Hi everyone. Girlfriend has a 2000 Stratus with the mentioned symptoms. Car has about 115K miles on it. I'll start from the top with what I know and what I'm expecting to check in the near future as well as proposed solutions. Please let me know what you think as well as anything I may have missed.

It appears the flickering oil light is a big issue with these cars. As the Search I did turned up at least 20 threads on this issue with at least 1000 views to each(to prove I searched before posting).

1. Oil light flickers at idle... when hot. I have a guage purchased and am planning on T'ing into the pressure switch and checking pressure at idle as well as up to 2Krpm. I have yet to look for an acceptable range but I'm going to say somewhere around 20+ lb. at all times is acceptable for me. Hopefully it's the tried and true pressure switch replacement.

2. Temperature guage on dash does not read very high. I've purchased a new thermostat and am hoping to get that replaced in the near future. At that time I will be adding the oil pressure guage since I'm under there. I'm changing this in hopes it's the thermostat and not low tolerances resulting in low engine temps/ low oil pressure.

3. I replaced the timing belt about 3-4 months ago. I had never done it before and screwed with the cams quite a bit. After spending twice as long as I should have to make sure I had timing correct, there has been clatter from the heads ever since. I'm convinced I collapsed some of the lash adjusters and need to replace a few of them. At first the noise went away as soon as I resorted to some harsh treatment. Now I'm wondering if this is a byproduct of low oil pressure as well. The clatter is present even when started up at any temperature. Maybe I pushed some of the adjusters into some dirty areas and they are getting stuck. A system flush maybe, but I'm unsure of what problems that can cause. I'm about ready to pull valve covers and try to isolate which adjusters seem like they are causing the problems.
I've gone so far as to consider the lash adjusters tricking the knock sensor, which pulls timing, reducing idle, which lowers oil pressure. I try to look at things from every angle, but I never noticed the oil light until I replaced the timing belt, so I'm hoping I caused the issue and it's as easy as replacing the bad lash adjusters or just giving them an Acetone bath.

4. While I'm on the subject, how tight does one tension the timing belt? I think I may have got it a bit tight. I'm not sure how to describe it, but the sound is a groan/squeel. I should just buy a repair manual to answer half my questions. Yes I compressed the hydraulic tensioner and pinned it to reinstall.

So as it stands I have 3 problems and they are all pointing at an oil pressure issue. I'm a Chevy guy and had some sticker shock at the $225 oil pump vs. $38 for my Grand Prix.

Now if I could only get rid of the leaking transmission pan I would be happy. I've dropped it twice and used the rubber gasket 1st time and RTV 2nd. It's getting dropped again and going to sit for a few days so it stops dripping and leaves a clean surface.

If I get no responces I can wait until I get some results from the oil pressure guage readings.

Thank you
Tyler

 

Welcome to DF
The transmission leak,may not be the pan, You could have hose's or the solenoid pack is leaking. I would add some transmission dye to the trans and recheck with a black lite to find the leak. The tensioner,once you pull the pin. That should be it. As far as the oil lite, it could be the oil pump or just the oil pressure switch. Keep us posted.

 

Trans is dry above the pan except one area. I'm sure there is a leak above that but it is a dry leak(dull/does not shine with light on it). If it were bigger above the pan I would definately see some sort of trail judging by how much I'm getting out of it. There are at least 4-6 drops hanging from pan at all times (huge stain/currently red snow). Just have to keep an eye on the level. I've learned my lesson on rebuilding a transmission when it's cold in the garage.

 

Well, thermostat replaced. Old one was felt a bit weak. I was able to open it slightly with fingers. New one required more pressure to open roughly same amount. I'm going to assume it was leaking past during operation.

Pulled oil switch. Located above filter correct? It's the only one I could find and the new one matches.

Trans pan dropped again and I'm going to let it drip a few days so I can get a good seal this time. One of the threads are stripped in the case. Not sure if it was my fault or not, but that's getting a helicoil if I can find any the right size for a decent price. Otherwise someone else can be pissed that it's tapped to the next size up.

