Date: Wed, 1 Jan 2014 09:38:33 -0700
Reply-To: Karl Wolz <wolzphoto@Q.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Karl Wolz <wolzphoto@Q.COM>
Subject: Re: oil light question
In-Reply-To: <7D66F8CF-A77B-4B7B-918E-918E75674AC0@aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1255"
Before replacing those switches, I'd do a close examination of the wiring;
Id guess more likely the problem, considering the confidence you have in the
engine install. ;-)
Good luck
Karl Wolz
|-----Original Message-----
|From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com]
|On Behalf Of Steve Cotsford
|Sent: Wednesday, January 01, 2014 9:31 AM
|To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
|Subject: Re: oil light question
|
|On Jan 1, 2014, at 11:28 AM, Steve Cotsford <cotsford@aol.com> wrote:
|
|> Thank you Karl. I have received some info from some other
|folks and made a little progress.
|>
|> I was informed that it might well be a defective oil
|pressure switch and I plan to replace both of them to
|eliminate that possibility. Engine is a 2.1 originally from
|a syncro I believe and mileage is a bit over 100,000 miles.
|Installed into my 89 Bluestar. Yes i am not very
|knowledgeable about WBX engines.
|> What happens is that the oil pressure light blinks on and
|off regularly, starting just a few minutes after cranking the
|engine and allowing it to idle. It initially goes out as one
|would expect.
|> Then after idling for a while the light starts blinking on
|and off. Revving the engine a little seems to change
|nothing. The light still blinks on and off in a regular
|manner. I can stop the engine, wait a few mins then switch
|the ignition back on and the red light still blinks on and off
|at the same regular manner even without the engine running.
| I re-crank the engine and the light goes out, then after a
|few minutes of idling, it starts blinking regularly again.
|This is not like a flashing you get with low oil pressure on
|an older car at a very low idle.
|> I have revved the engine a little higher and if I get it
|over 2500 rpm, the light goes out. When I lower the engine
|speed back down, sometimes it will start blinking again,
|sometimes the light will stay off.
|> I am pretty sure the oil pressure is not problematic and as
|someone has suggested, an oil pressure switch is old and
|defective. I have no way to hook up a gauge at present but
|I will soon and I intend to replace both the pressure switches.
|>
|> Now concerning the temp gauge red light flashing. I found
|out that I had no cable plugged in to the coolant reservoir
|sensor. I was apparently not careful or knowledgeable back
|in May when i installed the tank and subsequently i have
|rooted around, found the cable, plugged it in and now I can
|run the engine and there is no more red light flashing in the
|temperature gauge.
|>
|> I am learning a lot and admit that I still have a lot to
|learn :-) Thanks for help from this list !! Happy New
|Year to all !! Steve
|>
|> On Jan 1, 2014, at 10:56 AM, Karl Wolz <wolzphoto@Q.COM> wrote:
|>
|>> Steve mentioned OP light, but later on spoke of coolant
|level sensor. Regular flashing is not an OP light symptom,
|but is indicative of a missing coolant sensor wire, which he
|says is the situation on his van.
|>>
|>> More info , please?
|>>
|>> Karl Wolz
|>> Sent from my electronic umbilicus
|>>
|>>> On Dec 31, 2013, at 2:29 PM, Dennis Haynes
|<d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM> wrote:
|>>>
|>>> I'm here at Disney Epcot for New Years eve. I would begin by s
|>>> Checking the wiring and sensors. A clogged oil filter can
|also cause the low pressure light while the high pressure
|buzzer may not come on as that switch is before the filter.
|The symptoms you describe are indicative of the oil pump inlet
|screen blocking with carbon or sludge. With the water boxer
|this usually means rebuild.
|>>>
|>>> Dennis,
|>>> From my phone.
|>>> ________________________________
|>>> From: Steve Cotsford<mailto:cotsford@AOL.COM>
|>>> Sent: ý12/ý31/ý2013 2:44 PM
|>>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM<mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
|>>> Subject: oil light question
|>>>
|>>> It seems very quiet in Vanagon circles today. Probably
|means that people are resting or socializing and generally
|doing worthy things :-)
|>>>
|>>> I have read some articles on Vanagon oil pressures and I
|get the impression that its fairly common for older 2.1s to
|have problems in that area.
|>>>
|>>> I have seen other types of engines with low oil pressure
|and generally the oil light will start flickering at idle when
|the oil gets hot and thin. I am unfamiliar with the Vanagon
|system with two senders however.
|>>>
|>>> My oil light will start blinking on and off at a regular
|fairly slow timing and no changes in engine speed seem to
|affect the blinking. However when the engine is switched off
|and restarted, there is no oil light. However after a few
|minutes, the regular blinking starts again. And once again,
|the speed of the blinking, on-off,on-off seems to be
|completely unaffected by engine rpm. My gut feeling is
|that its not oil pressure or lack of that is causing this but
|some other fault. Engine is a 2.1 from a Syncro I think
|and its installed in my 1989 Bluestar Vanagon. I am unsure of
|the mileage but was told its a little over 100k.
|>>>
|>>> I can go buy a mechanical gauge and screw it into a
|pressure switch point but which one? The one near the
|distributor or the one down between the pushrod tubes. Which
|makes the most sense? Are they both connected by oil
|passages within the engine? Is this a common fault and is it
|likely to be related to something in the gauge assembly and
|not in the engine at all?
|>>>
|>>> Thanks for any help. Enjoy your new years eve :-)
|Cheers Steve
|>
|