Low Oil Pressure/CEL

Hey guys, long story short within 24 hours of owning my 21' off road (34k miles) I was driving and it threw low oil pressure on the screen and the CEL on the dash. it had oil when I parked it in my driveway directly after, but it smelled like oil and it looked like there was some oil on the bottom of the engine as well as it sounded different when i drove the 1/4 mile back home from where it started. looked like there was some fine metallic flake in the oil that was on the dipstick when I checked it the next day.

its getting towed back to the dealer today... any ideas on what happened or similar experiences? I know asking a diag here is like asking you to look into a crystal ball but I did a bit of googling after it happened and kind of wanted to catalog this for if someone else has this happen.

**5.19.23 EDIT**
TLDNR: oil pump exploded and cracked timing cover. see end of page 2 for pics.

**7.13.23 EDIT**
Blackstone found high levels of silicone and aluminum after first oil change.

 

Never can know what happened from 0 miles 'till the day you bought the used vehicle; how it was driven, owned, jumper, traded, etc.

Is it still under 3/36k warranty? Did you get a CPO? Did you get an extended warranty with it?

 

Yeah I know how it is with used but I figured id be ok with a Tacoma and having had luck with previous used cars.

yes under 3/36 still

not CPO

yes extended warranty (which I never do but am already kinda glad I did)

 

dealer may have changed the oil and made a mistake and did not properly install and tighten the oil filter housing...?

 

Seems all signs point to oil loss, not consumption. Someone Fu%ked up somewhere. As mentiond a possible oil change screw-up. This sucks, sorry to hear. keep us posted. Reminds me of you getting @Rannyhill'ed.

 

thanks man and I will, like I said I really want to get this out there so there's another data point for someone down the road.

??

 

Have the dealer fix it, then sell it asap, or budget for a new motor. Good luck with your truck.

 

Low oil pressure warning not good, but also not necessarily a death sentence for the motor. Good luck brother!

 

Also in before some yahoo here says "demand a new truck!"

 

metal flakes on the dipstick? Yeah, plan on a new engine

 

Was the oil changed recently?

 

this!
OP if you shut it down right away, it'll be fine. It takes very little time at all with low oil pressure to cause major damage.

 

Metal flakes on the dipstick? That's not a good sign. Going to have to go find where it came from. Good thing it's under warranty.

 

Sorry, hope it's not a complete oil starvation failure as Rannyhill had. See his entire TW thread here. Ultimately they replaced his truck with a new truck because they (Dealership) Fu%ked up a simple oil change.

 

depending on your confidence and trust in the dealership, you may want to ask them to drop the oil pan and to be there in person so you can see for yourself.

 

id love to but they are 45 minutes away and doing the job while i work.

 

I’d be trading that thing right back in - good luck

 

How low was the oil on the dipstick after the incident ?

 

Pretty much same story as Rannyhill. That "sounded different" part was probably you hearing what an engine with oil getting slung out does internally, yielding a no bueno glitter stick. Just be glad you have warranty. As you could suspect, your dealer may try and brush it under the rug, because it was likely their mistake that caused this. Before they flush away all the evidence, you'd better collect a small sample for yourself for worst case scenario (they do oil change and send you on your way claiming no damage).

because it has to be said, this damage could potentially end in you getting a new truck. Not because you deserve it, but because a dealer has no interest in replacing your engine. They'll give you a fair trade-in on a new truck, and then flip your old truck (with a new oil change) to some unsuspecting person with no mention of an issue.

See @Rannyhill story for proof.