Why is the oil light green ?

[prebordao]

Yesterday, it ocurred to me... why make the low pressure oil warning light GREEN ?!
Everybody does it red...

[skinnerd]

So you don't get it confused with the red alternator light that usually signals a broken fan belt.

911's are different from water cooled cars in the regard...they're air cooled and the fan belt is a "critical" component in the health of your engine.

Porsche wanted you to know immediately which problem you had.

Either a broken fan belt (red light) or low oil pressure (green light).
If both lights were red, you'd have to investigate further.

As simple as that....

[prebordao]

ok, so red =highest priority, green=lower priority

hmmm

[skinnerd]

Originally Posted by prebordao

ok, so red =highest priority, green=lower priority

hmmm

Green is pretty high priority as well....just different.
You don't want any warning lights on your dash lighting up!

[Ronnie's.930]

Originally Posted by prebordao

ok, so red =highest priority, green=lower priority

hmmm

Nope - I think most would consider no/low oil pressure to be a much higher priority than no/low voltage (even if it is due to a broken belt). . .

[db_cooper]

On the older (and even 3.2s) 911s the green oil warning lamp could flash at idle on a hot day. The owner's manual addressed that issue, explaining it was normal. I had a 2.4 that would do it. Changed out a few new oil pressure switches till I found one that was not as sensitive.

Rebuilt the engine at 120k..no wear on the bearings, rocker arms, camshafts etc.

Anyways..the light is green (lower priority warning and you do probably have an oil pressure gauge too) so as not to be confused with the ALT red lamp and the broken belt priority engine cooling problem.

[ClickClickBoom]

No,no,no
It's green to symbolize the color of proper oil, Brad Penn......
Baaahaaaa!
eric

[McLaren-TAG]

Originally Posted by ClickClickBoom

No,no,no
It's green to symbolize the color of proper oil, Brad Penn......
Baaahaaaa!
eric

I read the first post and responded, then deleted it since you beat me to the joke by fifteen minutes.

[procan]

I'm a petroleum engineer, and in the oil &gas business:

Oil = green
Water = Blue
Gas = Red

[Ronnie's.930]

Originally Posted by procan

I'm a petroleum engineer, and in the oil &gas business:

Oil = green
Water = Blue
Gas = Red

Ahhhhhhhhh, the voice of knowledge (as opposed to the traffic light ideas of go-no go).

[80-911SC]

Originally Posted by Ronnie's.930

Ahhhhhhhhh, the voice of knowledge (as opposed to the traffic light ideas of go-no go).

going by the USA marking system ...

water = blue
gas =yellow
and green = sewer ...

so the first word you think of when you think sewer is the same as if the light goes on AWE SH--

[Ronnie's.930]

Originally Posted by 80-911SC

going by the USA marking system ...

water = blue
gas =yellow
and green = sewer ...

so the first word you think of when you think sewer is the same as if the light goes on AWE SH--

Oh man, that's too funny!

[skinnerd]

Originally Posted by Ronnie's.930

Nope - I think most would consider no/low oil pressure to be a much higher priority than no/low voltage (even if it is due to a broken belt). . .

Not true.
I smoked a "brand new" 2.7 MFI RS engine because I didn't acknowledge the flashing red "no voltage" light in time.
By the time I pulled over, my engine was smoking and "toast" literally.
Required a full engine rebuild.
Without the fan, your heads and cylinders will get so hot they will distort in shape.
Not a good thing.

[Ronnie's.930]

Originally Posted by Ronnie's.930

Nope - I think most would consider no/low oil pressure to be a much higher priority than no/low voltage (even if it is due to a broken belt). . .

Originally Posted by skinnerd

Not true.
I smoked a "brand new" 2.7 MFI RS engine because I didn't acknowledge the flashing red "no voltage" light in time.
By the time I pulled over, my engine was smoking and "toast" literally.
Required a full engine rebuild.
Without the fan, your heads and cylinders will get so hot they will distort in shape.
Not a good thing.

Sir, you are mistaken - the loss of oil pressure, in any internal combustion engine, is a far more serious problem than the loss of cooling, and there is no way you can deny this if you know anything about engine mechanics. For example, you can operate the engine, withough concequence, for much longer periods without proper cooling than you can without oil pressure.

[Cajundaddy]

Simple. Green is the international symbol for all the money you are about to burn up if you ignore the light.

[safe]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronnie's.930
Nope - I think most would consider no/low oil pressure to be a much higher priority than no/low voltage (even if it is due to a broken belt). . .
Quote:
Originally Posted by skinnerd
Not true.
I smoked a "brand new" 2.7 MFI RS engine because I didn't acknowledge the flashing red "no voltage" light in time.
By the time I pulled over, my engine was smoking and "toast" literally.
Required a full engine rebuild.
Without the fan, your heads and cylinders will get so hot they will distort in shape.
Not a good thing.
Sir, you are mistaken - the loss of oil pressure,

Originally Posted by Ronnie's.930

Sir, you are mistaken - the loss of oil pressure, in any internal combustion engine, is a far more serious problem than the loss of cooling, and there is no way you can deny this if you know anything about engine mechanics. For example, you can operate the engine, withough concequence, for much longer periods without proper cooling than you can without oil pressure.

You will probably go slightly further without the fan than oil pressure but you are splitting hairs...
Both lights warrants an immediate shutdown unless its unsafe for your health to stop.

[LjH]

lost the generator belt on a 912. The pulley half split.
Waited for the head temp to drop then made a mad dash home , about 10 miles, shutting the engine down on any decent (down hill).
When I got home popped the engine cover and placed a fan blowing on the engine.. No ill effects. Wouldn't have even tried that with no oil pressure. That being said when you see either light STOP !

[Ronnie's.930]

Originally Posted by safe

You will probably go slightly further without the fan than oil pressure but you are splitting hairs...
Both lights warrants an immediate shutdown unless its unsafe for your health to stop.

Where did I say that it is OK to keep driving if the low voltage light comes on?

There is no "splitting of hairs" going on in my post(s). I originally responded to the OP when he said/asked, "red = high priority, green=low priority", and told him that this is false because low/no oil pressure is a far more serious problem than low/no cooling (which it is and no way can anyone argue otherwise if they have any knowledge of the workings of an internal combustion engine). Skinnard then chimed in stating that my post was "not true" and I then corrected him, too, as I feel it is important to check misinformation on these forums.

And by the way, one would go MUCH farther without the fan than without oil pressure.

[Jerome74911S]

Originally Posted by Ronnie's.930

Where did I say that it is OK to keep driving if the low voltage light comes on?

There is no "splitting of hairs" going on in my post(s). I originally responded to the OP when he said/asked, "red = high priority, green=low priority", and told him that this is false because low/no oil pressure is a far more serious problem than low/no cooling (which it is and no way can anyone argue otherwise if they have any knowledge of the workings of an internal combustion engine). Skinnard then chimed in stating that my post was "not true" and I then corrected him, too, as I feel it is important to check misinformation on these forums.

And by the way, one would go MUCH farther without the fan than without oil pressure.

Hot head problem.

[Ronnie's.930]

Originally Posted by Jerome74911S

Hot head problem.

Nope - I simply think it is important to not let misinformation slide when I read it on here (nice pun, though).