Date: Fri, 18 Sep 1998 12:20:01 -0400
Reply-To: wbarker@NOTES.CC.BELLCORE.COM
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: Wil Barker <wbarker@NOTES.CC.BELLCORE.COM>
Subject: Re: Flickering Oil Light, for EVERYONE TO KNOW.
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
I the exact same problem with my '85 Westy.
After being on the hiway for a while, at high RPM,
I would come off the gas for an exit and the oil light
would start to flicker. It would go away when I brought the RPMs
back up.
My mechanic told me it was low oil pressure, due
to my engines age and wear (150K mi). He recomended
using 20W50 oil (thicker) instead of the standard 10W40 oil.
That worked.
- Wil
In a message dated 9/17/98 10:25:29 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
vlach@cobweb.net
writes:
<<
I have a 1987 Vanagon Syncro with 150K miles. I'm looking for info from
anyone
who may have experienced or heard of something similar to, what I am
experiencing. After driving any significant distance at high RPM, when
downshifting, the oil light & buzzer turn on. This may last 30 to 60
seconds
(or
so) and then they turn off. It happened occasionally at first (beginning
almost 2
years ago), but now occurs much more frequently. My mechanic explained
some
things to me and believes it may be related to the natural course of
aging/engine
wear and suggests switching to 10W-40 oil as a first try. Have you heard
of
this? Is it problem?
I am aware of the vanagon e-mail list and was a subscriber for a short
while.
I
became overwhelmed with the amount of e-mail I was receiving. I was
trying
to
get this message request out there to the subscribers (because there are
apparently so many out there), but I have not been successful in my
attempt.
I
received some kind of error message from the list people, but don't even
understand it. HELP!
Is there any way you can forward this to the vanagon list subscribers? No
big
deal, but if you can I'd certainly appreciate it.
Thanks
vlach@cobweb.net
>>
A proper oil psi test needs to be performed on your vehicle, and there's
only
one way to do it. It's best that you have two vw oil psi testers or
simillar.
Remove the water pump pulley to access the .9 bar (13 lb) oil psi switch
and
install gauge. Remove the left cylinder head heat sheild and install gauge
also, the .15 bar switch ( 2 lb ) is there. Install test lights to each
gauge. Run car for half an hour. At the .9 switch you should never see
less
than .9 bar at 2000 RPM or higher with test light on at .9 bar or higher,
at
the .15 bar switch the test light should go off right away when the engine
is
started, just like the oil light in the instrument cluster. A
another
way if you don't have the expensive gauges is too follow the brown wire
from
the .9 bar switch up to the connector on the left front of the engine area
and
install a test light to the connector. One end of the test light needs to
go
to hot, like the back of the alternator. The other end probe into the back
of
the connector I just mentioned. Start engine and run for a while as stated
before, turn off motor, restart motor and IDLE ONLY. If the oil light
turns
off right away then you know the .15 bar switch is good. Now the other
curcuit, the .9 bar curcuit, with engine running slowly increase the RPM,
your
test light should be coming on at about 1500 RPM hopefully. What's
important
is that it's coming on before 2000 RPM because the controll unit want to
see a
GROUND on the .9 bar curcuit at 2000 RPM or higher. If your test light is
coming on before 2000 RPM and the oil light and buzzer is coming on after
2000
RPM, than you need to check the .9 wire curcuit to the instrument cluster.
If
all good than you need a new control unit . If your test light doesn't
come
on before 2000 RPM replace the .9 bar switch, make sure it's a .9 bar
switch.
Repeat above test. If it still doesn't come on before 2000 RPM, then you
have
a oil psi problem, like a oil pump or a worn motor. Let us know what
happens.
Michael Modl
87 syncro
87 quattro
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