Trauma

Ok so the red oil pan light at the top of the dash is coming on and off with the chime. It mostly comes on until the jeep warms up.

I made the mistake of thinking it was the tranny fluid because I have a slow tranny leak and I never saw this lifht before. So I added 2.5 quarts of tranny fluid to no resolve.

I changed my oil and filter probably 4000 miles back with royal purple.

It's been going on for about a week now, getting worse but the light is only on and off no constant.

I am away for the week without my jeep so I haven't added oil yet no one will be driving it. This morning it sounds like the engine is ticking at a very fast rate, not extremely loud but blatently sounds strange.

I also made the mistake of being lazy and haven't checked my oil levels like a fool.

1. Why is my oil so low?
2. Is there a chance I did damage at this point or I should be ok if I fix it ASAP?

webejeepin

3.8 L ?

If so there is a long thread here on this motor that consumes oil some do some don't some rather quickly.

Search oil sucking 3.8 here on JKF

Best of luck hope yours is ok

ronjenx

What engine do you have? (You should fill out your profile so we know such things.)

Trauma

Ah sorry.

I have a 2011 JKU sport 60,000 miles

ronjenx

That light comes on when the oil pressure drops too low, usually because the pump has started sucking air from insufficient oil in the pan.

If the oil level is good, then it may be due to worn journal bearings, or a worn oil pump.

Look at the oil level before you run the engine. I'll bet the oil is low.
Have you done damage? Low oil pressure can cause damage. Beginning to make noise is not a good sign.

Trauma

The thought of damage is terrifying...

If I fill the oil and all goes back to normal safe to assume no harm no foul?

webejeepin

Hmmm. I really hope so, but like Ronjenx said the light is on due to low oil pressure....not so good.

On a cold motor level ground check your oil as a base line see were you are at. Then top off to top safe line on dip stick.

Start her up and cross thy fingers to see if noise goes away. I hope it does but if the sump was run very low mechanical damage could have been done, and additional oil will not fix that.

webejeepin

I've said it before...no matter what you drive for the love of all things good.....check you oil at least once a week.

Trauma

Great, so if the noise doesn't resolve it could cost me thousands of dollars potentially?

Trauma

The sequence this all started was this

1. Engine sounds fine, I hear a ding like once while driving but it shut off so fast I didn't even see a warning light come on, no clue what it was.

2. Few days later it starts very faintly blinking the oil pressure light. I don't recall if it was making noise or not.

3. It is slightly more frequent but not really and it mostly shuts off once I drive a bit. No clue about noise still. I drove to and from work and to and from my girls house. Probably a total 80-90 miles.

4. This morning I start the car and it sounds strange. Not a loud knocking but a very rapid ticking at a low volume, but blatently obvious it doesn't just sound like air movement from an idle engine.

I drove about a mile like that. And now it's gonna sit where it is untouched for a week.