B16, B18, B20
User avatar
By B20vtec-turbo
#272015 I have a 94 civic hatchback with a b20 vtec turbo swap.

My question is, ever since the swap, my oil light has been on. When the car is idling the oil light is very dim, but gets brighter with RPM. What would cause his?

This engine use to be in a crx, which had a oil gauge installed. I want to reinstall it, but I don't remember how it was hooked up...

Any advice would be appreciated!
User avatar
By JUICE
#272021 what ecu/chip/basemap you running? maybe it's something you got running on a program cause your oil light should NOT be on like that. that's like the "red ring of death" for hondas!

i know for sure in OBD1 eg's that the oil light comes on when pressure drops below something ridiculous like 3 psi. I'd get this figured out before driving the car anymore.
User avatar
By Eg6H2D
#272025
JUICE wrote:what ecu/chip/basemap you running? maybe it's something you got running on a program cause your oil light should NOT be on like that. that's like the "red ring of death" for hondas!

i know for sure in OBD1 eg's that the oil light comes on when pressure drops below something ridiculous like 3 psi. I'd get this figured out before driving the car anymore.


^^ :thumb:
User avatar
By mooze
#272030 yeah the light comes on when pressure is relieved.......bad bad bad.....either something is wrong with your wiring (would hope so) or u have a serious oil issue
By bks84
#272178 If the wire is not hooked up it will cause teh light to come on. id check the wiring for the sensor, its a single wire i think its yellow/red and should be located on the back of the block. make sure its plugged up, if it is try a different sending unit.

As far as the light getting brighter when you rev it up... think about why any light would get brighter if the engine is rev'd up... you might have the alternator tested.
User avatar
By B20vtec-turbo
#272233
JUICE wrote:what ecu/chip/basemap you running? maybe it's something you got running on a program cause your oil light should NOT be on like that. that's like the "red ring of death" for hondas!

i know for sure in OBD1 eg's that the oil light comes on when pressure drops below something ridiculous like 3 psi. I'd get this figured out before driving the car anymore.


P28 Hondata S300, Basemap came of a Tony at T1 in Dallas.
User avatar
By B20vtec-turbo
#272234
bks84 wrote:If the wire is not hooked up it will cause teh light to come on. id check the wiring for the sensor, its a single wire i think its yellow/red and should be located on the back of the block. make sure its plugged up, if it is try a different sending unit.

As far as the light getting brighter when you rev it up... think about why any light would get brighter if the engine is rev'd up... you might have the alternator tested.


Image

B20b doesn't have a plug back there....I'm researching it now, cause I'm confused...
User avatar
By forcefedEG
#272237 The stock location for it is where your oil feed T's are screwed in at. You could re locate the sensor to most any place oil pressure travels. But yes it should be hooked up. The sensor is a few bucks at a parts store
User avatar
By B20vtec-turbo
#272246
forcefedEG wrote:The stock location for it is where your oil feed T's are screwed in at. You could re locate the sensor to most any place oil pressure travels. But yes it should be hooked up. The sensor is a few bucks at a parts store
Found it, it's an aftermarket sensor. So, this could be my problem? If so, my engine isn't in any danger, the sensor is just reading wrong which throws the oil light....correct?
User avatar
By RWMIII
#272262
B20vtec-turbo wrote:
forcefedEG wrote:The stock location for it is where your oil feed T's are screwed in at. You could re locate the sensor to most any place oil pressure travels. But yes it should be hooked up. The sensor is a few bucks at a parts store
Found it, it's an aftermarket sensor. So, this could be my problem? If so, my engine isn't in any danger, the sensor is just reading wrong which throws the oil light....correct?


If it is only going to an oil guage then yes. The motor isnt in any danger per say, but I highly recommend getting a sensor plumbed in there asap. Oil pressure is a critical item that needs to be monitored and able to alert you to low oil pressure. Especially on a turbo and VTEC setup.
User avatar
By B20vtec-turbo
#272276
RWMIII wrote:
B20vtec-turbo wrote:
forcefedEG wrote:The stock location for it is where your oil feed T's are screwed in at. You could re locate the sensor to most any place oil pressure travels. But yes it should be hooked up. The sensor is a few bucks at a parts store
Found it, it's an aftermarket sensor. So, this could be my problem? If so, my engine isn't in any danger, the sensor is just reading wrong which throws the oil light....correct?


If it is only going to an oil guage then yes. The motor isnt in any danger per say, but I highly recommend getting a sensor plumbed in there asap. Oil pressure is a critical item that needs to be monitored and able to alert you to low oil pressure. Especially on a turbo and VTEC setup.


When this setup was in my crx, it had a aftermarket oil gauge, but when I done the swap I wasn't paying attention to how the gauges were hooked up, so I don't know how to reinstall it. I've read that you have to T off the oil line back to the gauge but being that it already had a gauge setup, it should already be setup for it...

One of those oil lines, in the photo above, is ran straight to the after market oil sensor.

P.S.
I haven't forgotten about you, I just haven't sat down and done it yet!
User avatar
By RWMIII
#272279 The switch that you need for the factory light looks like this:

Image


And it's all good. I kind of forgot wtf we even talked about. lol.