OIl buzzer / light

[damac]

here is a link to an etailer:

http://www.germanautoparts.com/Volkswagen/Jetta/Engine/14/3


i got a cross referenced part from my local kragen in a couple of days.  sorry i don't have the receipt, if you searched various forums you will probably come across something if you must buy locally.


i had to rock the engine down on my jetta so i could pull the shaft completely out.  again if you search the forums you will find some guides on how to do it.  it is annoying, it was a day project for me to take my time but hopefully this is past me for now.  my car had like 200,000 original miles so i am not sure how often these have to be replaced, or if its because people tighten the timing belts too much.

they are cheap enough and once you learn how to do them, maybe its cheap insurance to do them every 100,000 miles or so?

[rodpaslow]

Just a mention of the oil - I have a 16V gasser that I can't run 10W30 in because the oil light starts coming on at idle.  In a diesel I alway run 40 weight oil something like 5W40 now (cold) and 15W40 above 0°C temps - diesel oils either way.  Just a note that in an higher mileage engine, oil weight does help somewhat.  I always find in a diesel NA I get about 60 psi on a VDO electric gauge at speed (60 mph or so) and about 40 at speed in a turbo.

[R.O.R-2.0]

guess im doing good then. cause i get about ~35psi at idle, WARM.. dont even know how much @ 60mph.

my last engine (1.5 TD) had about 6 psi at idle, warm.. just enough to move the gauge needle off Zero.

[wolf_walker]

I had a TD years ago that did a solid 1.5psi at hot idle, and 6 at any higher RPM.  I put about 30K miles on it that way.
The cheap aftermarket rebuilt head, after 100K, had so much valve/guide clearance if you topped it off with oil quickly (which you did, since it consumed it, a lot), when you first fired it up it'd sound funny.  Draw your own scary conclusions.  That ole motor was a trooper, still have it, yet to pull it or the head apart and rebuild em.

I think the IMS bearings wear as much from over-snug timing belts as anything, though I've been blessed enough to never have em crap out what the rest of the motor wasn't crapped out to match.

[dyoungen]

Ok, another question. Where do I need to put the oil pressure age, the oil filter switch or the switch on the head?

[R.O.R-2.0]

i always put it at the head. its easiest to get to.

[Vincent Waldon]

If you're just temporarily installing it to check for issues the factory spec is given for a gauge installed at the oil filter flange.

If you're wiring up a dash gauge you can use either spot...one theory is that the head is the best spot because that's where pressure is at its worst as the engine wears and/or overheats.

[R.O.R-2.0]

If you're just temporarily installing it to check for issues the factory spec is given for a gauge installed at the oil filter flange.

If you're wiring up a dash gauge you can use either spot...one theory is that the head is the best spot because that's where pressure is at its worst as the engine wears and/or overheats.

thats why i like my gauge at the head, cause if theres low pressure at the head, it might not be quite so low at the turbo, and bottom end bearings..

[dyoungen]

Just thought I'd do an update on the oil light buzzer question. Finally teh weather is better and I got some time off from work to install the oil pressure gage. After adding the Delo 400 and installing the gage in the head the pressure gage showed just over 75lbs cold at idle. I let it warm up to operating temp and the lowest it showed was 1/2 way between 25 and 0 at idle fully warmed up. I revved the engine up when it was warmed up and the gage registered just under 50 lbs. I took it for a drive after it was warmed up and everything seemed fine. Driving up my driveway the buzzer sounded off and the light came on. I only had the gage on temperarily so I don't know what the pressure was when the light/buzzer sounded off. Sounds to me like I have problems in the light/buzzer and not the engine.

[dyoungen]

Well, the verdict is in and the oil pressure is ok. Not great but ok. I temperarily mounted the pressure gage so I could run a few miles down the road and after 75lbs at startup it ran between 50 and 25 lbs cruising down the road at 60 mph. At idle it stayed between 25 and 0 (I'd say about 10 lbs). The gremlins are back in the wiring, again.

[dyoungen]

Well update number II. After driving longer distances I see there might be slightly lower oil pressures. Starting in this cold weather the gage, which I perminently mounted on the dash shows around 70 lbs in freezing weather, aka 28 degrees. After getting up to operating temps it will run about 25/35 lbs till I get home, 20+ miles and will idle at 10 lbs. Also I'd add that when the buzzer and light come on the oil pressure is usually around 20/25lbs. Not always but sometimes they still both come on and the gage never drops just stays the same when the buzzer and light comes on.

[rdezsofi]

Full dynamic oil pressure warning system troubleshooting info here:

http://vincewaldon.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=40&Itemid=28

Pictures and everything!

Vince- Several weeks ago I tracked down the source of a low oil pressure scenario not covered anywhere it seems. The oil seal in the bottom of the rotary vane style vacuum pump gear. Completely blown out. Went from 6 psi at a hot idle, to 18 psi with swapping out the $6-at-the-dealer-still-available oil seal! During the thorough check, I dismantled the whole vacuum pump. Oil pressure looks to be fed directly up the shaft from the oil pump. (Not even filtered oil!) Under the top cover of the vacuum pump, in the middle of the shaft, is a metal screen that needs to come out, because on 3 that I checked they were mostly plugged with carbon/gasket debris/etc. My guess is the screen became plugged, too much pressure on the seal and there goes the oil pressure. Without the screen, no problem. It simply returns the unfiltered oil back to the sump. Considering it's a quick 5 minute check/replacement, I thought maybe you should add this into your oil pressure troubleshooting page???

[Vincent Waldon]

Good idea... I habitually change that seal and so have never had it impact me, but as you point out it's an easy one to miss.

[somedumbjerk]

not to thread jack, but i've been having an issue too. my gauge reads about 80psi at start up and drops down to about 25-30 at idle when it's warmed up. my oil pressure light only comes on when the boost kicks in, and when the oil pressure gauge gets about 60psi. when the oil pressure drops down, the light turns off. could this be crossed wires or something? the engine was swapped to a 1.6td from germany (not by me) and has the ceramic fuses so i'm not sure if this is original wiring because my caddy has blade fuses. the car is a 1982 jetta.
and i don't think the w terminal is hooked up because the upshift indicator in the dash doesn't turn on ever.

[Vincent Waldon]

When you followed the step-by-step troubleshooting instructions from the link posted in the first page of this thread what did you discover?  

Actually.. since you have an 82 chances are you only have a single low pressure sensor...if you find you don't have a high pressure sensor at the oil flange just ignore those parts of the procedure.