger this warning. If it's low, fill it and then keep an eye on it to ensure you don't have a leak. If your oil level is right I would give your dealership a call. They should be able to read the codes and repair your car. Most likely it's either a faulty sensor or oil pump.


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## nielboy (Dec 8, 2012)

I checked the oil first & it was fine.


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

This engine uses a variable displacement oil pump......that means it essentially adjusts the oil pressure (and volume) to its needs based on oil temperature and rpm.
Most likely, the system is just fine and the sending unit that reads pressure is the culprit.
However, a dealer trip is in order......this so they can install a mechanical gauge to verify there is or is not a mechanical problem.
If the gauge indicates normal pressure functions, then the sending unit will be replaced.......don't dally around though.
If the pressure is low, serious internal engine damage will result.

Rob


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## nielboy (Dec 8, 2012)

Had it into the Chevy dealer today & they determined the problem to be an incorrectly installed aftermarket oil filter. I have serious questions about that diagnosis so I thought I'd bounce it off any of you who are more knowledgeable than I. We had our oil change done on 05Nov2013 at a local non-dealer garage that we've been using for years. We have the utmost faith in their knowledge of cars & integrity in their business practices. We had no problems with this issue after the oil change. Then on 20Nov2013, we had the Cruze into the same Chevy dealer for a recall to replace the brake vacuum micro switch. It was only a day or so after the recall work that we started having the problem with the "Oil Pressure Low Stop Engine" indicator coming on intermittently. So call me crazy, but I don't think it's a stretch to think that something happened during the recall work that resulted in the "Oil Pressure Low Stop Engine" indicator coming on. Does anyone know where this brake vacuum micro switch is located in relation to the oil filter? Could the oil filter have been banged during the recall work & created this problem? I guess we'll find out for sure in the next week if the problem is resolved. We spoke with our local garage who did the oil change & they laughed at the dealer's diagnosis saying that it isn't rocket science attaching an oil filter & it's a convenient excuse for the dealer to make when the problem first started after they performed recall work on our Cruze. It burns my ass paying out of pocket for what I suspect is a screw up on the dealer's part.


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## nielboy (Dec 8, 2012)

Thanks for the feedback Robby.....I just posted my dealership experience while you were posting your message. You sound like you know the Cruze engine very well...any thoughts on the diagnosis of an incorrectly installed oil filter that created no problems for us until a visit to the dealer for a recall?


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

If the sensor goes off intermittently, then it is a sensor or sending unit problem, not a filter problem. Pressure will be maintained even if the filter is bypassed, so they are pulling your leg on that one. I would get GM customer service involved on this as soon as possible. They should be responding shortly.


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

nielboy said:


> Thanks for the feedback Robby.....I just posted my dealership experience while you were posting your message. You sound like you know the Cruze engine very well...any thoughts on the diagnosis of an incorrectly installed oil filter that created no problems for us until a visit to the dealer for a recall?


I have very little confidence with any non factory filter.......I'll leave it at that.

As far as any relation between the recall and the current concern......absolutely not.....the switch that was replaced lives next to the master cylinder and remove/replacement takes less than two minutes......the wire connector that is removed/reinstalled is not part of the oil pressure harness.

It just happened at close to the same time, but no, not related.

Rob


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

Hi nielboy,

Here is the information for GM of Canada in case you need it.

GM of Canada

Customer Care Center:1-800-263-3777 
Customer Care Center hours of operation are:Monday to Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. (E.S.T.)Saturday: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (E.S.T.) Closed Sundays

Jackie
Chevrolet Customer Care


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

For years, GM has been using an oil pressure switch that closes and makes contact with as little as 2.5 psi pressure, even on their oil gauge equipped vehicles. Regardless of temperature, engine speed, will always read midway, a dirty trick in my opinion. Provided the pressure is above 2.5 psi.

Looks like the Cruze is using the same kind of a switch, but a bulb instead, so if that bulb is igniting, and that switch is good, your oil pressure is below, I assume, 2.5 psi.

Up to the late 50's, were using a real oil pressure gauge with a tube running to the engine, ha, if that fitting came loose would have hot oil dripping on your legs. Then out of nowhere, this pressure switch and a light bulb replaced a true gauge. Was shocked and have no idea, even to this way, why they picked 2.5 psi for the trip point. So with these cars, would always add a real aftermarket gauge, tube and all.

Also at the time, and still have it, a standard oil pressure gauge, Made in the USA even, and always tested the oil pressure, in particular when buying a used vehicle. Never hooked this gauge to my Cruze, and why should I? With a 100K mile power train warranty.

But if that oil lamp is flashing, you really have serious problems. Being extra paranoid, purchased a half a dozen genuine Delco filters from rockauto.com, not only genuine Delco, but also at the lowest price compared to local prices.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Ha, got carried away again.

The very first thing your dealer should have done, if he didn't, was to attach a standard oil pressure gauge to that engine. If he suspected the filter, and the pressure was low on that gauge, would have skyrocketed after that change.

Otherwise, just guessing. 40-60 psi is what I would suspect for normal readings.


