Owners of other Toyota, Lexus or Scion vehicles such as the Yaris, Matrix, Prius, Camry, RAV4, Sienna, Tacoma, Tundra, FJ Cruiser, Venza, Highlander, Avalon, Sequoia, Land Cruiser, Allion, Premio, Auris, IS 250, ES 350, GS 350, tC, xB, xD, iQ and FR-S may also find these DIY instructions to be helpful.

The most common symptom of a failing or faulty oil pressure switch is the low oil pressure warning light being illuminated on the gauge cluster. The "oil can" warning light might be steady or it may be flashing.

If you have an OBDII Scanner (also known as an OBD2 scan tool), some of the oil pressure switch related DTC (diagnostic trouble codes) you might see include P0520, P0521, P0522, P0523 and P0524.

If you see the low oil pressure warning light turn on or flash, pull over in a safe place and immediately turn off the engine.

Allow the oil to drain back down to the oil pan for at least five to ten minutes. Then check the oil level on the yellow plastic handled dipstick.

If the oil level is somewhere in between the two dots on the tip of the dipstick that indicate "F" (Full) and "L" (Low), the oil pressure switch may have failed and is not reporting the oil pressure to the ECM (electronic control module).

If the level is below the "L" (Low) dimple, you may have an oil leak or an oil consumption problem (burning oil). Filling the engine with oil until the level on the dipstick reaches the "F" (Full) line, should cause the low oil pressure warning light to turn off if the sensor is still working properly.

The genuine OEM part number for the oil pressure switch is Toyota 83530-0E010 (made by Denso and also known as part # 835300E010).

I recommend buying the OEM Toyota unit, but here are a few compatible replacement aftermarket oil pressure switches with their part numbers: Beck Arnley 201-1649, Standard Motor Products PS305T and Formula Auto Parts OPS11.

The tools needed to complete this procedure include a lug nut wrench, a floor jack, two jack stands, a flat head screwdriver, a 10mm socket with a 1/4" drive ratchet, a 24mm socket with a 1/2" drive ratchet and a tube of Loctite Blue (medium).

The first few steps are to drive the car on to a level surface, shift the transmission into "Park" and turn off the ignition.

Engage the emergency / parking brake and place wheel chocks on both sides of the rear tires to help prevent the vehicle from moving.

Slightly loosen the five lug nuts on the front passenger wheel by turning them about 1/4 to 1/2 turn in the counterclockwise direction with the tire iron.

Please do not solely rely on the floor jack to support the vehicle!

Spin off the five lug nuts and set them aside in a safe place.

Carefully pull off the front passenger side wheel and tire.

Some home mechanics choose to place the wheel under the frame rail as a backup support device just in case the jack stands and floor jack fail.

Pry out the small round "button" in the center of the plastic fastener with the flat head screwdriver.

Then pry out the base of the pop rivet.

Set the two screws aside with the plastic pop rivet.

You don't need to fully remove the plastic shield to access the switch.

Locate the black plastic crankshaft position sensor on the rear of the engine.

The silver metal and gray plastic oil pressure switch is situated just above the crankshaft position sensor.

Try to avoid using excessive force to prevent from cracking the plastic connector.

This is especially important if you are working in a very cold climate or the vehicle is over ten years old since the plastic might be brittle from thousands of heat cycles.

To protect your garage floor, place some newspaper or cardboard below the engine to catch any oil that might leak out when you remove the old switch.

Clean off any large debris from around the switch with a paper towel to help prevent it from entering the port.

Take a moment to examine how the old sensor is not flush with the rear of the engine. On my 2010 Corolla, the 24mm hex part of the old sensor was situated about 1/4" away from the engine with about 3 to 4 rings of threads showing.

Attach the 24mm socket to a 1/2" drive ratchet.

You could also use a large 24mm wrench.

Carefully loosen the old switch by turning it in the counterclockwise direction.

A small amount of oil might leak out from the port (opening) in the rear of the engine.

Clean the area around the opening with a paper towel.

I only had the older version of Loctite 242 Blue (medium - removable with hand tools) to apply to the new sensor.

If you need to buy threadlocking compound, I recommend purchasing the newer Loctite 243 blue version which has improved oil tolerance and a higher temperature range.

Apply a small amount of Loctite Blue to the threads on the new sensor.

Avoid getting Loctite on the tip of the sensor or in the hole on the end.

Line up the new sensor with the opening in the rear of the engine.

Carefully spin in the new sensor by hand in the clockwise direction to make sure it doesn't become cross threaded.

If you have a very sensitive and reliable torque wrench, the specification in the service manual for tightening the oil pressure switch is 11 lb-ft (or 15 N-m).

Otherwise, just tighten the sensor until it is snug.

The new sensor will not be flush with the rear of the engine!

Once the sensor has been properly tightened, there should still be about 3 to 4 of the threads showing between the engine and the 24mm hex part of the sensor.

My sensor was about 1/4" away from the rear of the engine.

I would rather have the new switch be slightly loose and discover a slow oil leak than to risk cracking the engine block or damaging the threads.

So please be sure to not over tighten the sensor!

You should hear or feel the power plug "click" securely into place.

The Loctite 242 threadlocker has a "set time" of just 20 minutes, but I allowed it to set for just over an hour.

Loctite 242 will be fully cured in 24 hours.

Do not start the engine until the threadlocker has had at least an hour to dry.

Carefully start the engine and check the new oil pressure switch for any oil leaks.

Avoid placing your fingers or hands in the engine bay near the switch while the engine is running since the crankshaft pulley and serpentine belt will be spinning just in front of the switch.

If you do see an oil leak, turn off the engine. You may need to allow the Loctite to dry longer, clean the threads better or tighten the sensor a bit more.

Spin in the two metal screws a turn or two by hand to support the splash guard.

Re-insert the plastic pop rivet.

Tighten the two 10mm screws in the clockwise direction until they are snug.

Spin on the five lug nuts a few turns by hand in the clockwise direction to prevent them from becoming cross threaded.

Slightly tighten the lug nuts with the tire iron in a criss-cross of star pattern.

Continue tightening the lug nuts in a criss-cross or star pattern with the lug nut wrench until they are snug.

It would be best to use a torque wrench to tighten the lug nuts to the owner's manual specification of 76 lb-ft of torque.

Please check out my other Corolla DIY tutorials at the links below -

2009-2013 Toyota Corolla Repair & Maintenance Guides

2014-2018 Toyota Corolla Repair & Maintenance Guides

2003-2008 Toyota Corolla Repair & Maintenance Guides
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