So who rebuilt this engine? It is rare for the pump to suddenly fail but I have seen it. Most common is the shaft drive tab shearing off. Another possibility is maybe the oil pressure relief valve stuck open. Since your problem started with the oil change you may have a problem with the pump priming. Remove the oil filter and with a pump type oil can push some oil in the outer port, (pump to filter). This will get some oil into the pump so the gears can seal and pull a vacuum to get it primed. The most common cause of a pump failing to prime is excessive clearance between the gears and body. On rebuilds this is usually caused by the wrong pump cover gasket being used. On older engines I have also seen oil pump problems due to the inlet screen being blocked by carbon and sludge. This usually means a tear down. Dennis
-----Original Message----- From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of Bruce Mentzer Sent: Sunday, January 24, 2010 6:32 PM To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM Subject: Help with oil pressure Inspired by the list discussion on synthetic oils, went out and bought 10W-30 Mobile 1 and stuck it in my recently rebuilt (5K ago) '84 1.9. Also replaced the filter with a new Fram. The oil light remained on when started the next morning...checked...there's lots of pretty oil in there. Checked wiring on the oil light...it's all good and the engine is clattering (turned off after 2 blocks). Drained the Mobile 1 and replaced with Mobile 10W40. The light is still on, engine clatters. Pulled the filter...no oil. Went to replace the filter, but found it was the correct one for this model. Any ideas from the list? I'm getting ready to order a pump and start the fun of pulling it out. Read up on the previous posts on the list and it doesn't look like a pleasant evenings work in the cold driveway. Bruce in Maryland '84 Westy |
Please note - During the past 17 years of operation, several gigabytes of
Vanagon mail messages have been archived. Searching the entire collection
will take up to five minutes to complete. Please be patient!
Return to the archives @ gerry.vanagon.com
The vanagon mailing list archives are copyright (c) 1994-2011, and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the list administrators. Posting messages to this mailing list grants a license to the mailing list administrators to reproduce the message in a compilation, either printed or electronic. All compilations will be not-for-profit, with any excess proceeds going to the Vanagon mailing list.
Any profits from list compilations go exclusively towards the management and operation of the Vanagon mailing list and vanagon mailing list web site.