2001 Toyota Sienna. 250k miles.
My oil light comes on sometimes. I ended up getting an oil change after only a 1000 miles since the last one because I figured maybe the engine was eating oil and getting that done would both fill it to the brim with new oil and let me put in my AT-205 sooner. But, the light still comes on sometimes. I don't know why, but it sure isn't from not having enough oil.
In my researching I read about how to reset the light by pushing the odometer stick in some manner and then it said that doing that resets the light so it will come on again in 5000 miles to remind you to get an oil change. Is that a real thing?
On most vehicles the oil light turns on to warn you about low oil pressure that can damage the engine. Some do also have an "oil change" light, usually triggered by mileage. It's not clear at all which type of light you're talking about. You'd have to consult your owner's manual.
The light you see is most likely due to low oil level or low oil pressure. Check the oil level and if it is fine, check the oil pressure. If both checked out, the pressure sending unit is faulty.
