Oil light on car what does this mean?

[Totallybannanas]

My DH has changed the filter and oil as wasn't looking great, the dip stick says it is fine. Really can't afford to take it to garage 😭. It seems to come on and off whilst driving. Sometimes it doesn't come on at all. It's a vauxhall zifira.

Could be a sensor on the oil tank that is a bit iffy?
If you are 100% sure there’s sufficient oil in the car and there’s no leak.

Generally speaking, and I am not a qualified mechanic, but a yellow warning light is non-urgent but still needs checking (so for example you could drive home if not too far), and a red light is urgent and needs checking/possibly recovering immediately.

From the RAC website

"Also known as the low engine oil or low oil pressure light.
The oil warning light comes on when either the oil temperature gets too high or the oil level or pressure is too low. If the oil is not lubricating the engine effectively it could lead to expensive or even irreparable engine damage, so it’s important to act quickly.
Can I still drive with my low engine oil light on?
When this light comes on you should stop as soon as possible and turn off the engine. Have a look for any obvious oil leaks under the car, and then check the oil levels, topping up if necessary.
If the oil levels are fine, then the oil pump may be faulty. In this case call for recovery if you have breakdown cover, as driving any further could damage the engine. Watch our video guide to checking your car’s engine oil.
While you’re under the hood, have a look to see if there are any obvious leaks. If you can’t see any and the light goes off after topping up then you should be fine to continue your journey. If the light comes back on again after topping up you should get it checked out at a garage to fix the underlying problem."

I'd be looking at a faulty oil filter or its incorrectly fitted, if the issue is specifically linked to the oil/filter change and your 100% sure the level is correct and no oil leaks around filter housing?

Assume he has used the correct grade of oil?

Otherwise, a faulty oil pressure switch, relief valve, engine wear or sludge has blocked something after oil change.... garage i'm afraid.

The light was on before the oil change and filter. Hmm I do have AA cover wonder if I can call them out for this 😬

It’s still measuring full? He’s not left the plug out. Asking as I’ve a male colleague who did that.

This. And I left the cap off after topping up oil. Engine spattered in oil and I’d lost the cap. €50 to replace it plus engine and inside bonnet had to be steam cleaned, another €€

After checking everything see if there’s a reset button. Might just need resetting.

Look for a reset button. The tyre warning is a nightmare for this. You have to manually reset the warning light and sometimes it is difficult to locate the correct button. Sometimes the instructions are not clear.

Buy a cheap OBD2 code reader from Amazon, it will be less than £15 and plug it in the socket in the dashboard or glovebox.

It will give you a code which you can google and also clear it and see if it comes back.

Specialist enthusiast sites are good for these types of queries. Googling 'vauxhall zafira oil light on' brings up:

https://www.google.com/search?q=vauxhall+zafira+oil+light+coming+on+site:www.vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk&sca_esv=95158fe5307aff6c&rlz=1C1GCEB_enGB980GB980&sxsrf=ADLYWIKNsXSMGJDGzOdBmJ_H83jGfczOEQ:1721650651014&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwibn-y70LqHAxX9XUEAHS2XAF4QrQIoBHoECB8QBQ&biw=1920&bih=919&dpr=1

If you're sure there's plenty of oil in the car, it could be a faulty sensor. Sometimes you also need to reset 'the computer' when making changes to a car. If you make friends with a 'car person' you can sometimes get someone to do this for you for a reasonably token fee/crate of beer.

If you're going to be into home mechanicking, a Haynes Manual is invaluable and you can often get them cheaply on ebay or online second hand bookshops.

Or you can buy a code reader. I didn't know they were that cheap, which now brings me to wonder why DP, the man who has just about all tools and gadgets interesting to the home mechanic and tinkerer, doesn't have one. Or maybe he does and I haven't noticed, or he's not told me.

Thank you! The levels on the dip stick is fine. If we do a reset, I'm guessing it will still come back in if it's a fault? I will look into a code reader.