Date:         Wed, 12 Feb 2014 11:03:44 -0800
Reply-To:     Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Subject:      Re: Oil pressure lamp
In-Reply-To:  <52FBC3EC.9090403@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

My guess is the same thing that happens when I "wash" my engine; water and dirt combine to form a mildly conductive path which lights up the oil LED (was probably dim, not full brightness).  Engine warms up, water evaporates, conductive path broken (until next time it gets wet), and back to normal.

Rich
San Diego




________________________________
 From: Rocket J Squirrel <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM 
Sent: Wednesday, February 12, 2014 10:56 AM
Subject: Oil pressure lamp
 

Started the van (1.9L) this morning. Dampish morning, 40 degrees F (a
mild morning, it was 55 degrees colder than that two weeks ago). The van
hadn't been driven for about a week.

The oil pressure lamp did not go out. The oil pressure gauge I installed
a couple years ago read normally (75 psi, cold engine, idling, 0-40
weight oil), so I sat for a moment and decided to trust the gauge.

Over a period of about 3 minutes while driving, the oil pressure lamp
dimmed until it went out.

Took care of my errand (had a crown installed at the dentist's), which
took about 20 minutes, and when I started the van again, the lamp
behaved normally: lit then went out after a few seconds as it normally does.

Bad sender or something? Isn't that sender a switch? What's with the
dimming then?

--
Jack "Rocket j Squirrel" Elliott
1984 Westfalia, auto trans,
Bend, Ore.