Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2008 21:42:23 -0800
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: 88 Vanagon - oil pressure alarm
In-Reply-To: <4786D204.7000800@phas.ubc.ca>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Nice to read.........and mark thought I was such an idiot apparently to say
a real oil pressure check is the right way to go. Perhaps I should have said
'to be safe' as this post clearly shows.
Now that you mention examining in the oil filter for metal chips
..................you can even cut them open with a hack saw and spread out
the pleated paper filter element and examine it with a magnifying glass or
microscope................
.........there is also sending the oil out for an oil analysis. If
there's excessive bearing or case metal in the oil, the oil analysis will
be very clear about that - they flag abnormal readings.
And they check out 25 things about the oil.
I should do that myself more often, especially on Volkswagen engines. It
would be a great pre-purchase or pre-sale test too. Especially on
Volkswagen engines, which are about the weakest most delicate engines there
are - not all of them............but some of their engine models are
................delicate I'll say.
They do run an amazingly long time though. And I think the 1,9 wbxr
engine really hangs in there, like almost won't blow up ever. They need the
normal every several years head gasket work of course, and I'm finding many
slightly leaking exhaust valves on most wbxr engines when I take the heads
off.
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Thomas Pfrommer
Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2008 6:19 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: 88 Vanagon - oil pressure alarm
I agree with Scott,
I had the same symptoms and did the same thing, i.e. waiting, checking
electrical, waiting and driving a bit more and then one bearing
completely seased and I had to open the entire engine ....
FIRST thing is check your oil pressure with a mechanical gauge!
The low rpm sensor between the push rods is better as it is farther
apart from the oil pump right in between the galleys where you want to
have the pressure. In addition it is way easier to be attached to an oil
pressure gauge. No belt is in the way. Just be sure to not touch the
exhaust with any tubing unless it is teflon tubing.
This being said it is for sure an easy task to first check the obvious
electrics ....
When you change your oil open the filter and check if there is any
indication of metal chips, if yes .... hm sounds like something is
somewhere in the galleys.
Hope you got an easy problem and i did nto scare you too much, just told
you what happened to me.
Cheers
Thomas
Mark Drillock wrote:
> Come on, Scott. The problem is most likely electrical. FEW people can
> test their own oil pressure and doing it the way you suggest may open
> cans of worms best left alone. Most people CAN test 2 wires and their
> connections. That is the first step.
>
> Mark
>
> Scott Daniel - Shazam wrote:
>> John,
>> There is only one proper thing to do first. That's to check the
>> actual oil
>> pressure with an oil pressure gauge. You would read that at the sender
>> that's on the left underside of the engine....
>> Between the push rod tubes. Need to remove that cover first , but
>> that's
>> the normal oil pressure switch, and I'd first see what oil pressure
>> warmed
>> up and at 3,000 rpm is,
>> And if that's ok, then it'd pursue the electrical.
>>
>> ...............
>
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