Date: Thu, 5 Apr 2012 01:05:43 -0400
Reply-To: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Oil pressure light and buzzer
In-Reply-To: <8CEE0D80B765259-9BC-ACB4@webmail-d084.sysops.aol.com>
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The higher pressure (buzzer) warning system is activated ~2,000 rpm and
above. There is some tolerance there. Once the logic board activates the
buzzer it will stay on regardless of engine RPM. The only way to silence it
is to get the pressure switch satisfied or cycle the ignition switch. What
is most likely happening is that after a high speed run the oil is getting
to hot or there is some other pressure problem or maybe the switch is out of
tolerance. But as the RPMS drop so will the oil pressure and near the 2,000
rpm range the warning is activated and then remains on even down to idle.
Revving the engine above 2,000 rpm then raises the oil pressure enough to
satisfy the switch and the buzzer turns off.
As the for the oil level being good, how good is it? These engines can be
extremely sensitive to overfill. The top mark is not the full mark. It
should be labeled the "maximum do not ever exceed no matter what mark".
When I do oil and filter changes I only add 4.5 quarts. No more!
As for choice of filter brands the higher pressure oil switch is located
between the oil pump and the filter. As such if a filter was more
restrictive it would actually make the buzzer less likely to be activated.
Dennis
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Steven Sittser
Sent: Wednesday, April 04, 2012 8:13 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Oil pressure light and buzzer
My oil pressure light and buzzer are coming on. I know, I know, that
happens on lots of Vanagons, but, after searching through the mailing list,
reading the description of the system at GoWesty
(http://www.gowesty.com/library_article.php?id=810), and looking elsewhere,
I haven't quite found a match for my symptoms.
I have an '88 Westfaila, with 20W50 oil that I put in in November, and some
filter they had in a package deal sale at AutoZone - might have be an STP.
My oil level is fine.
The buzzer comes on and the light starts flashing only under the following
conditions:
(1) It's hot outside, or at least pretty warm, and
(2) I've been driving at highway speeds for at least
about 10 minutes, and
(3) I decelerate (usually getting off the highway), and the
engine RPM's are below about 2000.
If I raise the RPM's above about 2000, the light and buzzer go off, then
come on again if the RPM's drop back down again. This goes on for 5 or 10
minutes, after which it will usually get tired of me ignoring it and the
buzzer and light will go off.
The strange part is, the GoWesty description, and other, similar
descriptions, say that the buzzer can only come on ABOVE about 2000 RPM.
Mine only comes on only BELOW about 2000 RPM.
It may or may not be significant that, about 8 years ago, the van was in a
serious front-end accident. The shop that did the repairs was less than
thorough, and I still occasionally discover things that were mis-wired or
installed poorly. I've also had some major engine work done in the last
year or so by a shop that has turned out to be less than competent (but what
they lack in competence they make up for in high prices), so there is at
least some possibility of miswiring (or other issues) there, too.
So: any ideas what's up?
I've read that many people feel that using anything other than Mann or Mahle
filters can cause the buzzer and light, but I've read others that think that
using them is just masking a problem that has some other cause. Still,
maybe I should just change the oil and try a German filter.
I could try replacing the two oil pressure switches. From what I've read
this sounds fairly difficult (or expensive, if I have a shop do it) for
something that may or may not be the problem, but perhaps that's the way to
go.
I'm sort of thinking (but not at all sure) that I don't have a real oil
pressure problem, since this has been going on for a while, and the engine
hasn't exploded yet.
And in any case, there's the oddity of my light and buzzer only coming on
below 2000 RPM, when all the literature I can find says the buzzer only
comes on above 2000 RPM.
I've had the problem occasionally in the past, but I didn't pay enough
attention to know if the symptoms were identical. At least once it was a
loose wire on one of the pressure sensors, but I don't think that's the case
this time - the behavior seems too predictable, and not random enough for a
loose wire. I've used mostly Fram, Mann, and Mahle filters in the past, but
occasionally something else, usually (as far as I remember) without trouble.
Thank you for any advice!
- Steven Sittser