Lately I have been paying attention to the oil light on the dashboard. I've noticed for the past week that when I start my car from a long period of rest the oil light will fluxuate slightly before completely turning off. If I start my car briefly after a short drive, the light turns off more snappy.
I describe fluxuating as a 1/4 second blink, then turns off.
When I came home tonight I decided to check my oil level since I justhit 3000 miles and I'm due for a change. I found the level to be low according to the dipstick. It read at the low bend in the stick.
Could this low level be causing the light to quickly fluxuate from a cold start, or is something more sinister about to happen?
I'm getting my oil changed tomorrow anyway.

 

harryc, not to ask a simple (and silly) question, but do you have an oil filter with the built in check valve. If you don't, the oil can be draining out of the engine and back into the sump and when you start the car, what you are seeing is the oil getting throughout the engine and the pressure fluctuations as this happens.

After that, it could be something as simple as your oil pressure switch starting to go out, possibly a loose connection at the switch, etc.

 

Since I don't change my own oil, I don't know about the filter. My guess is that its not a very complicated filter. I take my car to Sears for an oil change because the dealer is 45 minutes away, and Sears is right across the street where I work.