Date: Tue, 20 Aug 2002 18:50:24 -0400
Reply-To: Dennis Haynes <dhaynes@OPTONLINE.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Dennis Haynes <dhaynes@OPTONLINE.NET>
Subject: Re: Oil light flicker
In-Reply-To: <F24dgwJHpeVvVNgBdXY0000327e@hotmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
You need to determine weather you have an electrical or actual oil
pressure problem. Answer the following questions:
1) Does the light flicker at idle/low speed or at higher engine
speeds? If at low speed only, you may have low pressure, a bad switch,
or the wire is shorting to ground some where.
2) If it flickers at higher RPM, do you also get the buzzer? Light
flickering above 2500 rpm without buzzer indicates a shorted wire or bad
switch. If the pressure is below .9 bar at 2500 rpm, the second switch
will cause the buzzer to sound unless some one defeated that switch.
3) What viscosity Mobil-1 did you use? Should be the 15w-50.
4) Are you willing to pay $500 to replace the main seal? It won't
raise the oil pressure anyway.
5) If the oil pump is worn, the rest of the engine is also, would
only be temporary fix.
6) Is the engine running hotter than usual? This will lower oil
pressure.
7) Is the engine filled to the proper level? I get a little
worried when oil is added for an oil pressure problem. The oil level
must be between the marks. The full mark is actually the extreme upper
limit and going above the mark will cause the oil to get hotter and
further reduce viscosity and oil pressure.
I hope some of this helps.
Dennis
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
Of Mark Dorm
Sent: Tuesday, August 20, 2002 4:12 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Oil light flicker
Okay, I've got 160K miles on my 1991 Vanagon Carat.
I've had a slow oil leak between the engine and transmission
I go to the dealer to get my oil filter and they don't give me Mann nor
Mahle but its what ekta has for them and it says VW on the filter (I'll
repost with the number)
I changed the oil less than 2000 miles ago and opted for Mobile One
Synthetic whereas previously I used just Kendal 20 50 or a mix of Kendal
and a synthetic oil (redline or mobile).
Last night the oil light started flickering. I checked the oil, added
some.
Today it flickers, I added something to thicken the oil. No real change.
I flashes once or twice and then nothing, or it pitters just a little,
or patters, and then its out.
It seems to drive just fine.
Called a guy and he wants 70 dollars. But if its due to the oil filter
then what good does it do to check?
I know it could be electrical, the oil filter, the slow leak getting
worse, or bearings going bad, or the oil pump getting weak.
If its the main seal he said its 500 dollars. He said the oil pump would
be expensive too cause its inside the casing.... (is this true....)
So does flicker mean one thing as opposed to another? It doesn't buzz
nor stay on for anything more than a flash.
Also, I'm in Columbus Ohio. I've driven from California to Miami to
Philadelphia to New York to Ohio to New York again and now again to
Columbus. It was my goal to go to California. Now I don't know. Anyone
need a body for an engine conversion (if I'm looking at the worse case
scenario)? Its white color is a nice white cause I had it painted two
years ago.
_____
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