What does Kaeser alarm 0033 A (oil pressure too low) mean?
Short answer: Oil pressure too low. If your Kaeser Sigma Control 2 is showing 0033 A — Oil pressure ⇟, the controller has logged a specific, documented condition. This page covers what it means, what causes it, what you can safely fix yourself, and when — and why — it takes a technician.
What exactly is the machine telling you?
Oil pressure fell too low; the documented causes are oil level too low, or on vacuum machines a defective oil pump.
Which machines show this?
the wide range of current-generation Kaeser rotary screw compressors — ASD, BSD, CSD, DSD, ESD and related series — built since roughly 2011 with the Sigma Control 2, the industrial-PC controller with a text display and RFID access. It reports faults as a four-digit number plus a letter: 'A' messages are alarms that shut the machine down, 'W' messages are warnings or service reminders it keeps running through, with arrows marking whether the value went over or under its limit — so 0015 A is the airend-overheat shutdown while 0013 W just asks for an air filter. Practical tip: the same subsystem often has a W and an A code (0004 W before 0022 A on the separator); acting on the W message is how you avoid the A shutdown.
What causes it?
- Cooling oil level too low — the first documented cause
- On vacuum machines, a defective oil pump
Can you fix it yourself?
Often, yes — check the level with the machine off and depressurized and top up with the approved fluid. That resolves the common case.
Step by step — what to try, in order:
- Check the cooling oil level with the machine off and depressurized.
- Top up with the approved Kaeser fluid if low.
When do you need a technician — and why?
If the level is correct and the alarm persists, the oil pump (on vacuum machines) or the measurement chain needs Kaeser service — low oil pressure is not a condition to run through.
If it does come to a service call and you're in Nashville, TN or Birmingham, AL, we maintain independently compiled lists of local companies that service industrial air compressors — real businesses with verified contact information, none of whom paid to be listed.
Related questions
What does 0033 A — Oil pressure ⇟ mean on a Kaeser Sigma Control 2?
Oil pressure too low. Oil pressure fell too low; the documented causes are oil level too low, or on vacuum machines a defective oil pump.
Can I fix 0033 A — Oil pressure ⇟ on a Kaeser Sigma Control 2 myself?
Often, yes — check the level with the machine off and depressurized and top up with the approved fluid. That resolves the common case.
When does 0033 A — Oil pressure ⇟ on a Kaeser Sigma Control 2 need a technician?
If the level is correct and the alarm persists, the oil pump (on vacuum machines) or the measurement chain needs Kaeser service — low oil pressure is not a condition to run through. If the oil level is correct and the alarm persists, contact Kaeser service — on vacuum machines the oil pump may need replacement.
Verified against service documentation: Kaeser Sigma Control 2 documentation for 0033 A — Oil pressure ⇟ (airsolcan.com)