Date: Fri, 3 Jun 2011 20:55:07 -0400
Reply-To: Bill Shawley <easywind1975@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Bill Shawley <easywind1975@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Spooked!
In-Reply-To: <4DE97C32.9060609@charter.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
I'm sure others will give more nuanced and informed imput but... What weight oil and what brand oil filter? If not 20/50 and mahle/mann consider changing. Have you ever replaced your oil pressure switches? They can fail, check the integrity of wiring from switches to where the join, common spot for chafing grounding issues I hear. Does your tach work normally ( this was an issue i had). Perform swtich test as oulined in bentleys. Install gauge to monitor relative operating pressures and use as refernce in alarm situations. These are the things i kept hearing or reading as i worked out the kinks in my 86. Oh yeah the little circuit board that is in speedometer can go bad and controls the warning system. If you are not familiar with the two stage warning system visit vanagon.com for a good write up. If i've mispoken someone please correct me. That damn buzzer can drive you mad
Sent from my iPhone
On Jun 3, 2011, at 8:28 PM, John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET> wrote:
> While driving my manual tranny 88GL home this afternoon the oil
> pressure alarm sounded and the oil pressure light came on. I killed the
> ignition immediately, noted all the gages seemed normal, and being very
> close to my house just coasted on down the street, around the corner,
> and halfway up my up-slope driveway and stopped. All the while I'm
> thinking "Omigosh! What now?" ( I have an important art show to
> participate in on Sat. and have to set up by 6 am -- this is not good!)
>
> After getting stopped, I sat for a moment, the turned the ignition on.
> All the lights did their normal thing. I hit the switch, the engine
> started right up, oil pressure light went out. I noted no strange
> sounds, and the oil pressure alarm did not sound. I drove the remaining
> 100 feet up the hill to the house - all was normal.
>
> Today was extraordinarily hot - 100 plus degrees, driving was slow
> coming off the highway home, and even though the temp gauge needle was
> in the middle, nothing seemed wrong. I did note that at very slow speeds
> the fan kept coming on frequently. I was poking along about 30 mph when
> the alarm sounded and the oil pressure light came on.
>
> I opened the hatch, and noted the engine seemed really hot. The heat
> just came boiling out. I looked for oil leaking, coolant leaking, etc,
> but found nothing. Oil dip stick measures halfway between the marks, and
> the coolant level is up. I checked the rear oil pressure switch, and the
> wiring connector, but it was tight.
>
> I let the van sit a while with the hatch open to cool the engine, then
> started it up. After Idling a minute, I revved the engine up to 3000. I
> ran perfect. No lights, no alarms. I have tried several times now, but
> cannot reproduce the event. Of course the circumstances have changed as
> the atmosphere is cooling down.
>
> Anybody have any ideas? Can the engine oil get so hot under normal
> driving conditions as to cause low oil pressure. Surely that is not a
> good thing. But how can I avoid that in the common daily summer weather
> here in the South. I'm afraid this event might repeat itself at a
> tremendously inopportune time - as such events usually do.
>
> Thanks,
>
> John
>
>
> --
> John Rodgers
> Clayartist and Moldmaker
> 88'GL VW Bus Driver
> Chelsea, AL
> Http://www.moldhaus.com
>
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