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## ryanjeffries (Sep 17, 2013)

I am having the same issue with my 2013 LS with 15,000 miles on it. Essentially brand new. I am on my second oil change. I have had the oil pressue warning a total of 4 times so far. I shut the car off for a few seconds and then turn it back on and everything is fine. I have yet to have the car in for service for this issue because my schedule is hectic. It should be noted, that this is my second 2013 cruze. The first one had issues with a "A/C off due to high engine temperature" message." It was in the dealership for service like 2 months out of the first 3 months we had the car. Brand new, no miles off the lot. After a huge ordeal and me threatening a lawsuit over the lemon law, GM replaced the vehicle with the cruze that I currently have. This new cruze, after about 5k miles, had the same "AC off due to high engine temperature" message occur. After a trip to the dealership for the same issue, they had finally issued a fix for the problem and it currently seems to be resolved. Now I am having this issue with the low oil pressure warning. At tax time, I will be trading my vehicle in for a non GM product. Seems there are many issues, and not just with the cruzes. I will be losing money by trading it off, but its no longer worth the hassle that these Cruzes have given me.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

ryanjefferies, 

I am sorry to hear you have had this experience. We can certainly look into your concerns. Please private message me your name, VIN, phone number, and dealership. I look forward to hearing from you. 

Erica Tiffany
Chevrolet Customer Care


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## Danny5 (Dec 22, 2011)

The oil filter on the 1.4l engine is not really something that can be tampered with. Gone are the coffee canisters of yore, and the only replaceable part is the actual filter material, and the o-rings. 

The only way to mess up the oil filter would be to forget to install an o-ring, and that really wouldn't create an issue other than a possible leak. But like NickD said, there is a 100k warranty (is it 160k in Canada?).


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## Nophix (Aug 24, 2013)

I'm having a similar issue with my 2011 LT. It just started with 61k miles. 

Regular oil changes, synth oil, decoding compliant. Had it to the dealer and they were unable to duplicate it, but they verified oil pressure is fine.

It's happened 3 times, all after a short shut down, and a restart cures it. 

I noted the engine doesn't sound different when it occurs, which leads me to believe its a sensor glitch.


Sent from AutoGuide.com App


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## winks79 (Dec 20, 2013)

I have a friend that has a 2012 cruze that has had this same issue on several occasions over the past year. I told him to take it in and at least get it checked out. Happens right after he starts car, then he shuts it off and fires back up and everything is fine.


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## Quicksand Jesus (Mar 13, 2013)

Wow, I'm glad others are starting to have this problem. Mine started doing this right at about 50,000 miles. I took it to the dealership and they said it's $300 to diagnose, no warranty because the sender isn't the powertrain. So I messaged chevy customer service (Erica Tiffany) on here as well back in September. She basically said too bad, it's going to cost money to fix. I then politely explained that I really won't worry about it. Because if my oil pressure is low the motor will seize and THEN it will be covered under warranty. Either way, I'm still driving the car and I still get the warning message. I just ignore it, because that's the best I can do. It does rattle pretty loud when I start it up these days, but oh well right?


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

This is the nine buck switch we are talking about.










Easy to unscrew and use a pressure gauge to see the actual engine pressure. Can also be tested with air pressure to learn at what pressure the contacts open at.

Historically, ha, noted for this, dash gauge was a real oil pressure gauge with an 1/8" oil tube running to it. Then was changed to a way overpriced potentiometric type sender using an electric meter. Then to this POS for lack of a better word. And if Made in China, a real POS sender. Have no idea who determined 2.5 psi pressure is sufficient, seems like 10 psi is more in order.


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## MasterBlaster (Mar 28, 2014)

Well, having a similar issue with daughters 2012 Cruze. Already been to the dealer shop once, they replaced the oil pressure sensor. Worked for a few days but the message returned...now, once the car is up to normal operating temperature...the LOW OIL pressure message is on constantly. The dealer changed the oil at the same time the sensor was replaced as well. Oil Life is at 96%. It's back to the dealer today for another look see. Car only has 12000 Miles on it.


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## tbwright91 (Jul 16, 2019)

nielboy said:


> Had it into the Chevy dealer today & they determined the problem to be an incorrectly installed aftermarket oil filter. I have serious questions about that diagnosis so I thought I'd bounce it off any of you who are more knowledgeable than I. We had our oil change done on 05Nov2013 at a local non-dealer garage that we've been using for years. We have the utmost faith in their knowledge of cars & integrity in their business practices. We had no problems with this issue after the oil change. Then on 20Nov2013, we had the Cruze into the same Chevy dealer for a recall to replace the brake vacuum micro switch. It was only a day or so after the recall work that we started having the problem with the "Oil Pressure Low Stop Engine" indicator coming on intermittently. So call me crazy, but I don't think it's a stretch to think that something happened during the recall work that resulted in the "Oil Pressure Low Stop Engine" indicator coming on. Does anyone know where this brake vacuum micro switch is located in relation to the oil filter? Could the oil filter have been banged during the recall work & created this problem? I guess we'll find out for sure in the next week if the problem is resolved. We spoke with our local garage who did the oil change & they laughed at the dealer's diagnosis saying that it isn't rocket science attaching an oil filter & it's a convenient excuse for the dealer to make when the problem first started after they performed recall work on our Cruze. It burns my ass paying out of pocket for what I suspect is a screw up on the dealer's part.


