Date:         Tue, 18 Oct 2011 16:15:28 -0500
Reply-To:     mcneely4@COX.NET
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Dave Mcneely <mcneely4@COX.NET>
Subject:      Re: Blinking Oil Light
Comments: To: Loren Busch <starwagen@GMAIL.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <CAH32RNaERp4J_T1V4tzirre0XYuEZJ48jvymGcXrMC5oqT0YWQ@mail.gmail.com>
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---- Loren Busch <starwagen@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> Got a mystery (and hopefully not a major problem) going on with my '90 Westy
> (stock 2.1L and automatic).  Driving home from a VW event Sunday I suddenly
> had a flickering oil light while cruising at about 50 mph.  No buzzer. Came
> and went over the next few miles.  I pulled over and checked the oil level,
> down about 1/2 quart but still well above the lower mark.  Added 1/2 quart
> and continued home.  Blinking/flickering continued for about a mile then
> quit the last two or three miles getting home.  Drove it today in town, no
> blinking light first half of trip then started again.  And it doesn't seem
> to bear much of any relationship to RPM, doing it at cruising speed above 2k
> and about the same at idle.  I've had oil lights coming on in my '85 (stock
> 1.9L) when the wrong oil was put in once or when very hot.  But that was
> always a steady light at idle, went away at higher RPMs.  This is not
> steady, just flickering.  BTW, I know that the oil pressure sensing setup is
> different in the 2.1L vs. the 1.9L.
> I guessing (hoping?) that it's a loose wire connection or bad pressure
> sensor.  Which of the two sensors, high or low, would most likely cause this
> kind of behavior?
> I'm taking the van into my mechanic Thursday morning to try to pin this down
> (and hope it's something short of an engine on it's last legs) but asking
> the lists for any hints.

I definitely think you hit it with "loose wire."  I had that phenomenon at one time.  just making sure I had a good connection on the low rpm pressure sensor solved the problem.  If it were the high rpm pressure sensor, then the buzzer would sound off (I think).  But mine was the low.

--
David McNeely