oil pump - IDI Engine - VWDiesel.net The IDI, TDI, and mTDI source.

• oil pump by dieseldan on 09 Jan, 2006 14:16
• Is there a better (higher pressure) oil pump available for the 1.6 TD?  Is low oil pressure ever a problem on these engines?  I know the filter and pickup screen are clear because pressure is fine for a half hour and then only drops gradually to about 20 pounds.  I am using Valvoline 5w40 diesel synthetic.  I have heard that oil pressure senders can also give trouble on these cars.  This problem will only get worse when the weather warms up soon.
  Thanks,
  Daniel
• #1 by vwmike on 09 Jan, 2006 14:54
• Oil pressure does drop as the engine warms up. Have you looked for the specs in the book?
• #2 by Peter on 09 Jan, 2006 15:19
• I am no expert, but I have driven vw diesels for over 22 years and have never heard  of any problems concerning the oil pumps...the one in my car has 600,000 miles on it and the other 250,000mi..I would suggest that you would rely more on the warning light supplied with the car then an after market unit...the VW is more sensitive for an immediate emergency...if the oil warning light does not come on,... all is fine..(sometimes it will come on and then go off etc, but this has more to do with a faulty instrumention board
• #3 by Otis2 on 09 Jan, 2006 16:56
• A low oil pressure problem may not be *caused* by a bad oil pump.  
  
  But ... if it was all but impossible to trace the true cause after rebuilding all the usual suspects (eg. search here for the sad stories from "Rat 407" and his low oil pressure), or if the rebuild cost was prohibitive in the short term, then a higher-volume oil pump might be an effective kludge fix, no?
  
  Dan, when you say your pressure drops to 20 psi, what RPM are you turning at that point?  If you're only at idle speed, you're probably golden, as minimum spec is something like 28 psi at 2000 RPM.
• #4 by dieseldan on 09 Jan, 2006 20:29
• The buzzer sounds for a few seconds intermittently after driving for about a half hour or more.  I tap the gas and it stops.  This never happens under load.  My oil and filter were recently changed.  Fuel milage is good and the car starts easily even below freezing, so I assume compression is also good.  There isn't any fuel or water in the oil.  The gauge will show less than 20 psi when idling hot.  I thought the buzzer only sounded above 2000 rpms.  But I get it well below this.  I plan to replace the oil pressure switch as these apparently can give trouble.  I have also had trouble with the coolant level sensor sometimes blinking even with the tank full.  I am gradualy working out the electrical issues.  Thanks for the advice.
  Daniel
• #5 by vwmike on 09 Jan, 2006 20:51
• What kind of oil filters do you use?
• #6 by Peter on 09 Jan, 2006 20:54
• you might have success with changing the sensor, but usually when these cars get old the problem stems from the instrument cluster itself..you can't fix it . the solution is to  change the instru.cluster for one that hopefully works..sometimes and I mean sometimes, the problem can be taken care of by grounding out the wire that goes to the sensor on the oil filter holder (NOT the one on the motor)...ground it out by attaching it to a valve cover nut....concerning the coolant level sensor..it simply could be going bad and needs replacement or it could be something as simple as too much moisture in the air affecting the contacts where the plug fits onto the sensor...I had this problem last year in florida for 2 months during the wet or very moist mornings..after the car warmed up no problem... I still have the same sensor on the car here in Canada one year later, no problem..then again the moisture level is much lower
• #7 by chrissev on 10 Jan, 2006 12:28
• Quote from: "dieseldan"

  Is there a better (higher pressure) oil pump available for the 1.6 TD?  Is low oil pressure ever a problem on these engines?  I know the filter and pickup screen are clear because pressure is fine for a half hour and then only drops gradually to about 20 pounds.  I am using Valvoline 5w40 diesel synthetic.  I have heard that oil pressure senders can also give trouble on these cars.  This problem will only get worse when the weather warms up soon.
  Thanks,
  Daniel

  
  
  had an oil pressure problem on a diesel rabbit.  Replaced oil sender switch on engine, put thicker oil in, was going to replace oil pump then mechanic told me not to bother.  Car was diagnosed with low oil pressure due to oil seeping past worn out bearings.  So that's your worst case scenario I guess.  First thing to ascertain is that your gauges are giving you accurate readings.  So install a separate oil pressure reader somewhere and check the pressure that way so you know you actually have low pressure and not just bad gauges, wiring, etc.  Then if you discover your pressure is indeed low you can begin diagnosis on the engine to determine the problem.
• #8 by dieseldan on 10 Jan, 2006 15:02
• Thanks for all the advice.  I use NAPA Gold #1191.  These are made by WIX Filters.  For oil, I used Valvolene 5w40 which is marketed for diesel.  I Plan to test the pressure with an accurate gauge I use for A/C work.  Here is an off the wall question: If the oil pump is driven off the intermediate pulley, and I were to machine down the pulley 1/4" or so, this would change its effective ratio thereby speeding up the pump which may give me a few more psi.  I know this sounds far out.  For now, I'll just change the pump, clean the screen, and see what happens.
  Daniel
• #9 by okiediesel on 10 Jan, 2006 16:31
• I had much the same problem w/ my caddy.It has a 83 Jetta 1.6TD and it had good pressure cold but when the oil warmed up it went to crap (0 to 5 psi at idle, max 25 psi down the road). I did a little looking and found a seal in the bottom of the vaccum pump drive gear. This seal is avail. from VW and costs about $5-6. Also look at the slot in the bottom of the vac pump to make sure it's not hammered. It needs to be as straight as possible, not bowtie shaped. I took a shaft out of a junk vac pump and swapped it into my pump. The screen on top of the shaft gets wasted, but you can press the shaft into the assy an extra 1/8th inch to make the o/p drive tang seat in the slot further and almost double the load surface for the o/p. Between the new seal and the shaft replacement/resetting, I've got 20 psi warm idle, 40-50 psi down the highway.
• #10 by LeeG on 10 Jan, 2006 20:44
• I have a similar problem, 1.6TD.  After pulling hard up a hill or a long straight (say hitting 140kmh for a minute or two), then slowing down to just above 2k RPM, the low oil light/buzzer goes on until I shift down to bring the RPM up.  80,000 km ago this was very irregular, now it is more frequent, particularly with fresh oil.  
  
  Never happens at idle.
  
  Since the car has 400,000 km on it and the problem is getting worse, my assumption is worn bearings.  Since it uses so much oil now (blowby, & turbo), I just change the (Bosch) filter periodically so the oil stays nice and thick :? .  Plan B is a low mileage 1.6TD hanging in the shop waiting for me to get 'roundtuit.