What did this cost to get fixed? This just happened to our right after having in the garage.

Threads merged:

Any update on what was found? We are dealing with this as well.


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

tbwright91 said:


> What did this cost to get fixed? This just happened to our right after having in the garage.
> 
> Threads merged:
> 
> Any update on what was found? We are dealing with this as well.


Welcome Aboard! 

You would be better off creating your own thread and if you want, you can refer to this one if needed. The OP has not been online here since 2013.

Don't forget to introduce yourself and your Cruze here.


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## Travis88 (Sep 15, 2020)

nielboy said:


> Hi everyone, I just recently started seeing this messageappearing on my information centre.
> 
> Oil Pressure Low Stop Engine
> 
> ...


My wifes car did that right after I changed the oil i bought a new oil sending unit didn't fix it so last resort changed the oil filter come to find out was a bad oil filter hope thus helps


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## 17Hatch6MT (Dec 28, 2015)

I've read here that the 2nd gen (not sure about 1st gen) needs a special high pressure and/or high flow capable oil filter. The normal spin-on types that will also fit will open the bypass at too low a pressure. Dealer techs have (often?) installed the wrong ones. A stuck-shut bypass on a normal filter might cause low oil pressures on these high-flow high-pressure pumps/engines. I'm just speculating and guessing, based on what I've casually read here.


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## Shari girl (Feb 5, 2021)

nielboy said:


> Had it into the Chevy dealer today & they determined the problem to be an incorrectly installed aftermarket oil filter. I have serious questions about that diagnosis so I thought I'd bounce it off any of you who are more knowledgeable than I. We had our oil change done on 05Nov2013 at a local non-dealer garage that we've been using for years. We have the utmost faith in their knowledge of cars & integrity in their business practices. We had no problems with this issue after the oil change. Then on 20Nov2013, we had the Cruze into the same Chevy dealer for a recall to replace the brake vacuum micro switch. It was only a day or so after the recall work that we started having the problem with the "Oil Pressure Low Stop Engine" indicator coming on intermittently. So call me crazy, but I don't think it's a stretch to think that something happened during the recall work that resulted in the "Oil Pressure Low Stop Engine" indicator coming on. Does anyone know where this brake vacuum micro switch is located in relation to the oil filter? Could the oil filter have been banged during the recall work & created this problem? I guess we'll find out for sure in the next week if the problem is resolved. We spoke with our local garage who did the oil change & they laughed at the dealer's diagnosis saying that it isn't rocket science attaching an oil filter & it's a convenient excuse for the dealer to make when the problem first started after they performed recall work on our Cruze. It burns my ass paying out of pocket for what I suspect is a screw up on the dealer's part.


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## QueenNic9mm (Feb 22, 2021)

Quicksand Jesus said:


> Wow, I'm glad others are starting to have this problem. Mine started doing this right at about 50,000 miles. I took it to the dealership and they said it's $300 to diagnose, no warranty because the sender isn't the powertrain. So I messaged chevy customer service (Erica Tiffany) on here as well back in September. She basically said too bad, it's going to cost money to fix. I then politely explained that I really won't worry about it. Because if my oil pressure is low the motor will seize and THEN it will be covered under warranty. Either way, I'm still driving the car and I still get the warning message. I just ignore it, because that's the best I can do. It does rattle pretty loud when I start it up these days, but oh well right?


 Wow sorry to hear that but did it effect the vehicle in the long run because I’ve already checked everything changed out my oil sensor did oil changed of course changed out my oil filter as well next thing I plan on doing is checking to see if it’s something electrical because when they put in a pump or gauge to read the oil pressure it read fine and The message stop showing and stop blinking on the dash next thing I plan on checking is my oil pump


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## Flyd603 (Jul 28, 2021)

nielboy said:


> Hi everyone, I just recently started seeing this messageappearing on my information centre.
> 
> Oil Pressure Low Stop Engine
> 
> ...


I have this issue with the low pressure shut engine off. I have a 2014 chevy cruse. Spent money on sensor, $400 fix but still have the issue. Mine has 86,000 miles and regular oil changes. Now again 1 hour away from home hardly a repair shop around or gas station as I drove with beeping from the low pressure light on for no reason!! Just had the thing fixed and hardly drove it and now again. Is there a recall on these 2014 cruses yet from the oil pressure light, sensors or whatever this is, this is rediculous!! I'm a 56 year old woman going to be caught up in these mountains in NH some night . Can't trust it or this issue and I'm not made of money to keep fixing it. The 1000$ I put into it the last couple months already put me behind. What the heck is the problem so I dont get twisted around with this oil pressure issue then finding too much oil reading on the dipstick when none had been added since the oil change/ sensor fix. Is the engine going?


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