General Engine management light

[JessB307]

Hey,

I’ve been really stupid and not checked my oil… I commute half hour to work and back each day.

My engine management light came on less than 2 minutes from home this evening and my partner checked my oil which was empty so topped it up.

I am such a worrier and now I’m panicking that I’ve buggered my engine…

Going to try and get it into a garage tomorrow, any advice to help ease my mind (hopefully)?

Thanks!

 

[porta]

If the lights gone out it may just be a ‘low level’ warning…I think a lot of folk have done this before and lived to tell the tale

 

[John202020]

Welcome, did they red oil warning light come on with an audible warning and message on the dash whilst driving? If not, you've probably been lucky, though I'd recommend an oil change regardless.
Start the car, let it idle. Are there any lights or warnings ?
The yellow engine light requires fiat specific software to read the code re what it indicates.
If it idles OK with only the yellow engine light on, then you can drive it to the garage without too much worry, tell them what's happened and see what they say report back before making big decisions

 

[JessB307]

Welcome, did they red oil warning light come on with an audible warning and message on the dash whilst driving? If not, you've probably been lucky, though I'd recommend an oil change regardless.
Start the car, let it idle. Are there any lights or warnings ?
The yellow engine light requires fiat specific software to read the code re what it indicates.
If it idles OK with only the yellow engine light on, then you can drive it to the garage without too much worry, tell them what's happened and see what they say report back before making big decisions

Hi!

So the orange warning light is what’s come up on the dash along with the hill start and stop/start unavailable. I was less than a minute from home and my partner put 3/4 oil in out of a litre bottle

 

[jackwhoo]

Is it it 1.2 petrol engine?
If it only took 3/4 Of litre to get oil level up to correct level on dipstick Then low oil level not the cause of engine management light.
The cause of The light most likely not connected to oil level....but it has made you think about oil so not a bad thing.

Please let us know outcome

 

[JessB307]

Is it it 1.2 petrol engine?
If it only took 3/4 Of litre to get oil level up to correct level on dipstick Then low oil level not the cause of engine management light.
The cause of The light most likely not connected to oil level....but it has made you think about oil so not a bad thing.

Please let us know outcome

It is 1.2L petrol. Filled up with 3/4L oil and read as half full on dipstick so put the rest in. A few people have said the red light would have came on if oil was drastically low?

 

[JessB307]

It is 1.2L petrol. Filled up with 3/4L oil and read as half full on dipstick so put the rest in. A few people have said the red light would have came on if oil was drastically low?

Is it it 1.2 petrol engine?
If it only took 3/4 Of litre to get oil level up to correct level on dipstick Then low oil level not the cause of engine management light.
The cause of The light most likely not connected to oil level....but it has made you think about oil so not a bad thing.

Please let us know outcome

I don’t know if it’s relevant but at the same time the hill holder light came on, stop start fail light came on and a car with skid marks warning light came on. I’ve just been away for a week and the battery was completely dead. Has been fine now it’s been charged but having read through similar threads, I feel it may be the battery?

 

[John202020]

What age is the car ? Modern cars are very sensitive to the battery state, note the red oil light should never come on(except when starting) and its not an indication of oil level

 

[Bonefish Blues]

I don’t know if it’s relevant but at the same time the hill holder light came on, stop start fail light came on and a car with skid marks warning light came on. I’ve just been away for a week and the battery was completely dead. Has been fine now it’s been charged but having read through similar threads, I feel it may be the battery?

Get the battery checked, replace if necessary (a company called Tayna are particularly good IME, and it's easy to diy). Don't worry about the oil.

See how it goes. Having run a modern Fiat for a few months, they do like to show you lots of warning lights, often as the poster above says, and you suspect, associated with battery condition.

 

[jrkitching]

I was less than a minute from home and my partner put 3/4 oil in out of a litre bottle

If it only took three quarters of a litre bottle of oil to bring it up to the max line on the dipstick, then I can reassure you that it's most unlikely to have done any lasting damage, at least not on a 1.2 engine.

As has already been said, I doubt the appearance of the warning light has been caused by the low oil level.

And in future, check the oil level using the dipstick each time you fill the car with fuel. I've put a label inside my fuel flap to remind me.

 

[John202020]

Just checking you meant the engine symbol on the right of the cluster and not the yellow triangle on the left?

 

[The Panda Nut]

I lost all the oil on a Renault a few years ago. The oil cooler pipe came off. The car was anly 3 months old. I drove over 100 miles with this issue. It was extensively checked, and no damage was found.

On my Bravo the garage failed to put nearly enough / if any oil in the engine at service. I drove hundreds of miles, albeit at low speeds, again no damage occurred. If there is just enough oil to circulate you will be fine the sump is a reserve and allows cooling to be much better but its remrkable how little oil is needed to provide the minimum lubrication required. Unless you drive pretty hard you should be OK.. Damage due to oil starvation is usually severe and really noticable straight away.

 

[John202020]

I lost all the oil on a Renault a few years ago. The oil cooler pipe came off. The car was anly 3 months old. I drove over 100 miles with this issue. It was extensively checked, and no damage was found.

On my Bravo the garage failed to put nearly enough / if any oil in the engine at service. I drove hundreds of miles, albeit at low speeds, again no damage occurred. If there is just enough oil to circulate you will be fine the sump is a reserve and allows cooling to be much better but its remrkable how little oil is needed to provide the minimum lubrication required. Unless you drive pretty hard you should be OK.. Damage due to oil starvation is usually severe and really noticable straight away.

Reminds me of my dad's company Caviler drove from Dundee to Newcastle with only a pint or so of oil, it had just been serviced that day, it survived