Got a call from my mother, she has a 2001 maxima. she was driving in very very heavy rain and the oil light came on. she pulled over immediately and checked it....full....anyone have any ideas on what it could be? I would search but I cant.

 

The oil could be low. Maybe she should check the oil level again after the car has been sitting for a while to get a more accurate reading. Also many people on here have had a hard time reading the dip stick. Only one side of the dip stick is usable to get an accurate reading.

Maybe a wire got too wet and caused the light to come on. Is the light still on?

 

Could be a bad oil pressure swicth or connection. Could just be a Gremlin. I would make sure that the oil is in good condition and check the pressure with an accurate pressure gauge.

 

Get it checked asap and tow it. Don't be like this one woman that now has a dead engine because she drove after the light came on, after visually checking the oil is ok. It wasn't a nissan but it's not like the engines are that different.

 

well she let it sit for about 30 minutes, checked it again and it was fine. started it up and the light was gone...so who knows. from what I understand the idiot light is triggered when the pressure sensor provides a ground so it is very possible the water just provided a momentary ground to the frame. she is going to have it pressure checked just to be sure.