Just need to get to the timing belt... or just leave it until it stretches.
Lash adjusters might not be needed but I'm not sure. It still needs plugs, so the intake would have to come off anyway.

 

Trans fluid still leaking. Guess I need to start looking elsewhere. If a helicoil and brake cleaner before RTV didn't fix it, it has to be somewhere else. I've used/reused just the rubber gasket on other vehicles, so doing this pan 3 times now just doesn't make any sense to me.

Thermostat seems to have made things better. Waiting to see when I get a chance at a real road test.

 

The 1g v6 should have a trans cooler (If it's the autostick, it will have one)) up by the radiator. Trace hoses heading that direction.

 

Well, drove the car today. Forgot to watch the temp because I was in a rage from the Red flickering oil light. Only comes on after 30+ minute drive where oil is good and hot.
Does anyone have any suggestions as far as the oil light? I'm going to wait a week or two until weather is warmer and do a pressure test for the oil. I'm not sure which is worse, bearings or a pump. I'm sure they would come out to about the same price.

I still have to look at trans though. Timing belt is still growling at me and the lash adjusters are not as noisy since temps have warmed up a bit.

 

I'm going to go with Master Tech's diagnosis on the transmission. Looks like I'll be pulling a bunch of electronics out so I can see the top of the trans.

Oil light still flickers. I have almost a 2" stream coming out of the rockers if I pull the oil cap. Should that happen? I figured it was to create splash for lubrication? I noticed light starts its flicker when RPM drops down in the 500-750 RPM range. What is Normal Operating Temp. target idle?
Just in case I cleaned the MAP and IAC. Next may be MAF in case that is causing an issue at idle and adding some extra fuel so RPM drops low. The only other thing is the O2 sensor which throws codes every now and then. I've done some OBD1 tuning in the past so I know there are tons of variables that can affect idle speed. I could go so far as assuming there is a problem with a cam or crank sensor if there is one.

I swear all this is brought on by the fact that she has to keep the car running all the time. 10-15 minute warmup in the winter, 10 minutes if stopping quick somewhere, and once for an hour at the mall cause she somehow forgot to turn it off.

I'm of the opinion that lubrication on anything but main/rod and cam bearings(depending on application) is all done by RPM and without that you're only making matters worse.

 

Well, I think I may be onto a different path of thought at this point. I've been watching and listening to the car over time and this seems to be more of a sensor or electrical issue which would explain the idle and therefor the oil light.

The last two days I have started the car and it will surge up to 1500 or 2000 rpms and either hang there or slowly drop down. Before any thoughts get into anyones heads it will hang there for at least 30 seconds before beginning to drop.
I'm taking this as a potential vacuum leak that cannot be compensated for by the IAC(wish I had a scan tool to watch IAC counts).
I am also getting harsh or untimed downshifts at low speeds. Then there are the times where I feel a surge such as a lean condition or addition of air and fuel somehow.

As of now I will be replacing the EGR transducer, performing a full tune-up, and checking 5V signal to the TPS and MAP sensors. I have yet to check oil pressure with a guage but by watching the idle RPMs I feel it's idle speed related and not engine wear that is causing the drop in pressure.

Are there any suggestions or common themes I am not searching for that could point me in another direction?

I've decided the leak is coming from the shift solonoid cover, so I'll be doing that when I have it torn down for the tune-up.

 

Replaced the crankshaft position sensor and so far so good as far as oil light/RPM drop/drivability issues. I'm going to keep my eye on it.
I ohmed out the old sensor and two of the pins measured open and the other was something like 3 Mohms (Meg ohms). The new sensor measured open and something in the low 30k ohms. So I assumed that could cause some sort of issue.
However the new sensor was a few thousands larger in diameter than the old so I had to go at it with a bit of sandpaper to get it to fit.

This leaves me with the transmission which so far has stopped leaking but I'm afraid to check the fluid level in case it's dangerously low. I'm also stuck with the clattering lash adjusters but I think I'll wait to check them when I pull the intake to do the tune-up.

Thanks for letting me talk my way thorugh it online and hopefully it'll help someone out in the future.