A light comes on in my car that says oil pressure low stop engine now but i have oil in my vehicle and even had the car checked for my 2006 chevy impala

Oil light is rather important it goes out if oil pressure is good comes on if oil pressure is low when it comes on damage is expected with continued operation like wearing of main bearings and pistons and cylinders can lead to a engine rebuild

A loose timing chain tensioner will not cause the oil lamp to light. The noise you are hearing is most likely valve noise due to oil starvation. The oil light comes on when the oil pressure is too low to be safe for the engine. Most people believe it is to tell you the oil level is low. A low oil level can cause low oil pressure is the oil is below the sump, but low oil is not the cause of the light - low oil pressure is. This can be due to a number of things, such as a bad oil pump, faulty bypass regulator at the oil filter, loose sump pipe connection, or even an oil gallery plug that comes out internal to the engine. You need to stop using the vehicle immediately and have the oil pressure checked with a mechanical guage to determine if the problem is the oil ressure or the sensor that lights the light. The chain tensioner being loose CAN cause noise, and that itself is an issue that should be fixed, as in many vehicles a loose chain can jump time, or jam and break, and since many cars have interference engines, either of these scenarios can cause severe internal damage to the engine.

You need to find out why you have low oil pressure. It is normal that as engine rpm's increase, the oil pressure will rise- the oil pump is moving oil faster. Even though your light goes out, you could still have critically low oil pressure. There should be sufficient pressure at idle to keep the light off. The light will come on when your oil pressure is almost nil- I believe for some it's as low as 8 psi. Normally, oil pressure at idle is specified anywhere from 15 to 40 psi. You would have to check specifications for your Expedition. To verify oil pressure, hook up a mechanical gauge at the oil pressure sending unit on the engine block. Check with a local shop.

The causes run from easy, simple to budget busting ruin. Low oil level, wrong grade oil, real old oil, oil leaks, internal oil leaks, worn oil pump, worn crankshaft bearings. It was pretty common on older very high mileage cars to have a fluttering oil light at stops and idle. It was time for a rebuild, or time to look for another car.

Verify that the engine has the proper amount of oil. The inertia from accelerating may be moving the oil in the oil pan away from the sensor and causing it to send a signal, then when you slow the oil levels out and the sensor go's off. I've had this happen alot with a taurus that I owned. The simple solution was to top off the oil to the correct level and the sensor did not come on again (until it ran low again, had a leaky oil plug on oil pan).

If your oil level is full, light is off and no abnormal engine noises, if should be ok to drive to the shop. If light does come on, stop the engine. I would also have the shop check your oil pressure with a manual gauge, to determine the exact oil pressure reading. This could save you from major engine failure due to low oil pressure. I hope this helps.

Since you do not state whether you checked the oil and what the condition and level it was, that is important to know for advise to be given.

But unfortunantly, what you describe is some of the indications of a blown head gasket. Did you have white smoke coming out of the exhaust? Is there any indication of water on your dipstick? Is there a oily slim on the top of your antifreeze in the radiator overflow?

This may mean engine wear or bad oil pump. I would have the oil pressure tested to see if its a shot some where or if the pressure is really low, this is done by removing the sensor and installing a gauge and driving the car to see if the pressure is low, if the pressure is low then more checking is neede to see why,you may have worn engine bearings or bad oil pump. depending on the mileage it may be smarter to replace the engine, not knowing what internal damage has been done already. good day.

Hi,
you do not state the figures for the low oil pressure. There are various reasons for low oil pressure in an engine.
One fact is correct, if you continue to use the vehicle with low oil pressure being developed, you will be looking at an engine replacement or full repair in the very near future.

Good luck.

engine oil pressure may be low remove oil pressure sending unit and install a pressure gauge check for pressure while warm if pressure is ok replace oil pressure sending unit oil pressure at idle should be between 5-15 psi at min

This is an idication of a severe oil leak. Check the oil level in your engine to see if there is any in it. Add to the full mark and return to the oil change shop and ask them to see where the leak is. Do not operate without oil. Severe engine damage will occur. Hope this helps Moe