Oil Warning
One of the first idiot lights, the warning light to the far left, featuring an old-school oil can or what could be even Aladdin’s lamp, is the Oil Warning Light, either level or pressure symbol. A wavy line below the oil can is more specific and indicates the oil level is low, as seen in the second symbol. Without the wavy line, your engine is telling you that the oil pressure is low.
- But first, is one of these truly your symbol?? If yes, continue on below.
- Otherwise return to our main Picture Symbols page and scan again!
So, what do you do next?
In either case, the oil level must be checked. The text symbols Oil Level or Low Oil Pressure are used by some manufacturers and is also an admonition to check the oil. In either case, if the oil level is good, the engine needs servicing as soon as possible as an oil pump failure is likely and will lead to serious engine damage.
This is also a Low Oil Pressure Warning Indicator. The exclamation point in the warning indicator, accompanied by a dial and a pointer, indicates that the engine’s RPM has been reduced. The dial and pointer are intended to be a gauge, however, there are no markings to indicate actual oil pressure. As with the text messages above, low oil pressure can result in serious engine damage, even at reduced RPMs, so have the engine serviced as soon as possible.
This one is an Oil Temperature Indicator symbol. It adds a thermometer above the image of the oil can. It is found in vehicles with high-performance engines that may be run very hard. If it is seen on the instrument panel, pull over and shut down the engine as soon as possible to allow it to cool down.
Related Symbols
Are you seeing one of these to the right?? Follow this link.
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Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.
These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.
Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.
The author has 25 years of automotive experience and has assembled the most extensive collection of symbols and warning lights anywhere (over 1,000!) and can help you open and start any keyless start car with a dead key fob battery. BA, St. Joseph’s College, ME: MS, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY
One of the original idiot lights, at least in 
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One of the original “idiot” lights, the 
Note that if the word Main is seen beneath the battery image, the light is actually a
All Those Lights on Your Dashboard: They’re Not for Idiots Anymore
The First Warning Lights
Idiot lights, or tell-tales, as they are known only in the industry, were designed to help drivers who didn’t understand how to read a gauge and to get your attention. To those who actually did know how to read the gauges, and watched them like a hawk, the tell-tales came to be known as Idiot lights. And the term stuck.
Warning Light Evolution
There may be literally 20 or 30 picture or text tell-tales on a modern instrument panel, each connected to some system in your car. We’ve counted as many as one hundred in some models! And they may illuminate in twos and threes if a problem is detected. That is, a problem with one system causes other systems that are dependent on the first to be shut off. Each of those systems will have an associated, and now illuminated, tell-tale. Today, a driver needs to be an automotive prodigy to know what’s going on.
So a “Prodigy” light comes on and a frustrated and often panicked, non-prodigy driver turns to his or her owner’s manual for help. Unfortunately, the common answer is to call your dealer. It is truly impossible for an average driver to memorize the meaning of all the lights, which all too many times includes a system acronym or abbreviation. In the end, drivers actually do feel like Idiots through no fault of their own.
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Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.
These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.
Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.
The author has 25 years of automotive experience and has assembled the most extensive collection of symbols and warning lights anywhere (over 1,000!) and can help you open and start any keyless start car with a dead key fob battery. BA, St. Joseph’s College, ME: MS, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY