My car has been running really well lately. No probs for many months.

Today after work the DIC said "Low Oil". Whao! Scary! When I got to the nearest store to buy oil, I checked the dipstick and it did look like I was a little shy.

Went into store....could not remember what kinda oil the 85k mile C-5 likes. Is it 20W 50? Can somebody tell me? I bought a quart of that and a quart of 10W 40 just in case. Thought better of just throwing either in there without asking the experts here. So I got in the car and started it up.

YIKES! Now the car told me "Remove key. Wait 10 seconds..." Crap! Think I saw that here before connected to the dreaded 'Collumn Lock" situation! Scared, I removed the key and waited those long 10 seconds. Turned the key....

Everything worked fine. And no longer giving me the LOW OIL message.

Was all this just an electrical gremlin? I think I need to add oil still based on my visual inspection....but should I be scared to drive the car anywhere if the collumn lock is starting to act up? Or am I worried about nothing?

Thanks for any advice ya can give, pals!~~~Patrick

 

I put 10w30.

The low Oil light is stange.

When I get it and add oil,the error is still here. I have to drive 1 or 2 hour to let it go.

I've got the key message once too...

don't worry!

 

Actually, if you have not installed a column lock bypass I would be worried.............the low oil warning will pale by comparison.

I'd recommend looking at the CLB stickys/threads, plenty of help on this on the site.

 

check the battery while your at it

 

 

Good info here. If you don't have the Column Lock Bypass, get one now. Check your battery that's always a good place ot start when strange messages appear on the DIC.

 

I'm with Grumpy

Any random electrical messages are almost certainly the first sign of battery problems

If you still have the original AC Delco, change it as a precaution. If its the older type you run the risk of a leak. The computers are under the battery tray. Acid down there is a nightmare to clean up.

Oh and if you have an MN6 and no CLB, get that order in now

 

Thanks a ton, you guys!

I replaced the battery about 5 months ago...so I would be surprised if thats the issue. That having been said, maybe I better look into the collumn lock bypass. Can I order that from my local Chevy dealer? I'll give him a call today and look into it.

Mine is a '97 A4 and to my knowledge has never had the bypass surgery.

And real quick, thanks Brice....does everyone agree that 10W-30 is the oil to use?

I have to leave for work soon and I had bought a quart of 10W-40 (and a quart of 20W-50 just in case) to add before leaving. Should I stop at the store from some 10W-30 to add instead?

Thanks again! And I'll search for the CLB threads and study up.

Cheers!~~~Patrick

(PS...I'll come back and update this as to what my dealer recommends, just so others out there with similar cars can learn from my experience.)

 

Check your oil filler cap. It tells you what oil you require. If the oil is low definitely fill it. If you drive with high rpm's the level should be up to the max level. They actually tell you that if you are tracking your car that you should put an extra quart in the engine and then drain it once you are done racing. My .02 Oh yea get the CLB and never worry again. Also batteries don't last forever and if you try and squeeze to much out of the battery it will ruin your alternator. And you won't know it till you change your battery and then it will fail.

 

Car calls for 5W30 oil (Mobil 1 fully synthetic). I would invest in a column lock bypass soon so you don't have the dreaded column lock happen. And I agree, you may want to have your battery checked out.

 

I agree with all the other advice, but (as others have stressed) make ordering the CLB a priority. If you take it to the dealer, they will do the recall fix. They can't help you with CLB. There have been two recalls to address the Lock issue. The second was more comprehensive but I understand there were unanticipated issues/problems with a relay. Do youself a favor and get the CLB. Takes about 15 minutes to do and you don't have to worry further.

 

Ah, great advice everyone!

I shot over to the tech section and read the CLB sticky. Perfect resource there. Linked to Corvettes of Houston, created an account and ordered the CLB package. Only about 50 bucks. Well worth the peace of mind! Says it will get here next week sometime.

Hopefully the car wont lock up in the meantime!

Thanks again! I'll let you know how installation goes after it arrives. Im all thumbs, but it says its a pretty simple procedure.

Cheers! ~~~Patrick