the oil pressure sensor should be on the front of the block in the center, a little above the oil pan seam. Not sure how much room there is for access from the top without removing the intake manifold so you may want to remove the lower valence and look from the bottom up.

The fact that your light goes on for a second or two when driving is a pause for concern. You don't say how many miles on the car but you need to consider other causes for low oil pressure - ie 1) debris or gunk in the pick up 2) oil pump or gasket issues 3) incorrect oil weight or filter type 4) sensor/wiring.

You are correct that replacing the sensor is cheap enough (IPD sells an aftermarket one for $6, Genuine Volvo is about $30) but its not a common failure item.

One other thought - If you have plans to do the PCV system any time soon, that's the perfect time to replace the sensor since you'd be removing the intake manifold to access the breather pipes. If the low oil pressue is gunk related, then this would be a logical maintenance approach - ie drop the oil pan and clean the bottom end, rework the oil pump gasket etc, refresh the PCV parts, clean out the block ports, refresh the sensor. This is the most likely steps to take should the sensor prove to be in good shape.

 

Thank you very much for the info. I have owned this vehicle for only 3 months and got it from a private seller claiming to have taken care of the vehicle. I only use to to go to work and back and use my other truck for everything else. It runs good and the engine does not have any oil leaks. Honestly I have never seen such dry engine for the age. The car has 132k miles. I have ordered the oil sensor and I will change the oil and filter as well. If this don't do the trick I will have to look inside the oil pan and maybe the oil trap. Should I look into do an engine flush as well?

Thanks

 

when you say engine flush, do you mean a coolant system flush or a Seafoam treatment in the oil? If you are thinking of dropping the oil pan to inspect for debris and doing the oil trap /PCV system, you can consider doing a Seafoam treatment first. If the engine is sludged then there's a lot more to talk about.

 

I was thinking of the Seafoam treatment. What is the oil to seafoam ratio to do that?

 

about 1 to 1.5 oz (a shot glass) per quart of oil is what the can says so I'd do 1 measuring cup of Seafoam in the oil fill about 200-300 miles before you change the oil.